§ 14-10. Liability for payment of parking ticket violations.
Latest version.
(a) The owner of a vehicle is responsible and liable for payment of any parking ticket violation unless the owner can furnish evidence that the vehicle was, at the time of the parking violation, in the care, custody, or control of another person. In such instances, the owner of the vehicle is required, within a reasonable time after notification of the parking violation, to furnish to the appropriate law enforcement authorities the name and address of the person or company who leased, rented, or otherwise had the care, custody or control of the vehicle. The owner of a vehicle is not responsible for a parking ticket violation if the vehicle involved was, at the time, stolen or in the care, custody, or control of some person who did not have permission of the owner to use the vehicle.
(b) Any person issued a parking ticket by a parking enforcement specialist or officer shall be deemed to be charged with a noncriminal violation and shall comply with the directions on the ticket. In the event that payment is not received or a response to the ticket is not made within the time period specified thereon, the county court or its traffic violations bureau shall notify the registered owner of the vehicle which was cited, by mail to the address given on the motor vehicle registration of the ticket. Mailing of the notice to such address shall constitute notification. Upon notification, the registered owner shall comply with the court's directive.
(c) Any person who fails to satisfy the court's directive shall be deemed to waive his right to pay the applicable civil penalty.
(d) Any person who elects to appear before a designated official to present evidence shall be deemed to have waived his right to pay the civil penalty provisions of the ticket. The official, after a hearing, shall make a determination as to whether a parking violation has been committed and may impose a civil penalty not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00) plus court costs. Any person who fails to pay the civil penalty within the time allowed by the court shall be deemed to have been convicted of a parking ticket violation, and the court shall take appropriate measures to enforce collection of the fine.
(e) The city police department as the city's traffic violations bureau shall periodically supply the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (“department”) with magnetically encoded computer tape reels or cartridges which are machine readable by the installed computer system at the department, listing persons who have any outstanding violation for parking in a handicap/disabled parking space or three (3) or more unpaid parking violations; with the intent that no license plate or revalidation sticker shall be issued by the department or the tax collector to such persons until the registered owner presents a receipt showing that such parking fines have been paid, or the person is removed from the tape after update.
