The stalking practices of the Parking Authority go on
The following letter was sent to the Parking Authority today by Grovite Ana Miranda, as you know the Miami Parking Authority stalks people in order to write tickets. They did this to Grove shoppers all through the holiday season. They have no class, no good will in them and their only goal is to defeat and mock citizens in the name of the almighty buck. They ruin quality of life.
First at foremost, I am an almost 10 year Coconut Grove resident. As such, I appreciate the ticketing of cars who disregard the parking ordinances and time limits. However, I believe there is a difference between that and a predatory mentality which is precisely what your attendant was doing this morning at the Coconut Grove Montessori School located off 27th avenue.
Before I explain further, note that there are less than 10 public parking spaces adjacent to the school. That is not an issue 99% of the time, but this week school has ended early for all students and there’s a rush for mostly working parents to pick up their kids, many of them during their lunch break between 11 am and 12 noon. Now, common sense indicates that not only are parents rushing (they are in and out in about 3 minutes) but the parking spaces are obviously limited.
This brilliant attendant decided to park her work vehicle in one of these few spaces (FOR FREE) and proceeds to wait for the unsuspecting parents run out of their cars only to return within about 200 seconds to find this woman ticketing their cars. I was there for about 15 minutes with the intention of observing her operation, and sure enough she gave tickets to 6 cars in that time frame.
Yes, there are rules, but this is RIDICULOUS. It takes more time to get a ticket out of these impractical totem poles –which do not even function correctly half of the time, than what it takes to pick up your child and be on your way.
I really hope and expect that someone at the Miami Parking Authority has the intellectual capacity that permits them to analyze this situation rather than simply repeating “that’s the rule” like bureaucratic tape recorders, and understand the difference between doing your job and that of taking advantage of the time school lets out and lying in wait like a weasel in the bushes.
Finally, my name is Ana Miranda. I live at [omitted by editor]. My telephone number is [omitted by editor]. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact me or your attendant who will remember very clearly who I am.
Editor's note: We have asked the Parking Authority for their side of the story, we'll publish that when we receive their response.
First at foremost, I am an almost 10 year Coconut Grove resident. As such, I appreciate the ticketing of cars who disregard the parking ordinances and time limits. However, I believe there is a difference between that and a predatory mentality which is precisely what your attendant was doing this morning at the Coconut Grove Montessori School located off 27th avenue.
Before I explain further, note that there are less than 10 public parking spaces adjacent to the school. That is not an issue 99% of the time, but this week school has ended early for all students and there’s a rush for mostly working parents to pick up their kids, many of them during their lunch break between 11 am and 12 noon. Now, common sense indicates that not only are parents rushing (they are in and out in about 3 minutes) but the parking spaces are obviously limited.
This brilliant attendant decided to park her work vehicle in one of these few spaces (FOR FREE) and proceeds to wait for the unsuspecting parents run out of their cars only to return within about 200 seconds to find this woman ticketing their cars. I was there for about 15 minutes with the intention of observing her operation, and sure enough she gave tickets to 6 cars in that time frame.
Yes, there are rules, but this is RIDICULOUS. It takes more time to get a ticket out of these impractical totem poles –which do not even function correctly half of the time, than what it takes to pick up your child and be on your way.
I really hope and expect that someone at the Miami Parking Authority has the intellectual capacity that permits them to analyze this situation rather than simply repeating “that’s the rule” like bureaucratic tape recorders, and understand the difference between doing your job and that of taking advantage of the time school lets out and lying in wait like a weasel in the bushes.
Finally, my name is Ana Miranda. I live at [omitted by editor]. My telephone number is [omitted by editor]. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact me or your attendant who will remember very clearly who I am.
Editor's note: We have asked the Parking Authority for their side of the story, we'll publish that when we receive their response.
posted by Tom Falco at 3:30 PM
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18 Comments:
Funny... I just received a ticket last Sunday after my meter ticket was only expired for 3 min. I thought that was a little odd and unfair.
I agree,, I received a ticket and the meter only expired within minutes and I was going out to pay for more time..First I think 3 hours is not enough time for a meter. People want to eat, shop, walk around why put a time limit on it..The merchants in the grove have been suffering and these parking tickets don't help with the customers and the ambiance of the grove.........
They do the smae thing at pick up for Coconut Grove Elementary. Their needs to be a free parking time frame for pick up. Maybe a sticker on the cras that identifies that car as picking up a student. At Coconut Grove Elementary they come every day at pick up to specifically ticket the cars. Also it should be free to park during this pick up time. You must walk in and get your child from the class, if you park every day it's at least $20 per month that 1.) most familes cannot afford or 2.) money that could go to the school that the school desperately needs.
Commisiioner Sarnoff do somtheing about this continued parking debacle. Come up with a decal system for Grove residents and Parents of the local schools for free parking during pick up times!
Grape maybe you can help make this happen. you have been doing such great work and reporting these days.
Ticketing by police and parking attendants has peaked suddenly starting this month. I guess it is related to revenue generation. The problem with any letter is that some officials are probably going to read it, then laugh, and say they think Coconut Grove is its own city. City of Miami does not care, Miami rules Coconut Grove. That is why we are having parking problems here for such a long time. Only solution is to reestablish a City of Coconut Grove.
There is indeed an over stimulation of ticketing in the Grove. Kennedy Park on Saturday morning is where about 50 or 60 people go to de-stress at Yoga class. there is never enough parking so cars have little else but to line up alongside Bayshore, where they promptly get a $28 parking ticket. In the beginning of May over 20 of us got a ticket. Must have been a real jackpot for the officer.
Only solution is to get rid of the Parking Authority.
Let's free the Grove from the City of Miami (BANANA REPUBLIC)!!!!!!!
CITY OF COCONUT GROVE is the answer to this abuse.
I just don't understand why people with something valid to say, are unwilling to sign their name. Are they ashamed of their convictions?
ANON 9:26: No wonder politicians laugh off your type of comment. Maybe if you signed your name, people might take you seriously.
I think people should pay for parking, and if they don't they should get a ticket. No exceptions.
At my stepdaughter's school on Miami Beach, the entire pay lot across from the school is no charge during school pick up and drop off hours, so it is an issue that some areas are handling in a fair way.
In response to "appropriately" anonymous 10:21 am: from your statement, I ought to infer that police officers should ALWAYS give tickets, regardless of if it's a speeding father taking a sick child to the doctor, or if a tourist got lost and made an illegal turn. What a sad world it would be if we just followed orders like robots without using our brain to analyze the gray area in situations. Perhaps that makes your life easier... you just leave the thinking to others to instruct you how to behave. I hope it is that, and not that you just don't have the capacity to do so.
I simply believe that people should pay for parking, and if they do not then they should get a ticket. That you don't like that suggestion is tough - parking is not going to be free.
My comment has nothing to do with police giving tickets for moving violations. In the context of your comments let me respond. I do believe that exceptions should be granted in the event of an emergency, such as a speeding father taking a sick child to the hospital.
However, emergencies are not the focus of the grapevine article, rather the focus is on parking enforcement under ordinary circumstances.
Maybe whoever arrives to pick-up their child first should buy a 1-hour parking ticket for the spot, and as one person leaves, they hand it to the next person.
It would be an interesting way of "paying it forward."
This is basically the new version of finding a meter with time left on it.
No sir, this isn't about ordinary circumstances.
This is about a SCHOOL PICK UP and DROP OFF time. Circumstances indicate that the time required to complete this task is less than the time required to walk half a block, get a ticket, go back to your car and THEN get your child in 1.5 minutes. This is also about a DAILY event, not a request for a sporadic issue.
I really don't understand how this fails to register in your mind. I don't seem to encounter that attitude with others, including Mr. Escalon who is the director of On-Street Enforcement at the Miami Parking Authority.
Nobody is asking for free parking. Parents are not there to dawdle. Fortunately for me (who wrote the letter) and the rest of the parents at the Coconut Grove Montessori School, the MPA apologized and will be there next week to see about instating a "ticket-free" time slot during pick up and drop off times for those parking spaces adjacent to the school.
That sir, is a SENSIBLE solution.
Ana Miranda-great letter, great response to your critics and a perfect final blog comment.You stuck to the relevant points of your arguments and followed up on this. You know how to get things done. No BS about no parking spaces by the park on sat morn.You have a physical limitation for spots and that is it - end of story.No BS about 3 min overtime is wrong for a ticket (or should it be 5.5 min or 6.5 min is ok?).You either are pregnant(overtime) or you ain't - end of story.No rants about the Grove should be its own city. You stated your problem - you addrrssed your problem - and hopefully your problem solved.That is how its done!SMART
Miami Parking Authority meter maids and meter masters are far too aggressive. Their attitude makes customers want to avoid Miami.
Just to throw in, these corrupt parking officials also just ticket you even WHEN YOU HAVE PAID. This has happened to me twice, I park, my ticket is until 2:03 pm say, and some dumbass parking authority will give me a ticket at 1:32.
Guess what? Even fighting the ticket is a ridiculous process so they've gotten their 18$ both times, even though I was following the law.
I guess I'm the dumbass here.
Parking reform NOW !
Judi K.,
You're comment is off topic - as is my response, but I'm going to post anyway. What difference does it make that a person puts their name on their comment if they have 'something valid to say?'
Does not having a name make their point any less valid?
Especially in a free flow of ideas like this one (the Grapevine) would it make any difference if 9:26 signed her/his post as Maria Jones or Pedro Smith?
The post at 9:26 makes a valid suggestion as to parking decals. Who cares whose idea it is? (other than you)
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