NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. -- When we asked people around the beach about the parking most laughed. Some gave us a somber look.
"It definitely takes some strategy to find any parking out here," Bethany Phillips said.
The main hot spots are in front of the stores along First Street. The issue is, there's not enough to go around for people who want to shop.
Jennifer Girard came for the beach yet snagged a spot. "I can understand it from the store's point of view, but at the same time there is no parking," she said.
Kent decided to move her car after her interview. We wanted to get a store perspective, so we checked in with Boutique Unique.
"If the employees don't have a place to park, the customers aren't going to have a place to park and who's going to walk a really long way?" Shirl Kent said.
Some shops have put up signs that say "customers only" in their lots. Kent says it's a start but the area still has a long way to go. Neptune Beach leaders say they're aware of the parking woes, and are working on it.
"If I knew the solution, I'd be a hero!" Kent laughed.
The merchants along this strip got together for a meeting to sit down, form a committee and figure out the best way to tackle this problem. They even started passing fliers to customers to encourage them to reach out to local leaders and get involved.
The City of Neptune Beach tells Action News it's working on getting parking spots along the right-of-ways. City leaders believe they have found another 20 to 30 spots to open up in the next few weeks.
