Rays' newfound success brings parking mess

ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays' newfound success and popularity have created a parking nightmare around Tropicana Field, city officials say.

Fans park anywhere they can, and often illegally: on private property, in front of fire hydrants, in handicap spaces. Property owners are getting in on the action and charging fans to park on their land, sometimes illegally.

"It's a free-for-all," said City Council member Leslie Curran, who owns an art gallery near the stadium.

Fans also are filling up the two-hour street spaces near Tropicana Field on game nights, despite risking a $17.50 parking ticket.

"We give out hundreds of tickets per game, but it really hasn't had any effect on people," said Joe Kubicki, the city's transportation director.

On a recent Saturday night, fans packed the dome to see the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays. A postgame concert by '90s rap star MC Hammer helped draw hordes of people.

The city wrote 297 tickets that night. Of those, 233 involved expired meters, with 55 on Central Avenue alone.

In comparison, the city doled out only 124 tickets for a Rays-Red Sox matchup on a Saturday in July last year. About 100 involved expired meters.

"It's horrible," said Erica Adkins, manager of Cafe Bohemia on Central Avenue, who now rides her bicycle to work on game nights to avoid the frenzy. "All the street parking on Central will be full, but it will be dead in here all night long because there is nowhere for our customers to park."

Tropicana Field boasts 7,000 parking spaces. The city has issued permits for at least 2,000 other spaces on private property near the stadium.

But with more than 30,000 fans turning out for Rays games against the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs this season, parking within easy walking distance of the stadium is at a premium.

The city is considering increasing code enforcement and police patrols in the area on game nights. The city has even created a baseball parking page on its Web site reminding fans to "only park in legal spaces."

Property owners who want to rent out parking spaces must apply for a $200 permit. The city has issued 28 permits for temporary parking lots near Tropicana Field, up from 18 last year.

"On some nights, I've got people offering me $50 to park," said Jim Anson, owner of Food Wholesalers on 19th Street S who legally rents out his company's parking lot on a sliding scale. "I have to tell them, 'No, I don't have any more spaces.'"

Illegal parking lots are shut down immediately, said Gary Bush, the city's code compliance operations manager.

Jason Sanchez charges drivers $5 to $20, depending on the demand to park at his vacant lot along Central. Before the real estate bust, his family planned to build a condominium there. This month, they applied for a temporary parking permit. Now the lot produces up to $1,260 a night during popular games.

Comments on this article

by aj	Jul 30, 2008 4:26 PM
If there is playoffs in the wind the city better start NOW planning park and ride locations and start advertizing and pushing them NOW. Use some organizational skills and promotional skills for better results.

by since1962	Jul 30, 2008 4:23 PM
Joe Kubickis revenue generating traffic/parking plan is expo$ed for the $ham it is.Two way $treet conver$ion$ $low,conge$t and confu$e vi$itor traffic. PARKING METER$ EVERYWHERE.Temporary lot permit$ UP.Traffic ticket$ UP.SOLUTIONS MUST BE FOUND!!

by Michael	Jul 30, 2008 2:45 PM
What is wrong with you people? There are a hundred cities around the US that would kill to have this kind of activity in their downtowns! Grow up and stop your whinning for pete's sake, and NO Scott and Arron Not in Tampa! GO RAYS!

by Al	Jul 30, 2008 1:55 PM
Fenway has absolutely no parking, but Boston has mass transit that works. If a PSTA bus could take me from here to the Dome in a reasonable time, I'd take it. (And if a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his rear end on the ground. . . )

by carol	Jul 30, 2008 10:58 AM
imagine what a mess parking at the new stadium would have been!

by Tony	Jul 29, 2008 7:23 PM
Do you really think Steinbrenner would allow another MLB team to play in HIS county? Absolutely not!! Especially if the Rays continue to win, AND beat the Yankees!! Steinbrenner would lose so much money, and bandwagoner fans. I say NO to Tampa.

by Carol	Jul 29, 2008 6:20 PM
Oh, don't worry.... It won't last. The parking lot will soon look like a paved over desert. This season is a fluke.

by Ray F	Jul 29, 2008 4:26 PM
ok, Born Here... What other venue in St Pete sells over 1.5 million tickets per year??? What other venue in St Pete has citizens wearing their jerseys, hats, t-shirts, etc. all over town and buzzing with chatter over playoff hopes??? Just curious.

by Bonnie	Jul 29, 2008 4:23 PM
There are tons of public parking garages and lots downtown with trolleys that will transport to games. Do a little research and you will not have trouble finding a place to park around the trop or downtown. Tampa has nothing to do with it, grow up.

by Bonnie	Jul 29, 2008 4:23 PM
And do all you realize that your beloved Yankees would not be able to spring train in Tampa if another major league team was to set up shop there?? Be careful what you bandwagoners wish for.

by Born Here	Jul 29, 2008 4:10 PM
Oh, Ken, really? 1.5 MILLION different people a year? I doubt it! I'm sure many of them are repeat offenders and I further doubt that a Rays game is the largest attraction. I think you have tunnel vision.

by Jimbo	Jul 29, 2008 2:42 PM
This goes to show that the parking studies were RIGHT. They showed there wasn't as much parking around the Trop as there is near Al Lang, yet people didn't believe it. Now everyone can see what an extra 4-5K spots would help fix. Build it now!!!

by Ken	Jul 29, 2008 2:42 PM
St.Pete doesn't deserve to have the Rays, who bring more visitors than all the other events held downtown put together. A city that relies on tourism seemingly can't wait to chase away a business that brings over 1.5 million visitors a year - idiots

by K	Jul 29, 2008 2:16 PM
If anything, this article proves that a waterfront stadium with NO PARKING except what's available on the streets WOULD NOT WORK!!!! Hope ABC is paying attention!

by Lisa	Jul 29, 2008 2:16 PM
People are NEVER HAPPY. When fans don't go to the games we hear about it. They finally have fans and people are complaining about that too. It is good for St. Pete to have fans at Rays games. Shut up about parking and start supporting the Rays.

by Kris	Jul 29, 2008 2:07 PM
And they wanted to move downtown where there is already a lack of parking....Its impossible to go out to eat or go to any of the businesses in the neighborhood when there is a game, there is just nowhere to park.

by itsallovernow	Jul 29, 2008 2:05 PM
No worries. If the Rays keep playing the way they have been the Trop will be a ghost town once again. Although I think it is total BS the way the city targets special events to collect $$. Welcome to St Pete, here's your parking ticket...

by Dana	Jul 29, 2008 2:04 PM
Who didn't see this coming? This is why the new stadium plan was a bad idea-no parking! Cafe Bohemia hit the nail on the head-If all of the downtown parking spots are occupied for the entire night, businesses are dead! That's not economic development

by Chip	Jul 29, 2008 2:04 PM
And who are all these folks that think MLB will be great at Al Lang? The people of St. Petersburg have a right to be angry at it's public servents who shown such poor judgement in the search for a new stadium. They waste our time and money!

by Mike	Jul 29, 2008 2:04 PM
I'm confused. First, the fans weren't coming despite winning. Now, too many fans are coming and have created parking problems.

by Dr_Dug	Jul 29, 2008 2:02 PM
Why don't they park in all those spots they think are available downtown. Since our Elected Officials have killed our economy....maybe the (empty store) Owners won't mind. Thank God......NO NEW WATERFRONT STADIUM!!

by george	Jul 29, 2008 2:00 PM
yeah me and the wife would go to at least one game a week but after paying 25.00 a ticket then 30.00 for gas unless we have two other people with us it is another 10.00 so they better move where there is parking cause there is parking in N.C.

by Imwith Al	Jul 29, 2008 1:45 PM
yeah thats the ticket move the stadium downtown that solves everything!

by Bland	Jul 29, 2008 1:44 PM
Yes, that downtown waterfront stadium would have been a great idea, NOT.

by tim	Jul 29, 2008 1:43 PM
So building that behemoth on the waterfront was going to solve this? Or was that last month's official story?

by Dave	Jul 29, 2008 1:42 PM
Erect a few 8' tall penises to discourage parking in certain areas...that will ensure the cops are around to enforce...well...something.

by Ray F	Jul 29, 2008 1:42 PM
Complain, complain, complain... Can't you morons do anything but complain. The Rays are bad... wahhhhhh. The Rays are good... wahhhhhh. Christ people- we're in 1st and on the verge of making the postseason. FANS AREN'T COMPLAINING. JOIN THE PARTY!!!

by Anthony	Jul 29, 2008 1:41 PM
You know we have plenty of parking for a stadium on this side of the bay. Mayor Baker should start refunding parking tickets until the city is able to provide better options.

by Ken	Jul 29, 2008 1:41 PM
What is it with people in this region that they won't ride a shuttle -- you can park at the garage downtown for $5 and ride the Looper up to the Trop. It's really convenient. And cheaper than the private lots or a parking ticket.

by JEM	Jul 29, 2008 1:32 PM
As usual,IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY! The city wants its $200 & be damned the fans. They will shut down anyone who has not paid them off before allowing desparately needed parking on one's own property a few nights a year. Private property rights in SP?

by Joan	Jul 29, 2008 1:24 PM
Were the new stadium to be built on the waterfront, one can imagine what it would do to downtown businesses.

by N	Jul 29, 2008 1:21 PM
Imagine this on the waterfront....

by Tony	Jul 29, 2008 1:20 PM
Along with the winning comes the problems. Welcome to the big leagues St Pete, and you thought you could handle it. Put the stadium in Toytown where it is big and it belongs.

by Aaron	Jul 29, 2008 1:20 PM
These people make me laugh. When the Rays aren't doing well they complain about a lack of support. Now, they are winning baseball games and these people are angry becasue there are too many fans. Baseball needs to be in Tampa where it belongs.

by Scott	Jul 29, 2008 1:20 PM
All this city does in complain about the Rays. 1st people don't goto the games so why build a new stadium. Now its to many people are going and its causing parking problems for the city. Build the stadium in Tampa. Please!