Danny Federico
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
The Branford Town Council met on Tuesday evening, Jan. 14, to address various matters, beginning with the swearing-in of Jeremiah McCall as the new Councilman for Post 3. McCall replaces former Councilman Charlie Daniel, who resigned from the position after several years of service to the town. Following the ceremony, McCall was welcomed with a round of applause from council members and residents alike. As the council proceeded through its agenda, the focus shifted to an ongoing issue regarding two-hour parking signs in front of Sandhill Graphics was brought up. The issue initially arose during the Nov. 12, 2024, meeting when Councilwoman Stacey Griffith, co-owner of Sandhill Graphics, addressed her fellow members about parking outside of her business, Just Teasin' Salon and the Law Office of Heather McInnis. Specifically, she voiced her frustration over employees from the neighboring law office allegedly monopolizing parking spaces in front of her shop. Griffith explained that, due to the limited spaces available, her customers are often forced to park far from the business, sometimes making it difficult to load large orders. "I need help," she stated, noting instances where clients had to abandon pickups due to a lack of parking. To combat this, Griffith proposed installing two-hour parking signs similar to the ones on the opposite side of the street. However, questions were raised as to whether the town could install signs on the road or if it would be a Department of Transportation (DOT) matter. During the Dec. 10 regular meeting, Griffith stated she had spoken with DOT about the potential addition. At this time, DOT advised her that the purchase and installation of more signs would be considered business of the town. However, a resolution would need to be approved in order to pursue attaining the signs. The discussion was continued on Jan. 14, where it was put before the council to decide whether or not it wanted to pursue a resolution for two-hour parking signs. As no one had set a clear motion during the prior meeting about the matter, Attorney Rhett Bullard had not prepared a resolution for approval. He needed the council to decide the terms of the resolution should the members decide to implement one. "My opinion on this is that there may be a better way to handle it," said Councilman Jay Hatch, who had recused himself from prior discussions due to his sister being the owner of the law office in question. "I think that we have a parking issue downtown, to begin with, where we could use some additional parking, and I think that there are probably some options for that, but that's not something that can happen overnight. There are a lot of different opinions, and I'm not even sure how much of an issue it continues to be." "My opinion is everywhere else all over town has two-hour parking," Griffith replied. "And it's not to benefit my business; it's so the business stays alive." Councilwoman Alice Childress mentioned that she wouldn't be in favor of additional signs, noting that individuals had reached out to her and pointed out that the west side of the street benefits from having parking available behind the businesses, while the east side does not. However, Griffith pointed out that the east side also has parking right behind its businesses. Additionally, Hatch stated he had also been contacted by a couple of property and business owners who feel parking is being pushed to their privately owned parking rather than the public parking. Councilman Kevin Knighton added that one morning, he had taken a moment to walk down the east side of Suwannee Avenue to interview the business owners. "My initial reaction was, 'If it works everywhere else through [town], why can't it work there?'" he explained. However, after speaking with the various business owners, he stated he was "very afraid" that implementing something to "fix this problem in those three parking spaces" could potentially cause problems in other areas. He pointed out the local coffee shop as an example. "Right now, they have zero problems, whether it be employees of that area or customers in their parking spots. However, if we make it where no employees can park in that space by limiting it to two hours, they would put signs in that space that say, 'Parking Only For Suwannee Brew.' Then that would take away some spaces that you currently have access to." He continued, stating that after "looking and watching," he felt the parking situation was "a problem about one percent of the time." "And maybe it's more. Maybe it's 10 percent of the time; maybe it's 20 percent," Knighton added. "But I would like to think that this is Branford, Fla., and that if you had a customer that needed to pull up to the front of your shop and an employee from your neighboring business is parked there, we can pick up the phone and say, 'Hey guys, I've got a little quick issue. Could we help each other out?' And I would hope that, in our beautiful town, the people would be willing to step in and help each other." He went on to point out that, although there is space behind the businesses for three to four cars, enforcing two-hour parking and issues with easements behind the businesses are other barriers. "All I'm asking is for a little respect for my business, too," Griffith stated. "And I think it's not only possible but to be expected that all of you guys in that entire shop should be able to work together and respect each other to hopefully mitigate this problem," Knighton replied. "I think if we put a two-hour parking sign there, we're going to cause more problems than we're going to solve." Childress spoke up once more, asking Griffith if she had ever reached out to the law office to see if they would move their vehicles, to which she responded that she didn't have the business's number. When Childress pointed out that she could walk next door, Griffith stated she hadn't done that either. Once the floor was opened for public comment, Donny Glover addressed the council, informing them that the issue stems from two vehicles that consistently park in front of the business. "Employees should not park in front of a business," he stressed. Following him, Richard Snyder advised the council to consider the experience they want visitors to have. He noted that should a high-traffic business establish itself in Branford, more enforcement options may need to be regarded in the future. After public comment was closed, the council awaited a motion on action to be taken for a two-hour parking resolution. However, no motion was made, so the matter was dropped. At the conclusion of the remaining agenda items, the meeting was adjourned. The next Branford Town Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Town Hall, located at 502 SW Suwannee Ave.