HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN SARASOTA PARKING

Downtown Sarasota, Florida has had a history of parking issues since the automobile became popular, including: Early days: People would load up supplies at Turner and Co. on Lower Main Street. 1920s: Sarasota became a vacation destination, and Henry Ford’s Model Ts were being produced in large numbers.  1913: J.B. Turner, a prominent local merchant and one of Sarasota’s first automobile owners, built the first parking lot in Sarasota. It was a 100′ x 35′ covered lot behind his store on Main Street.  Mid-1950s: The city suggested buying downtown property to create off-street parking  2011: The city installed pole-mounted parking meters in downtown Sarasota.  2012: The paid parking program was terminated after business owners pressed the city, citing decreased sales.  2015: The State Street garage opened.  2018: The Sarasota City Commission voted to reinstall parking meters in downtown Sarasota.  2019: Paid parking returned to downtown Sarasota.