Neptune Beach Offers $3 Daily Parking at Old Kmart Lot After Rate Changes

Neptune Beach struck a deal. Workers at Beaches Town Center can park at the old Kmart lot on Atlantic Boulevard for $3 each day. The merchants association hammered out this agreement after parking costs jumped — $2.50 during most hours and $5 at night.

Mayor Cori Bylund said the lot sits just blocks from the town center. Workers have another choice too: a free lot on Lemon Street sits three-quarters of a mile out.

Jessica McKinley owns Whit's Frozen Custard. She said worker parking has plagued businesses for years, but the rate hikes made things worse. Back in 2019, paid parking entered the conversation with one goal — keep spaces turning over so customers could find spots.

"This was pitched to us as a huge benefit for the merchants," McKinley said, according to First Coast News.

The original plan promised designated worker lots and shuttle service. Those shuttles vanished. So did the worker-only lots that appeared on an original flyer — one at a bank on 3rd Street, another at a church on the same street.

Workers at McKinley's shop now squeeze into a small lot behind the building. Others hunt for spots in nearby neighborhoods or hoof it from far away. Some got towed.

Bylund pointed out that each business must secure parking for its workers. The mayor said her message got people scrambling to find answers fast.

"That letter definitely got people moving very quickly," Bylund said.

McKinley called the K Mart lot arrangement a temporary patch. The property won't sit empty forever—she expects someone will build on it at some point. When that happens, she wants another answer ready.

 "It's a band-aid at best, for sure," McKinley said. "They didn't buy that property to sit on it and never develop it. Something will happen with it eventually. I'm okay with a band-aid as long as we keep moving in the right direction. If that lot goes away, then we need to have another solution."

Bylund said officials are exploring shuttles and rideshares. She hopes to have three or four solid options for workers by early January.

"Them having parking and not having to pay for it," McKinley said. "I truly don't think our employees should have to pay for parking. It's important to all of us."