Parking at Florida Atlantic University has become so scarce that students are planning a protest on Tuesday, saying they can’t make it to class on time.
Florida International University started offering valet parking this year, after realizing visitors were having a hard time finding a space on campus.
And at the University of Florida, students aren’t allowed to park on campus until they’ve earned 120 credit hours, the same amount it takes to receive an undergraduate degree.
Colleges and universities in Florida and around the country have been battling with parking problems at least since the 1960s. The problems have often resulted from growing enrollments coupled with limited land and resources.
“Universities need land for classrooms and libraries and labs and other buildings,” said Martin Stein, executive director of the National Parking Association in Washington, D.C. “I think one of the challenges universities face is how do they get the highest and best use of what they have to work with.”
FAU’s parking problems on the Boca Raton campus were exacerbated this year when it got 1,400 more students at the same time it lost several hundred spaces due to construction of a new College of Engineering building and a theater.
“Parking is absurd,” said FAU junior Kelli Lewandowski, 20, of Lighthouse Point. “I have to get here at 8:30, an hour and a half before my first class, to find a space. Any minute after that, forget it.”
Several students at FAU’s College of Business are organizing a protest at noon Tuesday in FAU’s free speech area. They’re also selling T-shirts they hope students will wear which say: “Top 10 Reasons I’m Late For Class,” which lists “FAU’s Parking” in all 10 spots. The students have created a Facebook page promoting the event: “The day is coming, justice will be served and you will have parking,” the site reads.
University officials say the parking spaces will be back next semester once construction is completed. They’ve also allowed students to park in some grass lots and started a new shuttle from a location on the northern end of campus.
At FIU, students have taken to driving other students to their cars so they can snag the available space.
“We do not have a supply problem. We have a convenience problem,” said Bill Foster, executive director of parking and services at FIU.
There are ample spaces on the perimeter of campus, but that often requires a long walk, students said.
“It’s hot outside in South Florida, and walking is not fun,” said Anthony Rionda, FIU’s student government president.
He said the student government worked with parking officials to use golf carts to give students rides to class.
The university also contracted with a vendor to provide valet parking. The service, which charges $5 for two hours or $12 per day, started in the spring as an amenity for visitors on campus. But students and faculty use the service as well, especially if they are running late for class, Foster said.
FIU is also building a new 2,000-car parking garage, scheduled to open next year.
UF, Florida State University and the University of South Florida have also grappled with parking. They’ve all worked to develop strong bus systems, either on their own or with their city or county, to reduce the number of cars on campus.
FSU developed a partnership with the city of Tallahassee to provide students free bus passes and direct routes from off-campus apartments. John Carnaghi, vice president for finance and administration, said the effort is working.
For the first time in years, none of the students running for student government during the last election mentioned parking as a campaign issue.
Scott Travis can be reached at or 561-243-6637.
