Parking permit sales began earlier this month for University of North Florida students. UNF Director of Business and Parking Services, George Androuin, gave his tips for students parking on campus this fall. 

Androuin said students can expect the first few weeks of classes to be chaotic when it comes to parking. He thinks this is  because new students may be confused on where to park. 

“Freshmen… coming in, have to kind of learn the lay-of-the-land for the first three weeks of classes,” Androuin said. 

For this reason, according to Androuin, Parking Services is more forgiving when issuing parking tickets for the first three weeks of classes. 

Androuin’s data showed that 605 of the 775 tickets issued during the fourth week of fall classes last year were for vehicles parked with no valid permit. Over half of the no-valid-permit violations were specifically for not having a Blue permit. 

Illegal parking, on-campus events and purchases of daily permits are just a few reasons why according to Androuin, there is a common misconception that UNF oversells Blue permits. 

Androuin explained that the UNF Parking Advisory Council conducts two lot counts per semester to determine sale ratios for each permit category. 

“That number of Blue permits… we don’t sell more than that,” Androuin said.

To combat the Blue lot congestion, Androuin is working on incorporating software that would restrict the purchase of Blue lot day permits for students with Gray permits. 

“The idea is: if you bought a term or annual [permit], you’re going to park in gray. That’s where you should park.”

Androuin provided Spinnaker with some important information and tips for parking on campus.

Sale dates for 2024-2025 parking permits

• July 9, 2024: Students with 90+ credit hours
• July 16, 2024:  Students with 60+ credit hours
• July 18, 2024: Returning to housing
• July 23, 2024: Students with 20+ credit hours
• July 25, 2024: New to housing
• July 30, 2024: All students

Employee permits auto-renew on Aug. 16, the start of the new permit year. 

Annual permits are valid through Aug. 16, 2024 – Aug. 15, 2024. Fall Term permits are valid through Aug. 16, 2024 – Dec. 31, 2024.

Tips for students

• Use the number zero and not the letter ‘O’ when entering plate information.
• Blue permits typically sell out before classes begin.
• Gray permits do not sell out and cost 40% less than Blue permits.
• Gray Lots 18 and 53 are serviced by shuttles funded by student fees and almost always have spaces available.
• Housing permits do not sell out. 
• If living on-campus, make sure to purchase the correct Housing permit as there are 3 different housing permit categories depending on the assigned dorm.  Students should contact parking services if they are reassigned to a different dorm after purchasing a Housing permit. 
• Students can purchase day permits at each lot’s designated Pay-by-Plate kiosks or via the Flowbird mobile app.
• Students are more likely to find parking in Blue lots before 9:30 a.m. and after 3 p.m. 

Androuin suggested that students should consider purchasing a Gray permit instead of a Blue permit, especially if they plan on arriving during peak times (9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

He said that during peak times, it likely takes students less time to park in a Gray lot and take a shuttle than search for a parking space at one of the Blue lots.  All students pay a transportation fee that covers the cost of on-campus shuttles. 

“You come here at ten o’clock in the morning– you’re going to… be searching for a space in the core campus for about ten minutes,” Androuin said. “I think it takes about the same amount of time to just park in a gray lot, hop in a shuttle and come to campus.”

Students can use the TransLoc mobile app to track UNF’s on-campus shuttle routes.

Androuin urges students to do the math before buying a parking permit. He said student purchases of day permits instead of long-term permits are part of why Blue lots fill up so quickly.

Students can save money by purchasing annual permits, according to Androuin. 

A daily visitor permit for Gray lots costs $2 per day, averaging at about $40 per month and a daily visitor permit for Blue lots costs $5 per day or about $100 per month. However, an annual Gray permit costs about $8 per month and an annual Blue permit costs about $12 per month. 

Students should direct their questions or concerns to parking services at 904-620-2815 or parking@unf.edu.

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