Fernandina City Commissioners reject no paid parking ordinance

A grassroots ordinance aiming to block the implementation of paid parking in Fernandina Beach is now headed to voters in 2026 after the city commission took no action on the measure Tuesday night.

Despite a petition signed by 1,722 residents urging the commission to adopt Ordinance 2025-11 — which would prohibit paid parking in designated areas including historic downtown and beaches — the measure failed to gain traction among the five-member panel. The vote never happened.

Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue made a motion to adopt the ordinance, but it died without a second.

As a result, per the city charter, the ordinance must now be placed on the ballot for either the August 18 or November 3, 2026 election — unless a special election is called earlier. Ayscue proposed exactly that, urging the commission to hold a special election before any paid parking management contracts are finalized. That motion, too, failed to gain support.

"This commission has a chance to have a mandate,” Ayscue said. “You could put this out to a vote before you get into a contract with anybody and get your mandate… Why are we going to wait until August? Why not?”

City Attorney Teresa Prince confirmed that if voters ultimately approve the ordinance in 2026, it will not be retroactive. That means any paid parking system implemented before the vote would not be overturned by a future ban.

During the nearly two-hour meeting, residents packed city hall to voice opposition to paid parking. Speakers expressed concerns about potential damage to downtown culture, the impact on small businesses and churches, and erosion of public trust.

“People who love this community deeply feel that those we elected to represent us are doing anything but that,” said Rev. Dawn Mays. She shared that city code enforcement had disrupted a memorial service at her church by removing long-standing parking signs — a moment she said symbolized a loss of neighborliness.

Mac Morriss, one of the citizens who led the petition effort, told the commission their justification for paid parking was flawed from the start.

“Your paid parking revenue projections are already falling short,” he said. “You’ve said it was paid parking revenue or an increase in property taxes — you’ve done both.” He called any continuation of the parking plan “a misuse of taxpayer dollars,” and urged commissioners to “do the right thing tonight… cancel everything to do with paid parking.”

Paul Lore, another key figure in the petition drive, emphasized that Tuesday’s debate wasn’t just about policy — it was about power and process.

“Tonight is about a citizen ordinance brought before the city… to let the citizens vote on a significant policy change, not you five,” Lore said. “This proposal ordinance is built to create a community conversation instead of being led by any city manager or any five revolving temporary city commissioners.”

Others warned that paid parking could be a financial misstep. Citing data from Neptune Beach, one speaker noted $500,000 in unpaid parking citations deemed uncollectible. Concerns were also raised about the use of automatic license plate readers and potential privacy violations tied to the proposed parking vendor.

City Attorney Prince clarified that even if voters approve the ordinance in 2026, a future commission could overturn it with a four-fifths supermajority. Still, for now, the initiative becomes a live campaign issue likely to dominate city politics for the next year.

Multiple speakers accused the commission of ignoring its constituents and breaking campaign promises. Resident and downtown business owner Marisol Triana summed up the frustration: “You have a duty to work for the 1,722 constituents who signed this petition. You have destroyed public trust. You have time to redeem yourselves.”