I was told I face fines for parking on my own driveway – I thought it was a joke, people should feel safer seeing my car
A police officer was threatened with hundreds of dollars in fines if she didn’t stop parking her police car in her driveway.
The officer in Clearwater, Florida, was told she had to park the car in the garage.
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Attorneys representing the officer said they thought the situation was a “joke,” ABC affiliate WFTS reported.
Chiefs at the holidays Homeowners association Isles Management claimed at the time that the car was issued by a government agency and violated the organization’s rules.
State officials in Florida claimed at the time that individual associations could ban motorists from parking commercial vehicles on their driveways. But the law has now been changed.
Dan Parri, the attorney who represented the officer at the time, told WFTS that having a patrol car on the driveway could reduce incident response times.
And he said, “Any place I’ve ever lived, I would have felt safer if there was a cop car parked next to me.”
In 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law allowing police officers to park their police cars in their driveways.
The law prohibited homeowners associations across the state from imposing restrictions on officials.
Republican lawmaker Ed Hooper said the law will “make every neighborhood a little safer.”
Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schulz called it “ridiculous” that politicians had to get involved.
Mike Adkinson Jr. of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said the physical presence of a patrol car on the driveway can reduce crime.
Drivers have reported being ticketed for parking in their driveway.
Alex Haj (@realalexhaj) of Brampton, Ontario, claimed he woke up to find a speeding ticket on his windshield.
Driver Kazi Islam Furious, he was fined and given a $75 ticket for parking his SUV in what officers described as an “unpermitted area.”
And Nick Taylor, a Michigan driver, was furious when he was ticketed after leaving his car running for just a few minutes while deicing it.