City Manager Friling informs commissioners and employees of decision
In an Oct. 1 email to all City of Sarasota employees, City Manager Karie Friling announced that she had made the decision to shift the responsibilities of the city’s Parking Division to the Sarasota Police Department.
Oct. 28 will be the effective date of the change, Friling pointed out.
The decision came slightly more than a month after the City Commission conducted an Aug. 31 workshop on parking issues. That came in the wake of ongoing complaints — primarily from business owners in downtown Sarasota — about the longer enforcement hours that the board members approved earlier this year; those hours went into effect on June 29. The board members voted on Aug. 3 to direct staff to switch back to the previous hours, including free parking on Sundays.
However, the commissioners the increases in fines that the commissioners approved in the spring remain in effect.
At the end of the Aug. 31 workshop discussion, Friling won the board members’ support to allow those prior hours to stay in place through the end of November. She reminded the commissioners that passage of the state’s proposed property tax constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot — Amendment 3 — would have a bearing on parking operations in the future, as the city would be expected to lose approximately $3,182,464 in the 2027 fiscal year, with an additional decrease of $2,292,830 in the 2028 fiscal year.
“Over the past few months,” Friling wrote in her Oct. 1 email, “I have spent considerable time listening to our employees, reviewing how we deliver parking services, and considering how we can best support both our staff and the community. I believe aligning Parking with the Police Department provides the strongest organizational structure for the direction in which we need to move forward.”
She had made certain that the City Commission was aware of her plans, she noted during her remarks that were part of the board’s regular meeting on Oct. 5.
“I believe that this is a good decision to move forward,” Friling added on Oct. 5. “There’s a lot of synergy between what enforcement does in the Police Department [and parking enforcement]. We also have a lot of good training that can complement what we already do in the Police Department with the parking,” she said.
Further, Friling stressed her belief that the change will lead to enhanced safety for city staff members, as well as more accountability.
“And, also,” she said, “we can promote the concept [that] community policing isn’t just tied to police. Community policing is also tied to other departments … and we will make sure we continue to listen to what we have heard in the last 90 days, as it relates to parking. We’re not done,” Friling pointed out.
The transfer of the Parking Division responsibilities to the Police Department, she indicated, is just the start of efforts to improve the parking situation. Nonetheless, Friling told the commissioners, “I feel it’s a really good start.”
She noted that, recently, “I had the opportunity to ‘break bread’ with our parking enforcement officers over lunch, and talk to them,” to inform them that she was considering the shift to the Police Department.
“I’m very confident this transition will occur smoothly and effectively,” Friling concluded her comments.
A number of considerations
In her Oct. 1 email, Friling also wrote, “This decision is about more than where a division appears on an organizational chart. It is about service, safety, professionalism, and community. Our parking employees work every day in the field, interacting directly with residents, businesses, visitors, and members of the public — often in challenging situations. We have also seen firsthand that these interactions can sometimes escalate. Our employees deserve the training, tools, communication systems, and immediate field support necessary to do their jobs safely and professionally. Bringing Parking together with the Police Department will allow us to strengthen training in areas such as communication, de-escalation, customer service, professional interactions, and consistent enforcement. It will also provide greater coordination and field support, particularly during special events and other situations where parking operations and public safety intersect.
“Just as importantly,” Friling continued, “I want us to rethink what parking enforcement means in Sarasota. Our parking employees should not be viewed simply as individuals who issue citations. They are highly visible representatives of the City, who often interact most frequently with our public. I want to build an ambassador approach to parking enforcement, similar in philosophy to community policing — where compliance remains important, but education, assistance, communication, problem-solving, and exceptional customer service are equally important. This means helping someone understand where they can park, assisting a visitor who needs directions, supporting our businesses, helping coordinate activities during special events, and looking for opportunities to make someone’s interaction with the City a positive one.”
In response to a Sarasota News Leader inquiry about whether the Police Department would be willing offer a statement about the coming change, Genevieve Judge, supervisor of the agency’s Public Information Office, wrote in an Oct. 5 email that, until the transition had been completed, the Police Department would not be able to provide any comments.
The only commissioner to respond to the Friling’s email, based on a News Leader review of the city email folder, was Liz Alpert. “Great idea!” she wrote.
No criticism of parking employees implied
Among other details in her Oct. 1 email, Friling pointed out, “We will continue working on improvements to the overall parking program, as well, including simplifying programs where possible and developing business-oriented services such as validation and valet options. Even small gestures of hospitality can matter. Whether it is offering directions, helping someone navigate downtown, or even having a dog treat or lollipop available during an interaction with a family, these moments help define what public service looks like.”
She added, “I also want to be clear about something that is very important to me — this organizational change is not a criticism of our parking employees. Our employees have continued to do their jobs during a period of significant public discussion and at times, intense criticism of the City’s parking policies. Employees implement the policies and direction established by the organization; they should not become the targets of frustration over those policies. We will continue to support them and expect that they are treated with the same respect that we expect them to show to every member of our community.”
Friling further noted, “Over the coming weeks, [Police] Chief [Rex] Troche and [city Planning Department] Director [Steve] Cover will work with the Parking employees on the transition and operational details. Our priority will be making the transition thoughtfully and ensuring employees have the information, training, equipment, and support they need to succeed.
“Thank you to our parking team for the work that you do every day, particularly during these recent challenging times. And thank you to our Police Department,” she added, “for its willingness to take on this responsibility and help us shape the next chapter of this important public-facing service.”
Friling ended her email thus: “We have a team opportunity to redefine parking in Sarasota — not simply as enforcement, but as public safety + public service + hospitality. This is the direction that we are going.”