“Passes are way too expensive to not be able to find a spot,” said one student. “It is trash! They stay giving tickets for nothing,” said another Osprey. “There’s not enough parking for staff or students. They need to invest in another parking garage,” one Osprey stated. These are just three of the dozens of responses Spinnaker received after asking Ospreys on Instagram about their thoughts on UNF Parking Services. 

Ospreys are enraged at UNF’s limited parking space and the array of parking tickets that are distributed. “Ridiculous” was one adjective that echoed in the responses. The most frequent points that were brought up are that there should be more parking available on the main campus, the parking permit is way too expensive on top of tuition and should be free, and that the parking ticket distributors are too “strict.” 

Confusion is another aspect of the parking issue as the signs that identify the Blue Lot and Gray Lot are the same color. Some would think the university would at least make an effort to make it easier for students to identify the correct parking lot.

Spinnaker also did a poll on Instagram asking students if they have ever received a parking ticket. 65 percent of the 336 students who responded voted yes.

Image by John Matychuk/Unsplash.

So how can you avoid getting a parking ticket?

Spinnaker reached out to UNF Parking Services Director George Androuin who says that “students can avoid parking tickets by purchasing a permit and parking in spaces permitted by the permit type purchased.” He says that arriving early also increases your chances of finding an available space within the core.  

Androuin says that the most common violations they see are students parking over the lines and “not having a valid permit or parking in spaces not allowed by the permit type purchased, such as parking in a Blue space with a Gray permit.”

Ospreys should double-check that they are parking within the lines and are in the right parking lot, before leaving their vehicle.

Some other tips include only parking your car “nose-in,” as it is the way you have to park on-campus so your license plate can be quickly scanned by our license recognition camera trucks.

You can register up to five vehicles to your permit through your online parking account through myWings, but remember that you can only have one vehicle on campus at a time.

If you do end up getting a ticket, make sure you pay it in a timely manner. “If you get a ticket on Tuesday, 14 calendar days is the second Monday, not the second Tuesday,” reads UNF’s website. “Don’t get caught being a day late with your payment.”

You also have the option to appeal your parking ticket. In a previous Spinnaker article, former Student Government Chief Justice Nicolas Vincenty explained that there are two levels of appeals, the first level being direct with parking services, and the second being with the SG Supreme Court.

“Many students will often be denied, and Vincenty explained how there is only a very small window to appeal through parking,” reads the article. “That is why the majority of parking appeals go to the Supreme Court, which hears the case, and will make a verdict.”

Image by Jordan Graff/Unsplash.

It’s recommended that Ospreys read, know, and follow the parking regulations. 

Androuin mentions that an inexpensive option to park on campus is to purchase an annual Gray permit and ride the shuttle into campus.  “The time it takes to locate an available space within the core during the middle of the day is likely equal to or more, than parking in a Gray lot and riding an air-conditioned stress-free shuttle into campus,” Androuin says.

Many Ospreys may also want to know that parking regulations are not typically enforced after 7 p.m. through 7 a.m., or weekends, unless there is a special event. Drivers can check the UNF Master Calendar to see if there is a weekend event happening. Check out Spinnaker’s guide to parking for more information.

For any questions about parking regulations, please email parking@unf.edu.

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For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.