PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – Last week, Panama City officials put plans to add paid parking in Downtown Panama City and St. Andrews on hold.
At Wednesday’s ‘Coffee with the Commish,’ St. Andrews residents met with Ward 4 Commissioner Josh Street to discuss it.
Many business owners said they’d welcome a paid parking system.
“A majority of business owners on Beck Avenue are for the paid parking, especially on Beck. We want a turnover of people because we want more people in and out of our businesses. We understand it’s scary. And what we like about the way the city is approaching it. If a year or two down the road and realize this is not working. It’s really easy to just hit the undo button and go back to the way we’re doing it right now,” said Brad Stephens, a St. Andrews business owner.
A main reason for their support stems from increased congestion as the area gets busy in the evenings, causing overflow parking on residential streets.
The city’s proposed paid parking plan would include app-based services, paying through a smartphone wirelessly.
There are no immediate plans to reopen discussion, but city officials hope it can continue later in the year.
