A parking problem in one South Florida city has police looking for new ways to slam the brakes on violators. 7\u2019s Heather Walker investigates.<\/p>\n
For some people, parking in a handicapped space to run a quick errand is a hard no, but others see it as OK as long as it\u2019s just a few minutes and there are no other spaces. But when a spot is taken up by a driver without a disability, it can cause problems.<\/p>\n
Theo Karantsalis: \u201cDoing so denies access to those of us who rely on these spaces to shop and engage in civic life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theo Karantsalis has multiple sclerosis and relies on handicapped parking. He said he has come across drivers without a parking permit in those spaces many times and for long periods of time.<\/p>\n
When it happens, Theo has to decide whether to wait it out, or give up.<\/p>\n
Theo Karantsalis: \u201cI usually circle up to three times, then go home, and I\u2019ve gone home a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theo is a member of the Miami Springs Disability Advisory Board.<\/p>\n
He says he and his committee have seen an increase in illegal parking in the city.<\/p>\n
They decided to ask for help, in the form of a recommendation \u201curging the mayor and city council to take action to combat disabled parking placard misuse and fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew Castillo: \u201cThey were detailing that there was a lot of misuse of handicapped parking violations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami Springs Police officers usually issue parking tickets as they patrol the city everyday, but after hearing from the Disability Advisory Board, they decided to form a team focused on curbing illegal parking.<\/p>\n
Matthew Castillo: \u201cThis was something that I wanted to get a team together that specializes in parking violations, which includes our public service aides and motorcycle officers, and I wanted them to dedicate a whole day to enforce the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long for officers to start racking up violations. In just a few hours, 30 citations were issued. Twenty of those were criminal violations that can carry a $1,000 fine, or a year behind bars.<\/p>\n
Most of the violations happened in front of the businesses along Canal Street and Curtiss Parkway.<\/p>\n
Some of the drivers told officers they were running inside one of the stores for \u201cjust a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew Castillo: \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter, that one minute could have prevented someone else that needed a parking space from using it. There\u2019s plenty of parking to go around so it\u2019s not like there\u2019s nowhere to park. There\u2019s plenty to go around, they just have to walk a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chief Matthew Castillo says seeing so many citations in a short amount of time reveals a big problem in the small city.<\/p>\n
Matthew Castillo: \u201cIt\u2019s pretty disappointing to me that so many violations in one day. There\u2019s a problem and we need to keep up the enforcement because if not, people are going to take advantage as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Theo is happy to see his concerns being addressed so quickly by the city.<\/p>\n
Theo Karantsalis: \u201cYou have a voice and you have to exercise your voice because when you do, you\u2019re not just helping yourself, you\u2019re helping other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hopes other cities follow Miami Springs\u2019 lead and work to pump the brakes on illegal parking.<\/p>\n
Heather Walker, 7News.<\/p>\n