ORLANDO -- The city council agreed Monday to raise parking rates and, in some cases, double them at city-owned garages and lots.
Mayor Buddy Dyer told commissioners there was not a choice, because the city parking system is running at a $4 million-a-year deficit.
Over the past few years, the city has sold off several of its surface parking lots to encourage growth downtown. Those lots subsidized the city's parking garages, which are more expensive to build and operate.
The decision doubles the hourly parking rate to $2, and raises the maximum daily rate from $10 to $15.
Parking meters will increase from 75 cents to $1 per hour, and the cost for downtown workers to rent a space in a city garage for a month will also increase.
The new hourly fees take effect Jan. 12, and new monthly rates are effective Feb. 1.
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