Florida Southern Parking Regulations
All vehicles operated on the campus of ³Ô¹ÏÍø by students, faculty or staff must be registered with the campus safety office within 24 hours of such use.
Regulations are in effect and enforced throughout the academic year (September 1 through August 31). The enforcement of these regulations is the responsibility of the Department of Safety and Security.
Any vehicle that requires a state driver’s license for operation, and state registration (license plate) is classified as a motor vehicle. This includes all rental, loaner, and family vehicles in use by a student.
Vehicle privileges will be extended to a student (and college personnel) who files an application with the Safety Office and agrees to comply with the motor vehicle regulations.
³Ô¹ÏÍø does not assume any liability for the care and/or protection of any vehicle or its contents while parked on campus. All vehicles should be locked when left unattended.
Reserved parking on campus is in effect from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and designated parking on campus is in effect from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise indicated at the location.
General Parking Rules & Regulations
- The speed limit in all campus parking lots is ten (10) miles per hour.
- The College reserves the right to remove, or have removed, any vehicle that is parked in such a manner as to constitute a hazard, that impedes vehicular or pedestrian traffic movement, and/or the making of essential College property repairs. Owners or registrants will be required to pay all costs involved in the removal and storage of their vehicles.
- The responsibility of finding a legal parking space rests with the motor vehicle operator. Registrants are not guaranteed a parking space near work. Lack of convenient space(s) does not constitute a valid excuse for the violation of any parking or motor vehicle regulation.
- The fact that another person has violated a regulation, and may not have a violation notice or ticket displayed, is not to be assumed that the regulation is not in effect.
- The 24-hour period beginning at 12:01 AM is considered a traffic day. Therefore, a motor vehicle, if parked illegally overnight, may receive more than one violation notice.
- For unloading and loading materials only, students may park their vehicle in a manner that fits all of the following criteria but does not constitute a valid excuse for the violation of any parking regulation for any other reason.
- a licensed driver is left with the vehicle in order to move it should an emergency arise,
- the vehicle does not create any unsafe condition,
- the vehicle’s hazard lights are on and flashing,
- is not parked in any part of a fire lane,
- is not parked in a space reserved 24 hours a day,
- is not parked for more than 15 minutes.
Note: When several vehicles park in such a manner, the situation is unsafe. Contributing to the unsafe condition will result in a violation notice. Leave the area and return at a more appropriate time.
- Unregistered, inoperative, abandoned, or junk vehicles may be removed from College property at the owner’s expense.
- Amount of time in violation does not constitute a valid excuse for the violation of any parking regulation.
- Violators of the timed zone parking areas (i.e. 30 minute parking) may be ticketed for each period of elapsed time. For example, if a car is parked in a 30 minute time zone for two hours, it is subject to be ticketed three times.
- Non-college owned trailers, boats, recreational vehicles or other over-sized vehicles are prohibited from overnight parking on campus.
- Motorbikes, mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles must be operated and parked only on streets and parking lots designed for normal vehicle usage.
- Registrants must report to the Campus Safety Office all accidents occurring on campus involving his or her vehicle within 24 hours.
- Parking by non-eligible personnel in a posted area constitutes a violation.
- All parking must be in outlined spaces and not over the space’s (stall) line. The fact that another vehicle may be parked illegally over a stall line does not constitute an excuse for parking improperly.
- Visitor, reserved spaces are restricted to visitors to the College without permits; students and College personnel are not authorized to park in these spaces.
- Parking spaces reserved and designated for handicapped persons are not only subject to Campus Safety rules, but subject to enforcement of Florida state statutes as well. City of Lakeland public streets and roadways surround ³Ô¹ÏÍø. Local ordinances and state statutes governing parking, and motor vehicle laws, are enforced on these streets by the proper city authority. This includes Lakeland Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.
- In directional parking lots, backing into spaces (stalls) is prohibited.
- Parking in a white striped area, adjacent to a driveway, parking lot entrance/exit, or any part of a traffic lane not specifically marked for parking, constitutes obstruction.
Designated No Parking Areas
- Driveways to College Terrace (adjacent to the Pool), Bookstore, Post Office, and Buckner Theater Loading Dock
- In front of movable barriers
- Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant (also subject to Florida State statutes)
- By yellow painted curbs, except where posted otherwise
- All striped areas and fire lanes
- All campus lawn areas
- In front of any area designated by a posted restriction
Parking Permits & Registration Fees
The Vehicle Registration Form can be found on the Portal.
Vehicle permits are registered to one person and are not transferable to another person. Only one permit will be issued at any one time to a student. Please report the loss or theft of a permit immediately in order for a replacement to be purchased.
The vehicle permit is to be placed inside the vehicle on the driver’s side rear window with the appropriate side facing out. For students, the permit is to be transferred to each vehicle as the vehicle is operated by the registrant.
A current permit may be canceled by notifying the Safety Office in person when application for a replacement permit is made. Replacement permits carry the same cost as an original permit (see fee schedule). Temporary permits are also available for those who make application and will have a vehicle on campus for a short period of time (during school breaks, for parents, registered guests, vehicles, etc.) All regular parking permits are valid for one (1) academic year (September 1 through August 31), regardless of the date of admission to FSC. Only the fee amount is reduced according to the time of purchase.
- Daytime Commuter Students - $90
- Adult, Graduate, and Doctoral Students - $40
- On-Campus Residential Students - $120
Off-Campus Residential Students
If you reside in one of the following residential communities, there is a new fee system for your parking permits, these locations include:
- Garden Apartments
- Colony Arms
- Lake Hollingsworth Apartments
- Lake Morton Villas
- Ledger Apartments (936-938 Mississippi Ave)
- Mississippi Apartments (926 Mississippi Ave)
- All other houses that students reside in
There are two (2) different permit types and two (2) different costs:
Permit Option #1 - $60
If you choose this option you agree not to drive your vehicle to campus, between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. If your vehicle is found on campus during 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and college breaks, you will be assessed a fine of $100.00. This fine will immediately be billed to your student account and there will be no appealing the citation. If you receive 3 such violations, in the same semester, your vehicle will be towed off campus, at the owner’s expense, and you will lose your parking privileges.
This permit charge is to encourage you to use alternative methods in coming to campus, such as bicycling, taking the shuttle service, or walking.
Permit Option #2 - $250
This option allows you to park on campus anytime, except for special event restrictions.
Traffic Violations
Loss of Privileges
Cases involving liability or revocation of motor vehicle privileges are to be referred to the proper college authority for disciplinary action.
In the event that a motor vehicle registrant’s privileges are revoked, he/she must act accordingly. The vehicle must immediately be taken home (off campus) and a statement submitted from the registrant, registrant’s parents or guardian that this has been accomplished. If the registrant’s permanent home address (distance) prohibits this removal, the registrant must then place his/her vehicle in storage, at the registrant’s cost, off campus or make other arrangements to remove the vehicle(s).
The following examples may result in a fine and/or administrative action, including the loss of motor vehicle privileges.
- Any person who receives six (6) separate tickets in one (1) semester.
- Any person found guilty of traffic offenses, which jeopardize the safety and/or property of others such as improper or reckless driving, speeding, D.U.I., or loss of state license, etc.
- Any person who refuses to pay traffic fines, city, state, or college issued.
- Any person who uses false information when making application and registering a motor vehicle with the Campus Safety Office.
- Any person found guilty of possession, consumption, being under the influence of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs while in a motor vehicle on campus.
In such situations, a registrant will no longer be permitted to maintain or operate a vehicle on campus.
Violation Amounts
| Violation | Amount |
| Improper Parking | $25.00 |
| No parking area | $25.00 |
| Failure to properly display permit | $25.00 |
| Overtime parking | $50.00 |
| Parking/driving on grass or cultivation | $40.00 |
| Parking/obstruction sidewalk | $25.00 |
| Moving a parking or traffic device | $25.00 |
| Parking in/or obstructing fire lane | $50.00 |
| Parking in reserved space for faculty, staff, employee, or visitor | $50.00 |
| Failure to register vehicle | $50.00 |
| Parking in Handicapped space | $100.00 |
Each semester, fines will be doubled upon receipt of a third and consecutive violations.
Appeal of Traffic Violation Notices
To dispute the validity of an issued ³Ô¹ÏÍø Violation Notice (ticket), the recipient must appear in person at the Safety Office and complete the appropriate form. This must be filed prior to the date the violation notice is due. If an appeal is not filed as stated, the violation is considered valid and the fine will be assessed to the permit holder’s student account in the Business Office.
The appellant will be contacted regarding the outcome of the appeal. As stated on the appeal form, all decisions are final. An appeal granted in the appellant’s favor does not constitute permission to continue to violate the same regulation or continue to park in the same manner. A granted appeal simply means that leniency was afforded for chargeable fines.