‘You lose the small-town feel:’ Fernandina Beach city leaders discuss potential parking garage

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Fernandina Beach is rapidly growing, while the number of available parking spaces seems to be shrinking.

City leaders are discussing a potential solution that would create 170 new parking spaces. Action News Jax shared the city’s plan with locals, and some are not happy with it.

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More parking is one of the main focuses right now in Fernandina Beach. This week, city commissioners announced a plan to add additional parking spaces. They discussed building a parking garage.

”I had citizens that would be interested in it. It may not be a majority. I’m here to have a discussion to see if we could have a solution,” Fernandina Beach City Commissioner James Antun said.

The garage would be at the Fernandina Beach Library. It would add 170 parking spaces in a downtown area that frequently has too little parking for all the city’s visitors and residents.

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The project would cost $7 million or more. So, city commissioners want to charge for parking to recoup that investment.

“[We] must consider a paid parking situation if you’re going to do that. Personally, I’m not opposed to it,” Antun said.

But some do oppose this idea

“Adding a parking garage, in my opinion, coming from up North, down here, you lose the small-town feel. If it’s multiple levels, it doesn’t look right in a small town,” Danny Pataky, a local, said.

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One visitor said he is for more parking.

“There is a big need for parking down here. I am not sure what the answer is. I would love to see some parking. I hope they do it in a way that keeps the astatic of the city,” beach visitor Curtis Myers said.

City leaders did not move forward with the garage plan just yet, but it’s not off the table. They will be discussing more about this in future meetings.

Meanwhile, locals will still see more parking options soon. The city has agreed to add 26 additional parking spaces throughout downtown.

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