FORT MYERS, Fla. — Parking downtown in Ft Myers has frustrated people for months.
You have to pay using new kiosks that are sometimes far away. And inevitably, a certain number of drivers continue getting tickets.
Fox 4's Fort Myers community correspondent, Miyoshi Price, lives in the area she covers daily. She uses her connections with the city to understand better how parking will change next.
"So, at last evening's council meeting, we voted to suspend the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on-street parking fees," said Mayor Kevin Anderson. "This will last during the duration of the bridge closure."
(WATCH: He's talking about THIS bridge closure, which doesn't end until the end of the summer school break)
Meantime, the post below was circulating on downtown Fort Myers' public social media, not the city. However, we investigated because people were unhappy with the downtown parking process. See the post below:
As Price was interviewing Councilman Liston Bochette III, they saw a parking attendant giving out tickets.
"I was only parked here for an hour, and I got an almost $30 ticket," says an Atlanta resident who is originally from Fort Myers. She left before the parking meter updates were enforced in the downtown area and says that the signs are too confusing, and the ones that talk about parking payment are way too small even to see.
Sarah Bradford was upset, and so was Councilman Liston Bochette III. "We watched three tickets go out," said Councilman Bochette. "This is just wrong."
Bochette says they should give out warnings until they fix the parking process.
"We need to simplify our technology. We need to have better signage," says Bochette. "The zip zones were very popular. I hope to see those coming back. We're in the business of serving citizens. So we can waive this parking fee or reinvest it in new parking areas. Like I say, we're in the people business, not the profit business."
Mayor Anderson promised more updates were coming for people shopping and eating and for employee parking.
"We do have a lot on Royal Palm Avenue, just on the outskirts of downtown, where employees can park for less than $1 a day," the Mayor said.
