Free parking for handicapped at POM!!

I sent an email to the Port of Miami yesterday asking them to clarify the parking situation there for the handicapped. Just got a reply saying that parking IS free for handicapped...you just need to bring your handicapped placard and in some cases, driver's license. There's also a form that you need to fill out which you can either do ahead of time by requesting that one be mailed to you (POM email address to request this form is pomservice@miamidade.gov) or you can get one the day of your cruise at the toll booths going into the port.

The only other thing I questioned was the person who replied to my email said the vehicle must be registered to the handicapped person. Well, we live in S. Florida and will be driving our car down to the port, but it is my 78 yr old mother, who is from Arkansas, who is handicapped and has the placard!! She is coming with us on the cruise.

Anyway, I sent another email over there asking them if this would be ok still to qualify for the handicapped parking area...for those who are interested, I will let you know their response when I receive it!!

I hope it works cause then I would consider bringing my mothers' handicap parking pass!

Unless something has changed in the past coiuple of years, the car does not have to be registered to the handicapped person; HOWEVER the handicapped person must be in the car.

I know this because my husband was disabled and we used to cruise with my sister and brother-in-law who live in Miami. The officials at the port always accepted our handicap placard after checking to make sure my husband was in the car.

The real story is.....

The car does not have to be registered to the handicap person....

The person does not need to be in the car when you park it...

We drove to the Port with my Mom & Dad (both have handicap tags) in our SUV, not their car... My husband dropped us off at the terminal and then went to park the car.... What you do need to show is their ticket to prove that they are indeed sailing, but you don't need them!!! The name on the cruise ticket and the parking handicap HAS TO MATCH....

Thus, anyone trying to "get away" with someone elses handicap tag won't get away with it and, from what I've been told, if caught, not only will you get into some legal trouble, but the person who HAD the tag will lose it for misconduct....

Hope this helps...

Elaine :)

I hope it works cause then I would consider bringing my mothers' handicap parking pass!

I hope you are also bringing your mother if you intend to do this.

Dupe.

Unless something has changed in the past coiuple of years, the car does not have to be registered to the handicapped person; HOWEVER the handicapped person must be in the car.

 

I know this because my husband was disabled and we used to cruise with my sister and brother-in-law who live in Miami. The officials at the port always accepted our handicap placard after checking to make sure my husband was in the car.

Thank you...this helps a lot, as I don't yet have a response back from the POM. My mom, who is handicapped, is coming with us on the cruise and I've already requested the form so I can fill it out in advance...one less thing to worry about!!

The above posted was correct...the car does not have to be registed to the handcapped person. When we parked though, I had to have my mother (in person) with her drivers license to show the parking attendant. Which I thought was a pain in the butt, since we had dropped her off at the terminal so she did not have to dodge traffic and endure the Miami heat trying to get from the parking lot to the terminal. :rolleyes:

I don't understand why you need to park in the handicap parking if you are not the handicapped person that is driving alone. If someone else is driving you can drop the person off at the terminal and then park and pay. Seems like you are just using mother's placard to park for free.

I am going to be totally politically incorrect here. Flame away.

I fully understand and support why you should have reserved close in spots to park if you are handicapped. I fail to understand why the spots should be free. Are we to assume that you are also economically handicapped and can not afford to pay the parking fees that the rest of us pay?

DON

I am going to be totally politically incorrect here. Flame away.

 

I fully understand and support why you should have reserved close in spots to park if you are handicapped. I fail to understand why the spots should be free. Are we to assume that you are also economically handicapped and can not afford to pay the parking fees that the rest of us pay?

 

DON

Ditto...discounted maybe, but free? Sorry, if you can afford to cruise, you can afford to park. Flame away...

I don't understand why you need to park in the handicap parking if you are not the handicapped person that is driving alone. If someone else is driving you can drop the person off at the terminal and then park and pay. Seems like you are just using mother's placard to park for free.

First of all, I think we can all agree that $20 per day for parking is ridiculous...yes, obviously we have enough money to cruise but any little saving is nice...and I'm sure that most people would park in the handicapped section for free if they had that opportunity to be cruising with someone who IS handicapped!!

Last time we cruised out of FLL and parking was the same for everyone and we didn't question paying for parking but if the POM has free parking for the handicapped and I am traveling with someone who is handicapped, then, yes, I'm going to save $140 in parking!!

The only reason I can think of for society giving free parking to the handicapped is pity.

Ditto...discounted maybe, but free? Sorry, if you can afford to cruise, you can afford to park. Flame away...

First of all, I just got a reply back from the POM and as long as my mom has her handicapped placard and cruise docs, there is no problem parking in the handicapped section!!

With regard to this remark and some others in this thread, it amazes me how bitter some people can be towards those who have a handicap!! The POM is the one who is offering the free parking...if you have such a problem with it then take it up with them...don't take it out on the handicapped people who are only taking advantage of what is offered!! Why they offer free parking, I have no idea but I'm certainly going to use it...and to those of you who are so upset...next time bring a handicapped person w/you on the cruise and you can park for free too!!!

First of all, I just got a reply back from the POM and as long as my mom has her handicapped placard and cruise docs, there is no problem parking in the handicapped section!!

With regard to this remark and some others in this thread, it amazes me how bitter some people can be towards those who have a handicap!! The POM is the one who is offering the free parking...if you have such a problem with it then take it up with them...don't take it out on the handicapped people who are only taking advantage of what is offered!! Why they offer free parking, I have no idea but I'm certainly going to use it...and to those of you who are so upset...next time bring a handicapped person w/you on the cruise and you can park for free too!!!

Can I rent a handicapped person with a handicapped sticker for a few hours to get a free spot and then pay their cab fare back home? Just think - new jobs for the handicapped and a new way that they can take advantage of their disability.

DON

Can I rent a handicapped person with a handicapped sticker for a few hours to get a free spot and then pay their cab fare back home? Just think - new jobs for the handicapped and a new way that they can take advantage of their disability.

 

DON

I feel for you...you must of had a horrible handicapped person take advantage of you at some time in your life!!

There is such a thing as LIGHTNING!! Please let me know when it hits you and where you park on your next cruise! You probably wont have to RENT anyone!

I also wonder why would handicap get free parking? But then I wonder why there is 10 handicap spaces at the gym, and 16 at Home Depot....

I feel for you...you must of had a horrible handicapped person take advantage of you at some time in your life!!

I totally believe that we should make any reasonable accommodation that helps people who are handicapped live a normal life. However, free parking does not fall under this "reasonable accommodation", especially if the handicapped person is being dropped off by someone who is not handicapped.

Also, nobody can deny that there are some (not many but some) handicapped people who feel that society owes them and they take advantage of their handicap.

In this case, the non-handicapped OP is planning to drop off their handicapped passenger and park free in a handicapped parking space, thus denying the space to a handicapped person who is traveling solo and may need the space.

I rest my case.

DON

First of all, I think we can all agree that $20 per day for parking is ridiculous...yes, obviously we have enough money to cruise but any little saving is nice...and I'm sure that most people would park in the handicapped section for free if they had that opportunity to be cruising with someone who IS handicapped!!

Last time we cruised out of FLL and parking was the same for everyone and we didn't question paying for parking but if the POM has free parking for the handicapped and I am traveling with someone who is handicapped, then, yes, I'm going to save $140 in parking!!

As stupid as the policy is, I would park there too...don't hate the player, hate the game !!! ;)

I also wonder why would handicap get free parking? But then I wonder why there is 10 handicap spaces at the gym, and 16 at Home Depot....

At the gym we belong to, there are several severely handicapped people (strokes, cerebral palsy, etc) that are brought there by their physical therapist for therapy in the swimming pools and whirlpools, also for use of a lot of the equipment that they might not have access to in their own PT depts.

First of all, I just got a reply back from the POM and as long as my mom has her handicapped placard and cruise docs, there is no problem parking in the handicapped section!!

With regard to this remark and some others in this thread, it amazes me how bitter some people can be towards those who have a handicap!! The POM is the one who is offering the free parking...if you have such a problem with it then take it up with them...don't take it out on the handicapped people who are only taking advantage of what is offered!! Why they offer free parking, I have no idea but I'm certainly going to use it...and to those of you who are so upset...next time bring a handicapped person w/you on the cruise and you can park for free too!!!

Hmm, you sound a bit defensive about this. I notice that your post says, "as long as it is free, I'm going to use it." Not your handicapped mother, but you. Interesting.

I totally believe that we should make any reasonable accommodation that helps people who are handicapped live a normal life. However, free parking does not fall under this "reasonable accommodation", especially if the handicapped person is being dropped off by someone who is not handicapped.

 

Also, nobody can deny that there are some (not many but some) handicapped people who feel that society owes them and they take advantage of their handicap.

 

In this case, the non-handicapped OP is planning to drop off their handicapped passenger and park free in a handicapped parking space, thus denying the space to a handicapped person who is traveling solo and may need the space.

 

I rest my case.

 

DON

Well put.

Interestingly enough there is a law in Florida that requires that the Tollway Authority issue free passes to handicapped drivers, but only to those whose handicap involves restricted use of the upper extremities. How one can steer a car with such a misfortune, is a mystery. I believe that the Florida law also requires publicly owned parking facilities to give free parking to such handicapped persons.

Listen do you think that the parking is free your wrong. It may be discounted but not free some one is paying something either the cruise lines or the state of Florida.

Now for all of those that think just because we and I state WE disabled persons can aford a cruise we can afird the parking. did you realise it takes me five years of saving to go on a cruise. I bet you did not think of somthing like that! Do you non disabled persons have the added medical expenceses I have. My medical coast over $3,000.00 every year and that is only me. If my son or wife get sick ir as in my son's case needs to get sewn up for falling off his bike. Then their is added expences.

Do you want us disabled people to start bashing the stuff every one asks about. I can not go on most of the excursions offered should I start ripping on those that ask about those excursions? Should disabled people ask the cruise industry to not offer anything I can not do?

So do not bash the disabled person for the few things that are offered to us. Heck why not start on all of the senior citizens that get discounts every where. the reason most places do that is because seniors are supos to be on a government incom. Wait if you are disabled you most likley are also on a government incom. Yah I rake in the millions on my Gov. incom !!

Now for the persons that have nouthing beter to do than start arguments get rolling I started a good conversation, but I can tell you I will not reply to any bashing.

I totally believe that we should make any reasonable accommodation that helps people who are handicapped live a normal life. However, free parking does not fall under this "reasonable accommodation", especially if the handicapped person is being dropped off by someone who is not handicapped.

 

Also, nobody can deny that there are some (not many but some) handicapped people who feel that society owes them and they take advantage of their handicap.

 

In this case, the non-handicapped OP is planning to drop off their handicapped passenger and park free in a handicapped parking space, thus denying the space to a handicapped person who is traveling solo and may need the space.

 

I rest my case.

 

DON

You know what...if it makes you feel any better, I'll make sure that my mom is the one who drops all of us off and parks that car in that handicapped spot!!

By the way, given your response to this whole issue of the free parking at the POM, I'm sure you'll be interested in the forum of how to sneak the booze onto the cruise in your checked luggage...which from all of the posts, quite a few cruise ship passengers take advantage of this!!!

You know what...if it makes you feel any better, I'll make sure that my mom is the one who drops all of us off and parks that car in that handicapped spot!!

By the way, given your response to this whole issue of the free parking at the POM, I'm sure you'll be interested in the forum of how to sneak the booze onto the cruise in your checked luggage...which from all of the posts, quite a few cruise ship passengers take advantage of this!!!

Hmmm...what about a handicap person getting free parking AND they smuggle booze...double score !!!! :cool: