The reason I ran from Downtown... follows me...

[ChriswUfGator]

This happened to a friend of mine on Copeland. I've heard of these parking tickets being pretty common out at the beach too.

Every month the 'community patrol' comes through my work parking lot on Bay St. checking for expired tags and writting ticket's. It's funny to see people scramble to their cars for a quick get away.  

Haha, that was so me downtown last week. I saw the meter maid heading for my car by the federal courthouse, and I hadn't had any change with me when I parked. I sped up, he sped up. I got there first, jumped in, and drove off.

Saved myself $15 and got some cardio in too!

[fsu813]

got me on Myra one time.

[DetroitInJAX]

So I come home after a day at work and out shopping, and the 86 Mercedes 300SDL that I am watching for a friend has a PARKING TICKET on the windshield.  In Riverside!  It was parked on Osceola in front of my house.  Now, Ive lived here since October and have parked my car every which way but upside down in front of my house  and never been ticketed for it.  I look at the rain soaked citation to read "parking facing improper direction"...  How in the hell is this even legal?  Does anyone understand me when I say how infuriated I am right now?

Anyone around here know how to get me out of this?  I'm so mad I can barely even see straight....

Dude, I saw that car, and the ticket. Sweet ride, I love those W126's. Gold/Tan with the upgraded chrome wheels, tinted windows, and a yellow ticket under the windshield, right? LOL

Small world...

Yeah its actually in not so bad condition... The leather was totally redone a few years ago (innerspring seats)....  It needs new tints as the internal workings in the back windows have scraped some of the tint off...  It has a few small interior trim pieces that need replacement and some chrome work that needs to be done.. otherwise, mechanically sound and a beast to drive.... 216,000 miles.

Still, this ticket pisses me off...  Riverside is not New York...  Who cares what side you park on...   and on Osceola you can only park on one side of the street, its not wide enough to allow both sides.  Its not a busy street.  If theyre going to have laws like this, I think they should patrol neighborhoods like Kernan Glen and the like, ticketing for the same 'infraction', and not just selectively enforcing the law in certain parts of town.

[mtraininjax]

Still, this ticket pisses me off...  Riverside is not New York... 

Actually, you are quite lucky, I know a guy who has a crusher in the woods, for 50 bucks, he will come pickup a car, reduce it to a 2 x 2 block, and return it to the space by the next day. I would never think of it, but I have thought of doing it to people who stole my real estate money....

[floridaforester]

I live on Herschel between copeland & osceola and was working in my yard the other day when I came back to the front yard, the officer with the golf cart was writing me a ticket.  I explained that I had to park that way to unload a tiller so that I could prep my yard for sod.  He waived the ticket since I was there and as he drove down the block, he passed 3 other cars that were parked the same way and didn't bother to stop and ticket them (all tenant vehicles). 

All I ask for is consistency.  I pay way more property taxes for my home than I get in services in Riverside and yet these tenants, both commercial and residential on my street, aren't held to the same standard.  Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it sure had me coming up with some choice, colorful phrases for mr officer.

I agree that there are more serious issues that could be addressed such as people parking right up to the stop sign at the end of the block.  That kind of parking is dangerous as you're in the middle of the road with people blindly turning onto that street.

[lindab]

A friend who just got a ticket last week also feels that consistency is a problem especially when the enforcement scooter never goes down Roselle after the employees of a influential business whose employees park wherever they want.

[Dog Walker]

My biggest gripe is abandoned cars with stripped off tires and broken windows sitting at the curbs. The City takes a long time to get rid of those babies.

If you call 630-CITY and report an abondoned car, they will come and put a 3-day sticker on it to be moved or towed.

If the officer in the golf cart can ticket wrong way parked cars, why can't he ticket abandoned cars without someone having to call 630-CITY?  Less revenue, maybe?

[JaxNative68]

the easiest solution . . . follow the rules of the road and quit being such a wining baby.  If you do the crime, you gotta do the time.

[Dog Walker]

Mike Stowers, the owner of Blue Buddha Foods, lives on Ernest Street and got one of the tickets for parking the wrong way in front of his house.  He was steamed that the employees of Miller Electric on Rosselle Street park every way but upside down, but never get ticketed.  He called 630-0500 about it.  The officer in the golf cart was immediately sent out and talked to the managers of Miller Electric who put notes on all of the windows of the vehicles on the street warning them about how they were parking.

Good for Mike for taking his complaint to the JSO!

Now Mike is steamed, rightly, that HE didn't get a warning like the people at Miller Electric.  Did any of you who got tickets ever get a warning first?

[NotNow]

JSO is not in control of the parking division.  It is a City function.  They LOVE to ticket JSO cars.

[Dog Walker]

NN, are you saying that the guy in the golf cart is not a JSO officer?  He looked like one to me while he was writing a ticket for a car facing the wrong way.  He didn't have on a safari helmet either.

Is there a difference of who does the enforcing between parking meter enforcement and junk cars and wrong way parking or are they all a function of the parking division?  I thought the parking division just did meter enforcement.

[mtraininjax]

Anyone posting in this thread from out of town? Anyone know that the Owner of Miller Electric was the recent past president of the Chamber of Commerce? Anyone want to know who is one of the strongest, and most well connected electrical companies in town? Anyone? Anyone?

[Dog Walker]

Mtrain,  You got the point!!  Mr. Autry was the president of the Chamber of Commerce last year, but still, even with Paul Hardin's assistance, could not get the City Council to close Rosselle Street for him against the opposition of the residents of the surrounding neighborhood.  Public action still counts.  The power brokers depend on working behind the scenes or public apathy.

Miller Electric also lost the bid for the electrical work for the new courthouse to an outfit out of Orlando too.  They said they spent about $300,000 preparing bids for the work.  Talk about noses out of joint! 

[NotNow]

JSO does have golf carts but they are assigned to DT units.  I would be surprised to hear they are in Riverside.  Although JSO Officers carry parking ticket books, parking tickets are not a priority and are normally used for nuisance (parked in ROW, etc.).  Also, Riverside is a different zone than DT and Officers generally don't cross zone lines.  The parking division can enforce any parking ordinance and they do.  They drive cars with similar markings (different color stripe, and the blue shield says "parking" on it) and some specialty vehicles.  I don't know who is in Riverside, I suppose it is possible that it is JSO but I am not aware of any JSO carts operating in Riverside.  But, the parking ticket I got in my driveway was from a JSO CSO, soooo.  Is the parking person a CSO (bright yellow shirt)?  The next time someone sees this cart in Riverside, please check it out and post here.  The shield will say "Police" under the skyline in the shield if it is JSO. 

[The Compound]

JSO does have golf carts but they are assigned to DT units.  I would be surprised to hear they are in Riverside.  Although JSO Officers carry parking ticket books, parking tickets are not a priority and are normally used for nuisance (parked in ROW, etc.).  Also, Riverside is a different zone than DT and Officers generally don't cross zone lines.  The parking division can enforce any parking ordinance and they do.  They drive cars with similar markings (different color stripe, and the blue shield says "parking" on it) and some specialty vehicles.  I don't know who is in Riverside, I suppose it is possible that it is JSO but I am not aware of any JSO carts operating in Riverside.  But, the parking ticket I got in my driveway was from a JSO CSO, soooo.  Is the parking person a CSO (bright yellow shirt)?  The next time someone sees this cart in Riverside, please check it out and post here.  The shield will say "Police" under the skyline in the shield if it is JSO. 

Sorry, I  but I live in riverside at Dellwood and Margaret, and I work from home and see the golf carts frequently in Riverside and 5 points area. I have a pic of one from behind at the corner of Post and Park at the light at Fou Haus if you want to see. I dont know how to post it, but I can email it to you.  The Cart says "POLICE" on the back with a number and an officer driving it with a black shirt.