That's Just Wrong: Dangerous Drop-Off Zone
Reported by:
Producer:
Ivonne Amor
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Morning drop-offs are a busy time all over South Florida. But at one Miami school, the drop off is so dangerous, it's just wrong. Here, parents complain they have to drop their kids off in the middle of the street because nearby college students are parking in the wrong place.
WSVN -- Dressing the kids, and driving them to school. For most parents, it's a mad dash in the morning.
At least that's the case for Efrem Lezcano. But he says when it comes time to drop off his son at St. Matthew Lutheran school in Miami, it's often unsafe.
Efrem Lezcano: "Everyday I have to park in the middle of the street."
Other parents agree.
Parent Etienne Gonzalez: "We have to park either here or in the middle of the street because all these section is blocked out by the cars parked for Miami-Dade."
That's right, students from Miami-Dade's Interamerican Campus are parking in front of St. Matthew's in a no parking zone.
Rev. Lewis Santana: "They park here and they don't respect the signs and it's a continuos problem for us."
The sign says no parking from 8:00 to 9:00am, but Miami-Dade students say they're forced to use these spaces because there's just not enough parking.
Miami-Dade Community College Student: "I have to, there is no parking."
Miami-Dade Community College Student: "There is no parking in the garage there is no parking in the parking space, you have to take a bus and I don't have time to do that, so I am parking."
Miami-Dade Community College Student: "I don't have time, I gotta go to class. No, there is no parking over here."
Miami-Dade Community College Student: "Hopefully I won't get a ticket."
A spokesman for Miami-Dade College says, there are 17,000 students enrolled at the I.A.C campus.
However, the school only has 530 parking spaces in the garage and in this nearby surface lot.
Therefore, late students either have to park at the Flagler Dog Track and take a shuttle bus or park illegally.
Juan Medietta from Miami-Dade Community College: "Our students run late but they're going to do what they want but hopefully through our persistence, they'll begin to understand there is a designated parking area that they should follow."
College officials also point out that students aren't the only ones breaking the rules.
Juan Mendietta: "With regards to St. Matthew's the drop off area as we understand it is not in the front of the school by Beacon where a lot of the parents attempt to drop off kids, we're told that there's a parking area and drop off area located behind the school that parents should really be using."
But there may be a safe solution. The college is working with its neighbors, and they even started to post these parking signs throughout the neighborhood.
Rev. Lewis Santana: "The problem was the same throughout the neighborhood and they actually put some restrictions."
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