It’s come down to “easy” money.
Bradenton Beach commissioners Aug. 30 were to take up a discussion on a possible partnership with Easy Parking Group to produce revenue from some city parking lots.
The workshop was set to take place after The Islander went to press this week.
The endeavor would put Josh LaRose, owner of Easy Parking Group LLC, in the driver seat. He manages paid parking lots elsewhere in the Sarasota/Bradenton area.
LaRose operates a fare-free shuttle between Coquina Beach and the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency district. The service was created to alleviate parking issues for Bridge Street businesses and the district, bounded Cortez Road, Sarasota Bay, Fifth Street South and the Gulf of Mexico.
Now Bradenton Beach commissioners are considering instituting paid parking to generate municipal revenues.
Easy Parking is proposing a split of net revenue, which it estimates based on the city’s available spaces could total $200,000-$300,000 a year depending on staffing decisions.
Locations to be considered for paid parking include the lots between First Street North and Bridge Street, the city hall lot at 107 Gulf Drive N. and an unpaved lot between Church and Highland avenues near the Bradenton Beach Police Department.
According to Easy Parking Group, the implementation of paid parking by the city would stop abused or unused parking, leading to more turnover of spaces.
LaRose’s company would manage the lots, including hiring staff, customer service and issuing parking tickets.
Also, the company is offering to install solar pay-to-park machines without cost to the city.
Residents would be exempt from paying, with validation linked to their hurricane re-entry tags.
To utilize the system, a motorist would park, enter a license plate number or parking space number into a machine, and then display a ticket from the machine on their vehicle dashboard.
The workshop was scheduled to take place after presstime for The Islander at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 30, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
To learn more about the Easy Parking group go online to easyparkinggroup.com