Students say a new parking policy could be encouraging people to drive drunk on Alafaya Trail, one of the biggest drunk driving roads in the country.
“It’s putting college students at risk, 100 percent,” UCF student Tommy Valentine said.
Students who made it a habit to leave their cars in the University Commons Shopping Center after a night drinking at either The Station Bar and Grill or The Mad Hatter were left with a heavy consequence: a towed car and a $125 fine.
Valentine said the towing spree hit the plaza without notice. When he got his car towed during the day at a UCF tailgate in September, he said at least 30 other cars were towed.
“There are signs up now stating that the parking lot is a tow-away zone, but those signs weren’t put up until weeks, even months after the towing began. There wasn’t any warning,” Valentine said.
Valentine also had issues with the towing company. His day ended in him being pushed down by one of Constellation Towing’s employees when he tried to get his wallet out of his car.
“I followed my car to retrieve it and realized my wallet was in the car. I was thrown out of my car to the floor and had the cops called on me for attempted grand theft auto,” Valentine said.
Constellation towing claimed Valentine had no right to be at his car since it was towed, but Valentine said when the police arrived no action was taken against either side.
Now bar managers are outraged. They said this policy could encourage students to drive drunk in order to avoid a $125 fine.
“I feel that not only it’s harming the safety of students who come in here, but it could possibly endanger other lives out there that aren’t even going out…that are just trying to travel the roads late at night and get home safely,” The Station Bar and Grill owner Mikey Rubino said.
Both bars posted a sign on their doors expressing their dissatisfaction with the policy and prompting students to reach out to the property manager directly to help settle the towing issue.
