New residential parking permits to debut soon in North Beach. Here’s what to know
Miami Beach wants to address the scarce parking for apartment dwellers in North Beach by creating a new permit program, with a one-year trial period starting soon.
The precise steps and timeline for the program are not yet finalized. Commissioners will discuss details July 24, and three community meetings are planned in July.
The program would require residential parking permits in certain zones in the North Shore, Biscayne Beach and Normandy Isles neighborhoods in an attempt to ease parking troubles for the residents in zones with many apartment and condo buildings.
Under this pilot program, residents are allowed a maximum of two permits per household, with registration by vehicle license plate, and non-resident visitor passes are $3.00 for a 24-hour period and will be available for purchase online. The initial two months of the pilot program will be an “educational/warning” period, after which residents are subject to citations. Violators will not be towed during the pilot program.
The North Beach residential parking permit zones would be in effect from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 p.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. Monday throughout the weekend.
While the pilot program will be free of charge to residents, after the conclusion of the program, the proposed resolution states that residents will have to pay an annual permit fee of $54.60 or $27.30 semi-annually, with no access to metered areas. For $196.20 annually or $98.10 semi-annually, residents can obtain an expanded permit covering Collins Avenue and metered spaces. The current cost of $54.60 is in line with the permit rates of Flamingo Park.
This cost is subject to change at the discretion of the City Commission.
Residential parking issues have persisted for years in North Beach, where cars are regularly seen circling blocks at night in search of spots. People often use metered spots blocks away from their homes.
Pablo Mejia, 59, has been a resident of the Normandy Shores neighborhood for three years and is one of many residents who struggle with parking in his own neighborhood. He says that when he finishes work at a nearby restaurant, some days as late as midnight or 1 a.m., he has to park four or five blocks away from his home, and then wake up early to move his car and avoid a parking ticket.
“I live here. I’m supposed to come back, really tired from work, and I just want to be home,” Mejia said. “There’s no space for me.”
He says he has driven up to an hour circling his neighborhood and surrounding areas for parking.
The city has been discussing the potential permit program since December 2023. After discussions within the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee in April, the committee endorsed a permit program on June 10.
Currently, the only residential parking permit zone in North Beach is located in Altos Del Mar, with boundaries on 75th Street, 87th Terrace, Collins Avenue and Collins Court. The current zone includes on-street meters within the limits and certain parking lots.
A 2019 Walker Consultants analysis of parking in the areas found that, on a selected peak weekend, more than three quarters of parking areas in the North Shore and Biscayne Beach were occupied. “These findings underscore the persistent parking shortages in North Beach, exacerbated by ongoing development projects that are expected to further strain parking availability,” the resolution read.
Tackling parking issues is a priority for Commissioner Joe Magazine, who was elected in November.
“When I campaigned, I knocked on 6,000 doors, many of them in North Beach, overwhelmingly one of the biggest quality of life issues residents in North Beach were facing was parking,” said Magazine, who co-sponsored the item. “What we are looking to essentially do is provide a system for residents to stop the abuse of people that are not residents from parking in the city in a fashion that is completely unmitigated with no oversight.”
Magazine emphasized that the pilot program implementation is meant to be as seamless as possible, with potential mobile units around the area to simplify the registration process.
Community meetings
The city will host three community meetings throughout mid-July for residents of the affected areas. All meetings will also all have a hybrid option where participants can interact as webinar participants. The times, dates and locations for the community meetings are as follows:
▪ North Shore:
6 p.m., Monday, July 8
North Shore Park Youth Center
501 72 Street, Miami Beach, FL 33141
Zoom link for remote access to meeting
▪ Biscayne Beach:
6 p.m., Thursday, July 11
North Shore Park Youth Center
501 72 Street, Miami Beach, FL 33141
Zoom link for remote access to meeting
▪ Normandy Isle:
6 p.m., Monday, July 15
Normandy Shores Golf Course
2401 Biarritz Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33141
Zoom link for remote access to meeting
