Happy Birthday To Me, Here's Your Parking Ticket!
May 25, 2022
Updated 5/26/2022 @ 10:00am Received a response from James campaign with a request to make a correction to the story. Appears the birthday card was paid for by Keith James for mayor campaign and taxpayer dollars were not used.
The card came in the mail, and I can’t recall ever receiving a card from the City before. The front of the card included a quote from Maya Angelou “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”
The front of the card reads: Happy Birthday from Keith James, Mayor of West Palm Beach. The opposite side has Keith James name 4 times and includes his business address on Okeechobee Blvd.
This bother’s me on many fronts and raises questions which I will never receive an answer.
How does the City know when my birthday is? Why did James decide to send greetings to residents? I have a theory and it concerns his bid for re-election.
My birthday card:
Question: Who paid for the printing, postage and labor to send the cards? Did James mean it when the card said “I believe the people– like you– are what makes West Palm Beach such a special place to live. On your special day, I’d like to wish you a wonderful birthday. Yours in service” I was having a good day until the mailman arrived, and I started to think.
Mayoral Town Hall Meetings:
I attended 2 of these meetings and James spent the time telling residents what a great job he was doing in the City. The last 15 minutes was spent on residents concerns. James never answered a question but instructed staff to gather their information and it would be followed up. Residents were invited to the buffet table where a nice selection of food and drink was offered.
Question: Who paid for the event, taxpayers or James campaign fund? He did meet with residents so I’m betting taxpayers money paid for all the re-election events held.
As I’m writing this story I’m listening to channel 12 news when they report on the new parking rate increases in WPB.
Reporter Kara Duffy interviewed Jay Brown a downtown resident, who was “shocked” by a recent development. Hear the interview below.
Below are excerpts from the City Minutes, and the entire document can be read below. My comments in Italic, and underlined to draw readers attention.
3/21/2022 City Commission meeting: Item # 8.4 Resolution No. 88-22 amending existing parking rates and hours of operation for the City Parking System.
“Edward Davis, Parking Systems Administrator, discussed the downtown parking rate structure as follows: introduction-impact of parking rates being too low, reason for parking fees; metered parking-Clematis improvement impacts; current on street parking rates comparisons; current off street (garage parking) rates; off street (garage parking); on street parking rate re-structure; future upgrade/maintenance; citation fines (current); WPB proposes citation fines; and proposed monthly parking permit rates.”
“Mayor James asked Mr. Davis to explain about the benefits of making these changes so people will know that it is not about making money. He said that this is about changing behavior as we have been working on this for two years and it is time to implement it”
James was sworn in as Mayor on April 4,2019, nearly 3 years in office, so it was his idea to dig deeper into small business and residents pockets. Of course it’s about making money, every dime collected on parking fines goes to the City, and they will offer a reason why it is needed.
“Mr. Davis said that by changing these rates they are trying to create an atmosphere of compliance”
Compliance? James is forcing people to bypass WPB to dine and have a few drinks with friends for a nearby city that doesn’t rob them with obscene parking rates, or a two hour time frame. Imagine sitting with friends having dinner and you jump up and leave the restaurant because your two hours are up at the meter. You can’t feed the meter, you have to move your car, find another space. Where are you dining next time? I bet not in the downtown City of WPB.
In my opinion, James is destroying a city he claims to love, and will destroy most small businesses in the area. There is a parking problem downtown, a problem he created with the streetscape design in 2019 when there were 121 parking meters on Clematis St. and now there are 49 meters and in his wisdom he removed many handicapped parking spaces.
Tickets for overtime parking currently is $27.50 they’re proposing $37.50 for the first offense second offense within six months it’ll cost you $75.00 and if you get three in one year it’ll be $150.00.
The deck is stacked against residents and especially small business, and the hospitality workers who depend on your business. Read the minutes below:
Mr. Davis making the presentation to the City Commissioners for their approval of the new parking rates named three cities and their hourly parking rate.
“Delray Beach two dollars, Fort Lauderdale 3 to 4 dollars, Boca Raton 2 to 3 dollars and West Palm Beach new rate will be $2.50 per hour”
His information was easily verified by googling the cities, which I did.
Delray Beach: On-Street Parking is available for $2/hour for up to 3 hours between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Beach Parking — Street parking is $1.50/hour for up to 3 hours seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Beachside public lots are also $1.50 per hour seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Public Parking Garages are free if you arrive prior to 4 p.m. and thereafter a $5 flat fee from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday. Parking is free in public garages on Sundays.
Fort Lauderdale: The city’s rates currently run from $.50 to $2 an hour on the barrier island, $1 to $1.75 an hour downtown, and $.50 to $1.25 an hour in other parts of the city. Residents would be charged $1.50 an hour for the beach and downtown areas and $1 an hour in other sections of the city under the new proposal.
Boca Raton: Be ready to pay the next time you park your car in downtown Boca Raton. The city is phasing in parking meters for street-side parking.
It will cost you $1 per hour during the day and $2 an hour overnight. A city spokesperson said the goal is to create turnover downtown and bring more customers to businesses. But some business owners worry meters will scare customers away.
Mr. Davis neglected to mention downtown Lake Worth parking was free, but did mention there are three parking meter’s on the 200 block of Clematis Street.
Commissioners please do your homework and stop accepting what staff presents as the whole truth. Population of WPB is 114,646 that’s the people who’s interest you are supposed to protect.
Common sense goes a long way. Bottom line poor planning poor management, City Commissioners voting on issues with not enough information.
The end!