SEMINOLE – City officials plan to craft a public opinion survey to get an idea on how residents feel about increased code enforcement regulations regarding vehicle parking in residential neighborhoods.
The decision to move in that direction came during a June 10 workshop when Community Development Director Mark Ely reported the results of a brief survey he conducted involving other area communities and how they match up with current Seminole and Pinellas County regulations.
Ely’s survey was in response to an earlier request from Councilor John Counts who wondered if the city should draft an ordinance prohibiting parking of cars in residential front yards.
Ely’s survey found that Largo, Pinellas Park and the county have no limits on the number of cars, boats or recreational vehicles that can be parked in the front yard of a home. All vehicles must be tagged and operable. Also, no commercial vehicles are allowed.
The county has a length restriction of 21 feet on passenger vehicles and Largo limits vehicles to 17 feet. The county goes a step further with recreational vehicles, limiting length to 35 feet and width to 8 feet.
Seminole currently has no limit on boats, recreational vehicles or passenger vehicles but mandates all vehicles must be tagged and in working condition. There also is no limit on the location for any vehicle except that it cannot block a sidewalk or a neighbor’s entry into their driveway.
Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, Councilor Dan Hester suggested the survey of residents to see how the majority of the population feels about more stringent regulations.
“We have received complaints from residents,” said City Manager Frank Edmunds. “They usually concern vehicles parked on a street, vehicles blocking fire hydrants or vehicles parked where they’re not supposed to be parked.”
“I see this as an issue of property owners’ rights vs. the people who don’t like to see people park cars in their front yard,” said Hester.
“I don’t know how we can manage this without getting everybody upset,” said Councilor Bob Matthews.
Edmunds went a step further and said he recommends a parking ordinance prohibiting boats and recreational vehicles from being parked in city streets.
