ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is planning a $15 million improvement project on US 1 from State Road 207 to the St. Augustine City Gates that is set to begin this June.
The project will include roadway paving and rehabilitation work.
On-street parking will also be removed along US 1 so construction crews can install bicycle lanes.
“People can only park here around my building or they have to try to sneak in Mc Donald's and Pizza Hut and it’s unfair to them. So my parking is everything to me without parking I could lose my business," said Marc Anthony, owner of Spanish Main Antiques who opened his shop in 2015.
Anthony says he expressed his concerns to FDOT explaining that removing on-street parking would be devastating and unfair for businesses along US 1.
“The neighborhoods around here don’t understand the impact when they take our parking away and customers want to get to my store they’re going to be parking on the streets," said Anthony.
Anthony believes with customers parking on the street neighborhoods will start to see more traffic.
“As St. Augustine grows things change but to take away parking from people that bought their building and built their businesses’ reputation without parking is unfair to us," said Anthony.
Sofia Estrella Niles, owner of Ms. Deborah’s Fountain of Youth Tattoo & Piercing, has been running her business since 1994.
Niles says removing on-street parking and installing bicycle lanes wouldn’t be safe to put on this busy highway.
“If they knew how many accidents I’ve seen, how many mirrors have been knocked off not only on my car but on my client's cars. If they can’t see a mirror how are they going to see a bicycle?" said Niles.
FDOT’s spokesperson, Troy Roberts says eliminating on-street parking and adding bicycle lanes allows DOT to follow current state guidelines in regards to sight distance regulations.
“We understand their concerns but at FDOT we’re dedicated to ensuring the safety of our residents and everyone who uses our roads," said Roberts.