MINNEOLA, Fla. — School officials say there aren’t enough parking spaces for students at Lake Minneola High, forcing some students to park in nearby subdivisions, like Pine Bluff.
- Limited parking forcing students to park elsewhere
- 500 seniors at school, but only 352 spaces
- Officials: students parking legally unless blocking driveway, ambulance
"Ambulance or fire truck or even the trash guys can't get through sometimes. We can't get through. We have to go around," said resident Peggy Kerr.
Kerr and her neighbors say the students are parking on both sides of the street. They're so close together, residents can barely drive through.
Sometimes, they say they can't even back out of their own driveways.
"It's a little frustrating. I'm afraid someone's going to get hit or someone's going to get mad and maybe start problems," said Hettie Heyman.
Herman says she drives in and out of the subdivision several days a week to pick up her granddaughter.
Officials with Lake County Schools say the high school has 352 spaces, but there are more than 500 seniors. They say not every senior drives to school, but there are also some juniors who drive.
Students who get a permit to park at the school must maintain a 2.0 GPA and have good attendance.
"We have a lot more students wanting to drive to school than we have spaces to accommodate them when they park," said Sherri Owens with Lake County Schools.
The Lake County Sheriff's office says the students are parking legally, but if they're blocking a driveway or an ambulance can't get through, they will give out a ticket or warning.
"The school has made announcements on more than one occasion asking students not to park in the nearby neighborhoods," Owens said.
School officials say they're encouraging students to carpool or to take the bus.
The sheriff's office says they are proactively patrolling Kerr's neighborhood.
"If they’re going to school and they park here and it's safe, its fine. But when it's not safe then there’s a problem," Kerr said.
School officials say they tried to implement a park and ride program several months ago, but no longer offer that because they say students didn't take advantage of it.