WINTER PARK, Fla. — Winter Park is moving forward with plans to test paid parking at two popular parks, a proposal that is already drawing opposition from a nonprofit that helps care for Lake Baldwin Dog Park.
The Winter Park City Commission voted Sept. 9 to move forward with a six-month paid parking pilot at Lake Baldwin Dog Park and Dinky Dock Park.
City Communications Director Clarissa Howard confirmed to WFTV that non-residents would pay between $2 and $3 per hour, while Winter Park residents would be able to park for free.
The city has not yet finalized how residency would be verified, but Howard said methods used for other city programs have included utility bills, property tax statements and driver’s licenses.
City says parking plan would improve efficiency
Winter Park officials say the pilot is intended to modernize parking management, improve operational efficiency and help offset costs associated with municipal services.
Revenue generated through the program could be allocated by the City Commission toward municipal operations, capital projects, public infrastructure or other community priorities through the city’s budget process, Howard said.
The city also expects the program to improve parking turnover, encourage more efficient use of public parking spaces, reduce congestion in high-demand areas and provide data that could help officials evaluate the program.
The ordinance is expected to return to the City Commission sometime in October, though Howard said the date has not been finalized.
The city is targeting spring 2027 for the launch of the six-month pilot.
Dog park nonprofit pushes back
Friends of Winter Park Dog Park, an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps maintain Lake Baldwin Dog Park, is asking commissioners to reconsider charging people who live outside the city.
“Charging $2 to $3 an hour, or $20 a day, to walk your dog or take your kids to the park is the wrong ask at the wrong time,” organization president Erik Paul said.
The group argues that Winter Park residents can use parks and recreational facilities in surrounding communities without facing similar residency-based parking charges.
The nonprofit also said it was not consulted before the proposal reached the commission, despite working with city staff for several years and raising more than $11,000 for Lake Baldwin Dog Park.
Group questions need for paid parking at Lake Baldwin
The nonprofit says the two parks face different parking conditions.
Dinky Dock, near Rollins College, experiences more significant parking pressure, the organization said. At Lake Baldwin Dog Park, however, the group says it has not seen visitors routinely forced to park outside the lot, even during busy weekends.
“We have been the City’s partner for three years, and we still want to be,” Paul said. “We are simply asking the Commission to reconsider charging our neighbors to use a park that belongs to everyone.”
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