The Pensacola City Council approved a resolution on Thursday night authorizing the increase of city-owned parking rates next month.
City-owned parking rates will increase from 50 cents an hour to $1 an hour beginning Wednesday, May 1.
Pensacola Parking Management estimated a revenue increase of more than $240,000, and officials plan to use the additional revenue for the city’s municipal parking lots to improve customer experience, payment technology and parking equipment.
“The number one biggest concern from the 2023 Parking Survey was the limited amount of available parking spaces during weekend nights,” Mayor Reeves said. “Well, this is also the time when city parking is free. With the increase of visitors and traffic to our downtown, plus the fact that rates haven’t been raised in almost 20 years, it’s time to balance supply and demand.”
The city last increased parking rates in 2007, when they increased hourly rates from 25 cents to 50 cents.
Pensacola’s 2023 parking consultation said the city’s owned parking is much less than the average cost of similar cities and the average base price should be $1.69.
Officials decided a smaller increase of 50 cents was more feasible for residents and visitors.
The parking rate increase is the next step in the city’s strategic parking plan for 2024. The first step in the plan started on April 1 with the transition to the ParkMobile app.
More information on parking in Pensacola can be found on the city’s website.
