CASSELBERRY, Fla. — The city of Casselberry approved another controversial parking ordinance on Monday night.
In January, the city passed a rule restricting parking in front of homes. The new ordinance focuses on parking in backyards.
The ordinance looks to control the number of vehicles which can be parked in a yard, and what type of vehicles, as well as whether a fence can hide them.
Commissioners voted to regulate the length of recreational and business vehicles, which can only be stowed in front or side yards, and must be hidden by a screen.
Monday night's meeting featured heated argument as some residents fought for the right to park boats, RVs, work vehicles, and cars in their yards.
"It's wrong to use police and code enforcement to harass residents and businesses," said James Fraleigh, who was arrested at the last commission meeting.
The commissioners say they just want to clean up city streets, and they have already passed a portion of the ordinance which allows no more than one-third of a resident's front yard to be covered by vehicles.
On Monday, commissioners tried to impose the same kind of limitations to backyards.
"It just looks unkempt. There's a boat on the side of a truck in the front," said Darlene Jalowsky, a resident who supports the updated ordinance.
Part of the ordinance which commissioners considered would require residents to install fences 8 feet high to hide vehicles in the back yard.
Code enforcement officials told commissioners that it would not be able to enforce anything behind an 8 foot fence.