DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Delray Beach is seeing an increase in parking rates that began at the start of the month, and residents are already voicing their concerns over these changes.
WATCH BELOW: 'If you start adding up parking, it almost becomes unaffordable,' Justin Ragazzine tells WPTV
WPTV's Joel Lopez is on the ground, listening to the community's worries and seeking answers from city leaders regarding the future of parking in the area.
One local resident, Justin Ragazzine, was out for a walk with his three French bulldogs when he shared his frustration about the new parking policy.
"We moved to Delray and all we talked about to our friends is all the free parking here and they took it away,” said Ragazzine. “I think free parking for residents is a big deal. I come to Atlantic Avenue two to three times a day; if you start adding up parking, it almost becomes unaffordable.”
Ragazzine noted that he has cut back on parking downtown and opted to park farther away in spots that do not charge for parking.
“Because I didn't want to go into paying $6 to $7 a day,” he explained. “You come here and you're spending your money anyway to be here, the restaurants, the beach. Let them park for free.”
As of October, parking rates have increased along select streets and garages in the downtown area, with new time limits imposed on how long vehicles can stay parked.
Rates are now $1.50 per hour in city garages — including Old School Square, Robert Federspiel, and iPic — $2 per hour for surface lots, and $3 per hour for metered side streets. Atlantic Avenue and A1A parking rates remain unchanged.
Business owner Simone Mehlbaum shared her observations on the changes.
“There was a guy that walked a mile to get a chicken salad, and he said he needed the exercise and he didn't want to pay,” she relayed.
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Mehlbaum, who is the general manager at Purlife Cafe and Fitness Center off Northeast Second Avenue, stated that the new parking rates have posed challenges for both customers and employees.
She said many are confused about the new pricing and meters, compiling to delays in parking at the garage adjacent to her business.
“I think the message to the city is to be a little more friendly to tourists and employees," Mehlbaum explained. "It’s hard to find employees because the rents are high, and parking you have to pay now.”
Delray Beach
Parking price hike has local businesses worried about community impact
To help alleviate the impact on city workers, the city is offering employees a monthly parking permit for $10 as a way to navigate the new parking rates.
Mayor Tom Carney addressed the growing concerns.
“I don’t want to pay for parking, you don’t want to pay for parking, your viewers don’t want to pay for parking,” he said, acknowledging the "growing pains" associated with the new system, describing it as “nothing more than a user fee.”
“We’re asking the people who are using the parking to pay for the parking," Carney emphasized. "There’s really no reason for someone who doesn’t drive or doesn’t come downtown to have their tax dollars support the people who come to downtown to park, and not everyone that comes downtown is a resident.”
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Carney further explained that one objective of the new time limits is to prevent cars from parking all day and to encourage more turnover of parking spaces.
He mentioned that it's too early to assess the full impact of these new rates.
However, the city plans to analyze the data over the next six months to decide what the final parking fees may look like.
“The city needs the revenues; the residents need to make sure that their assets are being monetized properly," stated Carney. "The way you do that is you charge for parking like everyone else is doing."
Delray Beach
This is what workers are saying about the city's employee parking permits
For those concerned about the financial impact, the city is also offering annual parking permits for Delray Beach residents at a flat rate of just $12 for the entire year.
Staff at the parking office told WPTV they've seen three times more residents applying for parking permits than October of last year.
The end of the parking rate pilot program is April 2026.
