NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Venetian Bay residents are celebrating the end of a paid parking program in their neighborhood after 6 months of protesting.

A special magistrate meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 26, between New Smyrna Beach and GEOSAM Capital was canceled after the developing company announced they ended the parking program. 

What You Need To Know

  • In August 2024, development Company GEOSAM Capital started a paid parking program at Venetian Bay near one of the developments they're building

  • Immediately following the start of the parking program, Venetian Bay residents protested and contacted the city of New Smyrna Beach in an effort to end the program

  • A special magistrate meeting was planned for Wednesday, Feb. 26, but was cancelled after GEOSAM, via their attorney, announced they stopped their paid parked program

  • Residents and businesses are calling this change a win, as they feel their efforts made a difference

However, the city said GEOSAM will maintain their right in the future to revisit the details of a parking enforcement program and the approved uses under the property’s applicable Venetian Bay Village, Village Planned Development PUD, Amended and Restated Master Development Agreement.

The city said paid parking lots are only permitted in four types of city zones:

  • Mixed-use

  • Neighborhood business

  • Highway service business

  • Ocean commercial

They say that Venetian Bay is zoned as a Planned Unit Development and would require an amendment to their Master Development Agreement to proceed.

So, those signs that once haunted people in Venetian Bay are now gone.

Harrison Jordan is a Venetian Bay resident and trainer at SnapFitness. He said the business started validating their customers’ parking to keep their gym afloat.

“This is New Smyrna Beach. This isn’t some big city, man, you know?” Jordan said. “It’s just people living, just trying to go to the freaking gym, man.”

After a long battle, residents spearheading the fight are rejoicing the news.

“So, I’m extremely happy to carry this from the beginning to the end,” Carl Scharwath said. “It’s been 6 months and there’s no special magistrate meeting and everything has been taken care of. Parking is gone basically. So we’re happy.”

“We as residents all did a good cheer, and it was great. We should have never had to pay for parking in our own neighborhood,” Julie Migliorenzi said.

Residents now have a newfound hope of what working together can do.

“I learned to not give up and that you can make a difference. This will inspire me going forward now to work on,” said Scharwath. “You can make a difference. I know it’s cliche, but one person or just a few people can make a difference.”

SnapFitness now feels confident their business will bounce back.

“You know I think once word gets out again about us not having to deal with the parking thing, I think we’ll see the numbers go back up because I mean it got pretty slow there for a bit until people found out that we were paying for it, which made the difference,” Jordan said.

GEOSAM Capital Group did not return a request for comment.

SnapFitness is one of multiple business suing GEOSAM Capital Group about their parking operation and says they hope to recoup some of their losses through that suit.