ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Last week, the city announced changes to its local discount program for parking in downtown.
Misinformation and rumors spread.
Let's clear somethings up for people such as Ralph Snyder. He, like many St. Johns County residents, loves his Park Now card -- "because it’s cheaper," he said.
Park Now cards are pre-paid parking card for St. Johns County residents. With a Park Now card, you pay a fifth of the regular parking rate for on-street parking and at the parking garage in downtown St. Augustine.
The city announced last week it is changing how the discount program works.
However, days later many St. Johns county locals, like Snyder, have a lot of questions. He even went to a city office Monday to get clear information.
"I know it’s changing," he said. But how? We sought to answer the question locals like Synder are asking.
THE QUESTION
Will St. Johns County residents lose their parking discounts?
SOURCE
St. Augustine Communication Director Melissa Wissel
THE ANSWER
The answer is no, St. Johns County residents will not lose their parking discounts.
"We are not doing away with the discount," Melissa Wissel said. She is the City of St. Augustine’s Communication Director.
The city is just doing away with the cards themselves.
That’s because the card reader technology is becoming obsolete.
In order to get the local discount, St. Johns County residents will need to register their license plate online at parkstaug.com and prove they live in the county. Then, when they park on the street in a city owned space downtown, they’ll walk up to a kiosk like normal. However, this time, they'll need cash or a credit card, not a Park Now card.
"And enter your license plate," into the kiosk, Wissel said. "As long as your license plate is registered through ParkStAug.com, the machine will know to give you a resident discount.
If you choose to park at the downtown parking garage, all you do is drive in, inside the vehicle you have registered, and, "there is a mechanical digital reader," Wissel noted. "That reader will recognize your registered license plate, and you will then all be afforded the discount."
But what if you still have money on your Park Now card?
Keep using it at the kiosks and at the parking garage until the prepaid money is gone.
If you don't have a smartphone or don't want to use apps, you can still get the local discount by going to the Financial Services Office in downtown St. Augustine at 50 Bridge Street. It's right behind City Hall, and you can register your vehicle there.
Wissel said, "You do not need the mobile app to get the resident discount. You just have to register your license plate."
Also, she said handicap parking is not affected.