NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — Hundreds of people have now signed a petition started by workers in Neptune Beach who are asking the city council to create a free employee parking lot in response to the city’s decision to raise parking prices at the town center.
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Action News Jax first told you earlier this week that the city decided to raise hourly parking prices from $1.35 to $5. But, today, the city of Neptune Beach shared updated parking information online, adjusting the increases so that daytime parking prices are $2.50 per hour and $5 per hour after 5:00 PM.
Workers at the town center tell Action News Jax that they have had parking concerns for years, but now that parking prices have gone up, they feel like a free employee parking lot has become an urgent need.
“My thought every single day on the way here is, where am I going to park, and how much am I gonna have to pay to park? How much am I going to have to pay to be able to work my shifts?” said Meghan Corby, who works at a restaurant in the town center.
Corby’s restaurant asked Action News Jax not to share its name, but Corby said she feels like she is now losing money by going to work. She said she recently made $68 in total during one of her shifts this week, which she said was lower than usual, but paid $65 to park because of the higher prices.
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She works with Sara Anthony, who believes a free employee parking lot will secure her savings, sanity, and safety.
“[Parking] is just such a big issue,” Anthony said, “there’s no lot that’s available for anybody unless you want side street parking, which is not safe either.”
Action News Jax reached out to Neptune Beach City Council for a response to the petition. Neptune Beach Mayor Cori Bylund told us she didn’t have any comments to share.
The city of Neptune Beach said people who live in Neptune and Atlantic Beach can park up to four hours in the town center for free, as long as they register to do so. You can sign up for free parking at the link here.
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