SANFORD, Fla. — Experts predict that Christmas shoppers will spend nearly $1,000 on gifts this year.

According to a recent Gallup poll, that’s up $100 from last year’s predictions.

This is the highest average holiday shopping budget since Gallup started tracking them in 1999.

According to a survey by Bankrate, recent data shows that about 72% of shoppers plan to shop at small, locally owned businesses.

Last year, the average for small business customers was around 65%. However, the study also cited that in-person shopping has increased more this year.

With the predicted increase in spending, Central Florida businesses are preparing for last-minute shoppers. However, some shoppers have problems with parking in downtown Sanford, which could deter them from spending their money at those small businesses.

After losing two major events this year, November Fest and Jingle Jam, business owners are worried about the economic impact if they can’t draw in customers.

They hope city officials can resolve the lack of parking that prevents customers from coming to the area.

The city started an initiative to allow golf carts to operate and park downtown since they are smaller and take less space. The city is discussing another initiative that would tax businesses to fund the creation of additional spaces.

“One of the things that’s driving this is the gravel lot. The grass area that we use for lot and the courthouse lot are all tied up with the Heritage Park project,” said Sanford Mayor Art Woodruff. “That if that gets built, all of those parking spaces go away. Now, numerically, we’ve already built that many parking spaces, but again, they’re already full.” 

There is no cost associated with the potential business tax, which is still up for discussion among city leaders.

However, Woodruff said they would most likely tax businesses based on their size, and if they already have parking, amongst other things.