Parking Restrictions Spark Debate Between Davis Shores Residents and Anastasia Blvd Business Days Before Nights of Lights Kicks Off

The expansion of seasonal Nights of Lights parking restrictions into the Davis Shores neighborhood prompted lengthy debate between residents, restaurant workers and business owners at the Nov. 9 St. Augustine City Commission meeting.

In response to residents' complaints about traffic and congestion last year, the city shortened Nights of Lights by two weeks and added the 600-home Davis Shores neighborhood to the list of districts covered by the city's seasonal parking restrictions. The city commission also voted unanimously on Oct. 26 to increase fines for parking violations from $35 to $100, after residents argued that the $35 fine was often cheaper than paying for parking.

But after outcry and a petition from businesses who worried their sales would be hurt at peak tourist season, commissioners directed staff to create a workforce-parking plan along Anastasia Boulevard. The plan will utilize the former Blue Water Jewelers site, where the city has delayed future fire-station construction to preserve about 60 parking spaces for the season, along with employee parking passes. Full details have not yet been finalized.

Commissioners ultimately left the residential-parking restrictions in place, however, despite business owners pushing to roll them back.

City staff presented a map showing there already are an estimated 200-plus free public spaces along Anastasia Blvd. in addition to the Blue Water site, private paid lots and transit options. But business owners said the arrangement does not address their broader concern: ample and convenient parking for customers during a critical holiday period.

The meeting featured 90 minutes of public comment from residents and business owners. Both sides said they want what's best for the community, but sharply disagreed over what that should look like.

Davis Shores residents framed the controversy as a public safety issue. They argued the restrictions are needed because visitors seeking free parking have clogged neighborhood streets, blocked driveways and made it difficult for emergency vehicles and pedestrians to get through.

“My husband and I are in our 70s — if we were to have a medical emergency, there was no way that anybody could get to our house unless you had a helicopter,” Anita Petrow, who lives on Oglethorpe Boulevard, told commissioners.

Roger White, president of St. Augustine North Davis Shores, claimed he had personally offered unused resident passes to businesses but that few had responded to his outreach. He chided business owners for going "nuclear" and told commissioners that residents feel "abused."

“We’re still open to working together, but not when you put a gun to our heads,” White said, adding that more than 60% of neighborhood residents had signed a petition supporting the parking restrictions.

Those who spoke on behalf of local businesses countered they had not been adequately included in developing the restrictions. Erica Thompson, who owns two businesses on Anastasia Boulevard, submitted a petition of her own, with about 1,200 signatures seeking reconsideration of the restrictions.

“What’s most upsetting for me is why were the boulevard businesses never really consulted in this decision?” Thompson said.

Misty Lake, owner of Sunday Gathering Table on San Marco Avenue, said similar restrictions in Uptown had contributed to a decline in business during the prior Nights of Lights season.

“You cannot support small businesses and be in support of these restrictions,” she said.

Jacob Wernick, a Davis Shores homeowner whose family has operated Shanghai Nobby's on Anastasia Boulevard for more than 40 years, said the dispute should not be framed as residents against businesses.

“We’re neighbors. We’re family,” he said. “This should not be businesses versus residents.”

Business speakers proposed alternatives including later enforcement hours, restrictions only on the busiest nights, alternate-side parking, employee permits and more structured engagement before future holiday seasons. Several workers also said they were concerned about where employees, particularly those leaving late-night shifts, would park and whether they could return safely to their vehicles.

Residents, meanwhile, said they were willing to discuss employee parking but did not want the residential protections weakened.

Commissioner Jim Springfield said public safety must remain the city’s priority, while acknowledging the need to find a compromise. He urged staff to identify a workable employee-parking approach and said the city needs better communication with businesses before future changes.

Adding to the uncertainty, City Attorney Isabelle Lopez said she had received correspondence from an attorney who may represent a business challenging the city's new $100 parking fine on the grounds that it was not implemented following the proper process. In the event the increased fine is put on pause pending litigation, the city has indicated it will continue enforcing the previous $35 fine.

Nights of Lights is set to kick off on Nov. 21, meaning time is running out to find a solution that satisfies both residents and business owners. Last year, the festivities drew an estimated 371,000 visitors to St. Augustine, three-quarters of whom came from out of the county.