New parking rates make for bad present

By Marella Flynn| gargoyle@flagler.edu

Christmas wish list: rolls of quarters. Starting Dec. 10, prices for the beloved street parking meters around St. Augustine will sky rocket to $1.50 per hour.

This dramatic change seems to come from the city’s lack of profit from the parking garage on Castillo Drive.
There will be 12 new solar powered parking meters installed around the plaza downtown.

Essentially, what was once free will now cost an astounding $1.50 per hour.

The ultimate goal of this plan is to encourage people to park at the new parking garage since it will only cost $1.25 per hour.

Initially, the city will not be as harsh on people’s lack of nourishing what seem to be insatiable meters in December as they get used to new prices.

A large incentive for locals is a prepaid debit card, properly named Park Now, provided by the city that has a 50 cents-per-hour rate.

What is the city trying to do to us poor college students? As if our future student loan debits aren’t already looming over our shoulders, now we have to agonize even more about the parking situation.

So start looking under the car mat for coins if you intend on parking by these meters.

Merry Christmas to you too, parking garage and city commissioners.