Centre Street and nearby side streets will be under a new paid parking program as of Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
Published on February 12, 2026 at 4:38 pm
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Fernandina Beach’s paid parking system will start Monday after a judge dismissed most of a citizen complaint seeking an injunction to stop it.
Meanwhile, the fight against paid parking continues on many fronts:
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- The citizens group — a political action committee called Citizens Against Paid Parking — can work on an amended complaint.
- Residents will have a chance to vote in a referendum seeking to halt paid parking, either in August or November.
- A petition drive has begun in an attempt to unseat two of the five city commissioners who some fear could help overturn the results of the referendum.
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But as of next week, drivers must pay $2 per hour to park on downtown streets as marked between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Those who live in the zone can get two annual permits for free, while nonresidents must pay $124 annually.
City spokesperson Sarah Campbell said Judge Marianne Aho dismissed four of five counts in the inunction request but allowed Citizens Against Paid Parking to file an amended complaint.
“She gave the plaintiffs 30 days from the issuance of the order to amend their complaint. The city would then have 20 days to respond,” Campbell said in a statement to Jacksonville Today. “We do not expect any legal action until those three events play out.”
Mac Morriss, spokesperson for the citizens group, said the group has not given up.
“The stopping of four of five city commissioners forcing their highly unpopular paid parking scheme on downtown retail businesses, churches and marina businesses is more important than ever,” he told Jacksonville Today. “The biggest disappointment is that harm must occur to those just mentioned before the court will grant an injunction. Next steps are already being discussed and will be rolled out when appropriate.”
The City Commission set a priority last year to develop sources of revenue other than taxes, pointing to the need due to the city’s growth. A report projected revenue of $1.5 million to $2.5 million annually if paid parking were instituted.
The added revenue would help fund projects like a new $20 million to $25 million seawall, demolishing Brett’s Waterway Cafe to expand existing docks and rebuilding aging downtown infrastructure, the city said.
The plan for paid parking covers all public lots and spaces along Centre Street from Ash Street to Alachua Street. It also includes Front Street east to — but not including — 8th Street.
There will be a 20-minute grace period, allowing people to briefly park to run an errand without paying, city officials said.
As of Wednesday, more than 2,700 parking permits have been issued, city officials said.
Citizens did gather enough signatures to get a referendum to stop the paid parking program. That referendum could be held in August or November, depending on whether there are more than two candidates running in the same commission seat, according to city officials.
Meanwhile, a petition drive was organized in an attempt to recall commissioners Tim Poynter and Genece Minshew so they could not vote to overturn the public referendum if voters defeat the paid parking plan.
