DUVAL COUNTY, FLA-- The tow away signs seem as prolific as the palm trees in Jacksonville Beach. Parking at the beaches can be expensive and is not always easy to find, especially on weekends.
"We drove around for about 15 minutes looking for a parking spot," said Erika Telles, a Duval County resident.
Which can lead some beachgoers to take a gamble and park in questionable spots.
"Everything is a tow away zone. Unless you are there for ten minutes you are going to get towed. There is actually someone getting towed right next to McDonalds where we parked," told Telles.
When the City of Jacksonville enacted its towing ordinance, it left out two important words.
"What it didn't say was 'and beaches'," explained Marshall Adkison with Adkison Towing.
Meaning the stricter rules that apply to towing companies within the Jacksonville city limits, don't apply once you cross the intracoastal waterway.
"It is out of control at the beaches. I get phone calls at 3:00 in the morning that they've been towed and want to know if I know somebody, there is nothing I can do, there is nothing the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office can do," told Adkison.
Adkison has been working in Jacksonville since 1997 and says the lack of rules at the beaches can really end up costing drivers a lot of money. In Jacksonville Beach, towing is automatic in several lots. There is no requirement for the property owner to be there during the towing or for anyone to call to request a car be towed, just a sign is needed. While the City of Jacksonville has rules on how much a tow company can charge, in Jacksonville Beach there are no limits on what tow companies can charge.
"They rack them up, they change them. There are some good tow companies out at the beaches and they follow the rules, but it is far and few between because the people that are following it aren't the people out there taking cars at 2 o'clock in the morning," said Adkison.
We did contact the Jacksonville Beach Police Department about this issue. It says it does keep an eye on the towing companies in town and in some cases have gotten involved when a tow company tries to charge a driver an outrageous or exorbitant amount of money. It would take a move from the governments at the beaches for the ordinances to change. Until then know the risk, speak up if you feel you are being overcharged and be very careful about where you choose to park.
