Eat and shop at local businesses in downtown Orlando, park for free

ORLANDO, Fla. — The city will cover your parking downtown if you shop and eat at local businesses.

Orlando has set aside $100,000 to pay for up to two hours of on-street parking, and three hours for garage spots that normally cost $1 or $2 per hour.

Parking is only free for business patrons. Participating shops will get stickers to validate garage parking. Promotion codes can be used up to three times in the ParkMobile app.

Business owners and staff do not get free parking. Businesses caught violating that rule will lose validation privileges.

The program will stay in place until Sept. 1 or until the $100,000 runs out.

After allowing restaurants to partially reopen with strict guidelines last week, city officials are allowing restaurants to expand outdoor seating not just on private property, but also on right of ways like sidewalks.

The new guidelines come with new rules: businesses must make sure pedestrians still have room to walk safely, and that the expansion doesn’t interrupt traffic.

The same rules also apply to retail space.

Read: Central Florida Zoo reopening to the public this week: What to know before you go

Wayne Harvey opened Jam-Eng a year ago, which serves Jamaican and English foods.

“It's (been) a dream of mine for a very long time to open a restaurant here," Harvey said.

He’s trying to keep that dream alive during the pandemic. Business has been down about 80%, he said.

The City council approved the changes, and they go into effect immediately.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible so there's no application, there's no permit, there's no fees for any of these things,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

Read: Looking ahead: 9 things happening this week in Central Florida

Businesses can also use small 12-by-12-foot tents.

Permits for signs and banners are also getting waived, and businesses restricted from using them now can.

The city is limiting the number of signs, with only one of each type.

Read: From salons to theme parks and shopping malls: What’s reopening in Central Florida and when?

Harvey said he already has many of the permits being waived, but is glad Orlando is working to do more to help businesses survive.

“As small businesses, we need all the help to survive,” he said.

Video: Florida barbers, salon stylists reopen for first time in nearly two months Barber shops, nail and hair salons opened their doors Monday for the first time in nearly two months.

© 2020 Cox Media Group