Here\u2019s how to get free parking in downtown Orlando<\/a>]<\/p>\nFor frequent parkers like Orlando resident Mary Hannah Butler, the app is mostly a welcome upgrade \u2014 with some reservations.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it doesn\u2019t work right away, so it makes me nervous because the red light is still blinking. I\u2019ve already put in the right numbers and all of that, and with it being strict, I\u2019m just like, are they looking at the ParkMobile app or are they checking my license plate?\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
While she welcomes the removal of meters, she worries the all-digital system could leave some users behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would definitely be an issue for my 80-year-old parents,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
To ease the transition, the city plans to distribute flyers explaining how to use the new system as meters are removed.<\/p>\n
The switch to digital is designed to make parking more accessible while improving curb turnover, safety and overall operations. Going digital also reduces maintenance costs, eliminates aging equipment and creates a more efficient parking system for residents, professionals, businesses and visitors.<\/p>\n
During the phased rollout, some meters will temporarily remain in place while new signage is installed. A second phase of the modernization effort is set to launch Oct. 1, 2026, when updated on-street parking hours, pricing and enforcement policies take effect.<\/p>\n
Orlando\u2019s move to digital parking comes as cash itself is evolving. This year, the U.S. Mint halted new penny production. In response, Florida passed a law that allows businesses to round cash purchases up or down to the nearest nickel.<\/p>\n
Meter removal schedule<\/p>\n
Phase 1: SoDo, Orlando Health vicinity<\/p>\n
Phase 2: South Eola neighborhood (east of Rosalind Avenue, south of Central Boulevard)<\/p>\n
Phase 3: Remaining downtown meter locations between Colonial Drive, Anderson Street, Garland Avenue and Rosalind Avenue<\/p>\n
Breaking News Alerts<\/p>\n
More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 The City of Orlando is kicking off the first phase of its parking modernization initiative…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":341367,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1335,139,141,140,12931,729],"class_list":["post-341366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-parking","tag-traffic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}