Fernandina Beach's Downtown Paid Parking Ends Nov. 18: Rates, Free Permits and Where to Park

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - Downtown Fernandina Beach's paid parking program will end Nov. 18, 2026, following a City Commission decision to terminate its agreement with One Parking, according to the city's official parking webpage. Until then, the existing program remains in effect, including the $2 hourly rate for drivers without permits, daily free parking allowances and designated enforcement hours. The termination date is 13 days away as of Thursday, Nov. 5, and the city says Nov. 18 will be the final day of paid parking.

The city announced that the termination followed an Aug. 18 special election and an Aug. 19 City Commission vote to end its agreement with One Parking. A 90-day termination notice was sent after that decision, according to the city's parking information. The city states that paid parking will continue under the existing rules through the program's final day.

Why Fernandina Beach's Paid Parking Program Is Ending

The City of Fernandina Beach identifies Nov. 18, 2026, as the final day of its downtown paid parking program. According to the city's official parking webpage, the City Commission voted Aug. 19 to terminate the agreement with One Parking. That decision followed a special election held Aug. 18.

The city issued a 90-day termination notice after the commission's decision. Its published information identifies Nov. 18 as the final day of the program. The city's notice also says the existing paid parking requirements remain in place until the termination takes effect.

The termination affects the downtown parking program administered through One Parking. The city's published information continues to identify parking zones, payment rates, permit allowances and enforcement hours for the period leading up to Nov. 18. Those rules remain the basis for parking charges during the remaining days of the program.

The city also states that parking fees are non-refundable under City Code. That provision appears in the city's official parking information alongside the termination announcement. The non-refundability rule applies to parking fees under the existing program.

How Much Downtown Parking Costs Until Nov. 18

Drivers without parking permits pay $2 per hour, plus applicable fees, in the city's paid parking areas. According to Fernandina Beach's official parking information, the first 20 minutes are free each day. The city lists those charges as the existing rules that continue until the program ends.

The free 20-minute allowance applies to non-permit holders under the city's published rate schedule. Once that allowance is used, the posted hourly rate is $2, with applicable fees added. The city's parking webpage identifies the free period and hourly charge as separate parts of the same payment structure.

Parking permit holders receive different daily allowances. The city provides four free hours per day for permit holders parking on the street and eight free hours per day in designated surface lots. After the free allowance is used, the rate is $2 per hour plus applicable fees.

The difference between street parking and surface lots is part of the city's permit program. Under the published rules, a permit holder has twice as many daily free hours in a surface lot as on the street. Both types of parking carry the same $2 hourly rate after the applicable free allowance ends.

The current payment rules can be summarized as follows, based on the City of Fernandina Beach's official parking information. The table covers drivers without permits, permit holders and vehicles with disabled placards or plates. All rates and allowances are as published by the city.

These rates and allowances are the city's published terms for the existing parking program. Fernandina Beach says that program continues until Nov. 18. The city's announcement establishes the termination date while retaining the existing payment requirements through the final day.

Who Qualifies for Free Parking Permits

Fernandina Beach residents are eligible for one free annual parking permit, according to a city announcement posted Feb. 2, 2026. The city limits the allowance to two permits per household, with registration required. The announcement also stated that the online registration portal was live.

Residents who need additional permits can obtain them for $24 per year under the city's published permit terms. That rate applies to additional permits for city residents. The free permit allowance and additional permit price were identified in the city's official announcement about resident registration.

Permit holders receive daily free parking allowances under the existing paid parking program. According to the city, those allowances are four hours on the street and eight hours in surface lots. The standard hourly rate applies after the daily free period.

The city also provides an exemption for vehicles displaying qualifying disabled parking identification. Vehicles with a valid disabled placard and/or HC or DV plates may park free in any space without obtaining a permit. That exemption is stated separately from the free annual permit program for city residents.

The city's published rules therefore distinguish between residents receiving registered parking permits and vehicles qualifying for free parking through disabled parking identification. The two provisions have different requirements under the current program. Both appear in the city's official description of parking benefits and exemptions.

Where Paid Parking Applies Downtown

Fernandina Beach's designated on-street paid parking zone extends from Ash Street to Alachua Street and from Front Street to 8th Street. The city identifies those boundaries on its official parking webpage. The zone is part of the downtown paid parking program that remains in effect through Nov. 18.

In addition to on-street spaces, the city identifies several surface parking lots included in the program. The listed locations cover areas along South 4th Street, North 2nd Street, North 3rd Street, North 5th Street and Front Street. The City Hall lot is also included in the published list.

The city's designated surface parking locations are:

• South 4th Street.
• North 2nd Street and North 3rd Street at Alachua Street.
• North 2nd Street at Broome Street.
• North 5th Street between Centre Street and Alachua Street.
• South 2nd Street at Ash Street, identified as the City Hall lot.
• Front Street Lots A, B, C and D.

The city identifies Front Street Lot D as a location for boat trailers and oversized vehicles. Its official parking information also states that overnight parking is not permitted in Lot D. That restriction is listed specifically for the lot designated for those vehicle types.

The downtown paid parking program includes both on-street spaces and surface lots, with different free allowances for permit holders. According to the city, permits provide four free hours on-street but eight hours in the listed surface lots. Drivers without permits receive the first 20 minutes free each day under the current rules.

When Parking Fees Are Enforced

Fernandina Beach lists paid parking enforcement hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday enforcement runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to the city's official parking webpage. These hours are part of the existing program scheduled to conclude Nov. 18.

The schedule establishes separate enforcement periods for weekdays and Sundays. Monday through Saturday has a 10-hour enforcement window, while Sunday has a five-hour window. Those periods follow directly from the times published by the city.

The city's parking webpage also identifies daily free parking allowances for permit holders and non-permit holders. Those allowances remain part of the existing program during the final days of paid parking. The city states that the current system continues until the announced termination date.

Where to Contact One Parking or the City

One Parking maintains a local office at the Fernandina Beach Police Department, 1525 Lime St., according to the city's parking webpage. The office's listed hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The published telephone number is 904-650-7909.

The city also identifies [email protected] as the parking operator's contact email address. One Parking remains the named operator in the city's published information about the existing program. The city's termination announcement identifies Nov. 18 as the final day of that program.

Fernandina Beach city offices are located at 204 Ash St., according to the city's official parking information. The city's published telephone number is 904-277-7300. Additional parking information is available through the city's official parking webpage.

The city also maintains official news announcements, including its February notice about resident parking permits. That announcement identifies the free annual permit allowance, the two-per-household limit and the $24 annual charge for additional resident permits. The notice stated that online registration for the resident permit program was live.

Nov. 18 Is the Final Day Under the Current Program

The city's announced termination date is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026. That leaves 13 days between Thursday, Nov. 5, and the final day of the paid parking program. Fernandina Beach states that existing parking rates and requirements continue until the termination date.

Under those existing rules, drivers without permits receive 20 free minutes per day before the $2 hourly rate and applicable fees begin. Registered permit holders receive four free hours daily on the street or eight hours daily in surface lots. Qualifying vehicles with valid disabled parking placards or HC or DV plates may park without charge or a permit.

The city's August decision to terminate its agreement with One Parking established the end of the current paid parking program. The city issued its termination notice following the Aug. 19 commission vote and identifies Nov. 18 as the final day. Its official parking webpage continues to publish the current rates, permit allowances, enforcement hours and downtown parking locations through that date.