Can You Be Ticketed For Running Parking Lot Stop Sign?
How careful are you about complying with stop signs located in parking lots? If you don’t take them as seriously as you do stop signs on the road, you definitely need to read on. If you think parking lot stop signs are just a suggestion, or are just placed there for show, you could be in for a costly mistake.
It’s true that the state of Florida does not have a specific set of laws that govern the actions of drivers, pedestrians or vehicles in parking lots. Cities and counties may have municipal ordinances governing parking in public lots, such as is the case with Tampa, which, for instance, requires the driver to park the car within the white lines of the parking space. However, there is no law on the books in Florida regarding parking lot stop signs.
Former Florida State Trooper Steve Montiero, was asked about this recently during a Q&A on Florida’s News 6, where he answers viewer questions every week. He said you may think you’re free to do whatever you want in a parking lot, absent relevant governing traffic laws, but you may be wrong. While stop signs, and traffic control devices are technically non-enforceable, it’s unlikely that a law enforcement officer is going to camp out in a parking lot to monitor traffic.
However, Montiero adds that, “If that private property has reached an agreement with local law enforcement because they are requesting enforcement on their lot, then that’s a different story. That would give the local jurisdiction the authority to enforce traffic control devices,” including stop signs.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind: You wouldn’t notice if the store lot you parked in were being monitored for stop sign compliance or not, because no posted notice is required. The stops signs are there to create a safe environment not only for drivers, but also for pedestrian customers entering and leaving the store.
If you run a stop sign in a parking lot whose owners have an agreement with local police, yes, you could be ticketed for careless driving.
11 New Florida Laws Going Into Effect July 1, 2023
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There are also restrictions on what can be read or taught in schools. One new law aims to keep medication costs under control. Another puts new rules in place on the rides at Florida’s amusements parks, after a teen died in Orlando.
Here are some of the more notable laws taking effect July 1, 2023 here in Florida.
9/11
Teachers will give 45 minutes of time in class on the events of 9/11.
Policemen and firemen run away from the huge dust cloud caused as the World Trade Center’s Tower One collapses after terrorists crashed two hijacked planes into the twin towers, September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images)
