Orange County to strengthen parking laws starting November 2nd

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Orange County is making it harder to park in rights-of-way and easier for deputies to ticket or tow vehicles that do.

The new parking standards go into effect on November 2nd. Vehicles will be able to park in road rights-of way, however, vehicles causing safety hazards, are oversized or ar using spaces for storage/temporary parking lots will be subject to new standards and restirctions. This includes commercial-use dual rear wheel vehicles ($150 parking fine per day), vehicles with no license plate or current registration, recreational vehicles after 72 hours, trailers, and vehicles under car covers (all $30 parking fine per day and towing in some cases.

Violations would be subject to a $30 parking fine per day and towing in some cases.

“In neighborhoods… the right of way would include from the sidewalk on one side of the street to the sidewalk on the other side of the street,” said Don Schenck, the Supervisor of the Parking Enforcement Unit for Orange County Sheriff’s Office. “Driveways oftentimes are misunderstood by citizens because they think their driveway goes all the way to the street when in fact the driveway stops at the sidewalk, at the end of their property line, and that’s where the right of way comes in.”

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Schenck said Orange County commissioners added the new parking restrictions after receiving complaints about cars for a couple of years, citing that "citizens have been reporting vehicles that were in various states of situations that current language whether it be Florida statute or county language, did not speak to."

Serena Wedlake reported an SUV that she said has not moved in eight months in her Windemere Trails neighborhood to the county.

“It’s pretty much an eyesore and I don’t want the community to start allowing these kinds of things,” Wedlake told FOX 35. “If this starts to become a chain where this is a situation that happens then people are going to know that they can drop their cars off and probably nothing’s going to happen.”

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Vehicles causing a safety hazard will also be fined under the new ordinances, including vehicles:

• Blocking visibility causing a safety hazard
• Blocking 20-feet clear access path for roads (fire/EMS access)
• Blocking mail delivery locations between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
• Parked within 20 feet of midblock crossings
• On shared-use paths

Oversized vehicles using more than one marked parking space and non-electric vehicles in EV parking spaces will receive a $30 parking fine.

For a full list of the tougher standards visit the Orange County website.

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