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Paid parking enforcement begins in Beaches Town Center area

While the spots have been there for a while, official enforcement was delayed because of a software issue.

You now have to drop some cash to park at the Beaches Town Center area of Atlantic and Neptune Beaches.

More than 200 spaces just became pay-to-park spaces Monday morning, although according to the City of Neptune Beach Facebook page. 

While the spots have been there for a while, official enforcement was delayed because of a software issue. 

While some people hoped the day you'd have to pay to park at the beach would never come, so far people using the parking kiosk say it's been pretty easy.

"Not bad for the first time," said Milton Harris. "It'll be a whole lot easier the second time."

It's free to park in the Beaches Town Center area for the first half-hour. Then, from 11 a.m. to midnight, it's one dollar every half hour after that. The maximum you can get charged is $12.

Be sure you know your license plate number before you head over to pay at the kiosk. You can also pay via the app Flowbird.

While some locals say they think it's the beginning of businesses losing money from people avoiding the meters, it's just the opposite for the manager of T-Dub's Mercantile on Atlantic Boulevard.

"We get a lot of beach-goers who will park in the spots for four to five, six hours," said Jessica Podloski.

Less people hogging parking spots all day is the goal, according to the Atlantic Beach deputy city manager.

Will it work?

"Do you think you're apt to move your car more often?" First Coast News asked one man walking from the beach.

"I don't know about that," he said. "For me, I just find a spot and I leave it there until I get ready to leave."

Don't forget to look for meters even on side streets that may look like they wouldn't have any.

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