Clearwater Adopts Pay-By-Plate Parking System

CLEARWATER, FL — To provide a quicker, easier parking experience for visitors, the City of Clearwater is transitioning to a pay-by-plate parking system.

Clearwater is updating its kiosks at parking garages and in municipal parking lots to a pay-by-plate system, which will replace the existing pay-and-display parking system.

Patrons will be required to enter their license plate numbers into the new parking kiosks before paying for their time. Users will be guided through their parking transactions on full-color display screens at the updated kiosks.

City officials say the new system is more convenient for users. Drivers will no longer have to walk back to their vehicles to place a receipt on the dashboard. Time can be extended at the kiosk with the vehicles's plate number. Patrons can also pay for their parking by cellphone using the Parkmobile parking app. The app also sends notifications and text reminders when a parking session is about to expire. The Parkmobile app is available for download on the App store for the iPhone, the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Microsoft store for Windows phones.

Residents who live in Clearwater city limits can sign up to have their transaction fees waived. Click here for details.

The first area to implement this new upgrade will be the Garden Avenue Parking Garage, 28 N. Garden Ave. The system is tentatively set to be in place Nov. 1 and will be "gateless." That means drivers will no longer have to pull a ticket at the entrance or pay an attendant at the exit. Drivers can enter the parking lot, park their vehicle, pay at a pay-by-plate kiosk or through the Parkmobile app and walk away. (Cars cannot be backed into parking spaces; the license plate must be in view.)

Parking kiosks at the Seminole Boat Ramp will include the new technology in the coming weeks. Clearwater expects this system to have a significant reduction of wait times at the exit to the lot.

Clearwater expects to offer pay-by-plate parking at the Station Square Parking Garage, 628 Cleveland St., starting January 2020. Pay-by-plate will be rolled out to include all lots on Clearwater Beach starting November 2019 and completed by Spring Break.

"The way people pay for their parking across the country has changed with technological advancements," said Steve Reiter, parking manager for the City of Clearwater. "Our goal is to provide our residents and visitors with an enjoyable time in downtown Clearwater and Clearwater Beach, so we want to make parking as easy as possible so patrons can go about their day."