HOLMES BEACH – While Police Chief Bill Tokajer says the beaches were sparsely attended over the April 17-19 weekend, the boat ramps were packed with vehicles.
After a rainy Saturday, Tokajer said he counted 144 vehicles, not including trailers, parked in and around Kingfish boat ramp at about 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 19. The boat ramp has 57 parking spaces. At the 63rd Street boat ramp, parking spaces also were filled early in the day with some vehicles in the overflow parking area near the city’s dog park.
Despite the large number of boaters, Tokajer said that his officers had no problem enforcing the city’s rules barring parking at beach accesses, in the right of way and along city streets through April 30. Over the second weekend that the new parking regulations have been in effect, he said his officers wrote 37 tickets and didn’t tow any vehicles.
“Pay attention to the signs, people,” he said, referring to the banners placed throughout the city advising drivers that their vehicles will be towed if illegally parked. “Your car can be towed. Do not think that you can get away with a $50 ticket.”
Over the previous weekend, April 10-12, police officers wrote 69 tickets and towed seven vehicles.
“People are starting to pay a little bit more attention than they were and that’s our goal, to get compliance,” Tokajer said.
The city’s new parking regulations remain in effect through April 30 or until the executive directive is rescinded by Mayor Judy Titsworth.
