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More should park free at courts, judge says

The county is responsible for providing courthouse facilities and security, Chief Judge Manuel Menendez Jr. says in a letter to Hillsborough commissioners.

TAMPA - The Hillsborough judiciary has an answer for county officials who wanted judges to pay for parking like other employees: Not only should judges park free, but so should more than 1,000 courthouse workers.

Roughly a month after Hillsborough County commissioners voted to ask 51 judges to pay a $38 monthly parking fee, Chief Judge Manuel Menendez, Jr. sent a letter to top county officials upping the ante in the ongoing scuffle over who should pay for parking.

In a Nov. 2 letter to County Administrator Pat Bean, Menendez pointed out the county is still responsible for providing courthouse facilities and security under a 1998 amendment to Florida's Constitution that shifted the cost of running courts from the county to the state.

That includes parking for everyone from judges to staff members in the State Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office and the Clerk of Circuit Court's Office, Menendez wrote. In all, that would add up to about 1,225 free parking spaces, according to the chief judge's estimate. Currently, all those employees except for judges pay for parking.

Bean said she's still not entirely convinced, but she's researching the potential ramifications of the chief judge's proposal. She said free parking could be costly for the county.

County-operated parking facilities generated about $535,000 in revenue in 2004, according to a September report by the Hillsborough clerk of court's audit division. Much of that money came from county employees, who pay anywhere from $27 to $58 a month to pull into 2,000 spaces at 11 facilities across downtown Tampa.

It's unclear whether the construction costs for the court parking facilities have been fully paid, but Bean said she doubted the county was in the black yet. It's even more unclear why court staff members should enjoy a perk that other county employees don't get, she added.

"I have to be prepared to tell the board: "If you're going to provide free parking for those people, what do you tell the rest of the county employees?' The logic when it was first instituted was that it cost the county to build the parking facilities, and that everyone should pay," Bean said.

Menendez was out of town Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

His letter said Hillsborough judges also support the move to expand free parking for courthouse employees. In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times last week, Judge J. Rogers Padgett agreed with Menendez, adding that parking fees wouldn't be such a big deal if the county had chosen to build the courthouse in a more remote area of the county where space wasn't at such a premium. Besides, Padgett said, the law says the county is is obligated to pay for all judicial facilities, not just some.

"It seems to me a no-brainer that parking should be included. I mean, I don't pay the light bill, so why should I pay to park?" Padgett said.

Bean said she will meet with court officials to further discuss the parking issue before bringing a proposal before the County Commission for a vote. A resolution is unlikely before early next year, she said.

Candace Rondeaux can be reached at 813 226-3337 or rondeaux@sptimes.com