THE VILLAGES — Handicapped parking spaces get filled up fast in The Villages during the holiday season.
- Villages residents say handicapped parking is often filled by violators
- One resident says the problem is with people who drive golf carts
- Authorities: Some golf-cart drivers confused by lines near the spaces
Police and deputies say they're on the lookout for any violators, but some Villages residents say the problem is with people who drive golf carts.
Betty Burkey is concerned about this. She takes care of her husband Billy, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and needs a wheelchair to get around.
“Every day of the week I find exactly the same thing,” Betty Burkey said.
The Burkeys’ van needs extra space for parking to accommodate the side lift. That's when they say they have issues when trying to get into handicapped parking spaces.
Betty Burkey says she sees cars and golf carts either parked illegally in handicapped spots and in handicapped loading zones.
“You can drive there, and you can always find someone parked there that doesn't belong there,” she said.
Lady Lake Police and Sumter County Sheriff's Office deputies say they've issued fewer than 50 citations in the last three years — that's because they say they'd rather issue warnings.
But if the problem persists, authorities say they’re not afraid to bump that number up.
“If we find (people parking illegally), you will get a citation,” said Sumter County deputy Lt. Robert Siemer.
He says that some golf cart drivers are confused by the lines near the spaces.
“Some people just didn't know what that was for. They thought they actually put those there specifically for the golf carts, but that is not the case. It is for the loading and unloading of people that need it,” Siemer explained.
Most fines for parking illegally in a handicapped parking spot are $250. The state citation is $183.