[Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Fw: Abuse of Parking Permits - new law effective 7/1/2012
Sherri
flmom2006 at gmail.com
Mon Apr 2 19:35:16 UTC 2012
Too bad we didn't have as much success with our pedestrian bill.
Sherri
----- Original Message -----
From: Samme.Ripley at ocfl.net
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:59 AM
Subject: Abuse of Parking Permits - new law effective 7/1/2012
Crackdown welcome on disabled parking abuse
March 21, 2012
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Abuse of disabled parking permits is an annoyance for many folks. Worse, it
unjustifiably casts suspicion on the many who have a legitimate need for
them.
So it's worth cheering an attempt by the state to go after those who take
wrongful advantage of disabled parking permits.
Starting July 1, a new Florida law will make it easier to report disabled
parking permit abuse via telephone hotline, online or by mail. Just as
important, the bill will also give enforcement specialists the power to
confiscate a disabled parking placard from anyone who fraudulently obtains
or uses one. There will also be random reviews of permit holders by the
Florida Department of Motor Vehicles.
To which we can only say, Bravo!
Abuse of disabled parking permits has long been rampant in Florida.
Additional tools to help nab the scofflaws and leave the disabled parking
spaces for those who really need them are welcome.
All of us have seen people hang the permits from their rear-view mirror at
the mall or the grocery store, only to see a very able-bodied person get out
of the car and walk away. It is a source of irritation for the vast majority
of people who obey the law.
It is more than irritating for the truly handicapped who have fewer parking
spaces to use.
Yes, sometimes a disability isn't visibly apparent at first. But let's face
it. There is a lot of disabled parking permit abuse taking place, too.
Volunteers who issue citations to those who abuse disabled parking permits
will tell you they have heard every excuse in the book.
Florida Highway Patrol officers on duty on race days at the Daytona
International Speedway regularly catch and cite people using someone else's
permit to grab a close parking spot, said FHP spokeswoman Kim Montes. The
consequence of the abuse, at Daytona and elsewhere, is that many of those
who are rightfully issued permits because of a physician-certified
disability complain that there are too few designated parking spots. At
least 177,000 people in Central Florida have such permits.
Despite the risk of citations, and despite the fact violators face a stiff
penalty - using a permit belonging to someone else can be a second-degree
misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail - people
are still abusing the placards. Illegally parking in a disabled spot can
cost $256.
Hopefully the tools in the new law will cut down on violations. How strict
the volunteer parking enforcers will be remains to be seen, but even the
threat of being caught should help. The threat of embarrassment should help
even more.
Copyright © 2012, Orlando Sentinel
Samme Ripley
Orange County Office on Disability
Citizen Resource & Outreach
407-836-6568 office/407-836-7583 fax
samme.ripley at ocfl.net
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