A county in Florida is scheduled to debate allowing truckers to park on their own property on Thursday of this week.
The ongoing argument about whether or not truckers should be allowed to store their rigs on their own property started in late summer of 2022, when the county suddenly started ticketing truckers for parking at their homes after more than a decade of ignoring the ordinance that technically bans the truck parking.
Since then, many truckers living in Loxahatchee and The Acreage in Palm Beach County, Florida have received tickets. The drivers say this enforcement causes them to feel “harassed” at their own homes. Some drivers even fear they may have to sell their homes as a result of the sudden enforcement.
In November of 2023, the board of county commissioners voted in favor, 4 to 3, of truckers parking their rigs at their own properties. This marks the first step towards legalizing the storage of commercial vehicles in the neighborhood. The second step will take place on Thursday, January 25th, when county commissioners will debate the issue during a public hearing.
The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to last until late in the day. Many supporters are expected to attend, but a wave of opposition has grown since the last vote in November, reported The Palm Beach Post.
Those opposed site concerns over infrastructure and road conditions, as well as quality of life.
“The noise is constant. We are awakened by loud motors at 3 a.m. in the morning. Please help keep the Acreage Residential /Agricultural,” commented one resident.
Commissioner Sara Baxter, who is in support of the storage of two semi trucks per lot in the neighborhood, says that she plans to propose a $2,500 one-time fee for each new truck that will be parked in the neighborhood.
“That should raise enough money to pay for the increased costs to maintain the roads,” she said.
61 truckers in the area are currently facing the possibility of citations for parking trucks that violate the current weight limit on their properties.