After years of appealing citations, one University of Florida student has seemingly lost all hope of not getting parking tickets with a desperate act of defiance.
Berry Martin, 22, has shown his contempt for parking restrictions by leaving his 2009 Toyota Corolla unattended in the Yulee Pit last Monday. Martin, a graduating finance major, decided it was worth the financial risk to have convenient parking.
“I should have gotten a scooter,” said Martin, while enjoying a cup of fresh Broward Dining coffee.
“What’s one more ticket, you know? I’ve got like thirty of these in my glove compartment.”
Over the six-hour period in Yulee Pit, Martin’s vehicle received eleven citations, a boot on each wheel, and a strongly worded letter from
Parking Officer #23. The scene attracted a crowd of onlookers, many in awe of the message it sent to campus administration. One student who wished to remain anonymous felt this would bring much needed change to the University.
“You know how many times I’ve thought about doing this? None, and that’s exactly the problem. We need pit parking and we need it now.”
Martin returned to see an enthusiastic crowd taking selfies with his car. He threw his tickets up in the air, and promised the crowd he would set up an online petition to allow pit parking once he figured out how to get home.
When pressed for comment, Transportation and Parking Services representatives had only this to say: “Mr. Martin did not have the UF Diamond Decal™ which allows select students to park in the various pits on campus. These are limited to graduate students for the low price of $999 per semester.”
