Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Parking by airport will no longer fly, deputies say
$110 fine awaits drivers who idle roadside while awaiting passengers
The warnings are over for drivers who illegally park near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The number of violators is increasing, so the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday it will ramp up enforcement, issuing more tickets that carry fines of $110.
“We’ve never stopped issuing citations on the roadways,” said Lt. Robert Furman.. “But with the holidays ... there’s going to be more people coming to the airport and when you’re parking on the sides of the roads it’s just creating a traffic hazard ... so we’re going to have stronger enforcement.”
Violators are supposed to park only in designated areas, such as parking garages or the cellphone waiting area. Instead, they are parking in front of terminals, on the ramps and on the shoulders of Federal Highway as they wait to pick up passengers.
The Florida Department of Transportation, the Broward County Aviation Department and Broward Sheriff ’s Office are working together to get and install more No Parking signs and more white plastic poles along Federal Highway so there’s no doubt about
where to park.
“Let’s face it, when you park in front of a sign, you know what you’ve done,” Furman said. “We had a few of those [poles on the ramps] blow away during the hurricane, so they’ll have to be replaced.”
Over the past 15 years, the state has increased fines from $35 to $110 for nonmoving violations but that hasn’t discouraged some drivers.
Limousine, delivery vehicle and other drivers keep coming back for more even after they’ve been chased away and/or ticketed, Furman said.
“[Deputies] know them by sight and by name,” he said.
Some of the people parking along the road are Uber drivers waiting to pick up passengers. For that reason, the Sheriff ’s Office has been talking with Uber officials to find a solution.
“I know Uber is kind of pulling its hair out, too,” Furman said. “They don’t want to create a problem for us.”
In 2016, deputies issued 5,746 tickets to those parking illegally by the airport, although a breakdown of specifically where the violations occurred was not available. Furman said he thinks the number of citations issued each year continues to increase, but he didn’t have exact figures.
“That’s driven by the sheer amount of [travelers] in and out of this airport due to the growth,” he said.
The increase in cars has led to another problem: An increase in trash.
The roadsides where drivers illegally park are littered with food, bags, cans, bottles and other debris.
“Trash is certainly on the uptick out there,” Furman said. “If you’re going to litter and throw stuff out your window and we see that, you will be fined.”
It’s a $50 fine for litter under 15 pounds, according to state law.