3 Things You Need to Know about Having Your Vehicle Towed from Private Property in Florida
Posted on: 13 October 2015
If you commit a parking violation in Florida by parking your vehicle in a public or private parking lot where and when posted signs forbid it, here is what you need to know about your rights.
If You Show Up Before Your Vehicle Is Hooked Up
If you arrive and you see a tow truck has been called to remove your vehicle, but the tow truck has yet to hook up to your vehicle, the tow truck driver has to stop attempting to remove your vehicle from the lot. Additionally, the tow truck company cannot charge you anything for the tow since it did not actually hook up your vehicle. If you see a tow truck driver near your vehicle, shout out and let them know that it is your vehicle and you will move it. As soon as you identify yourself as the driver of the vehicle, the tow company employee is obligated to stop what they are doing.
If You Show Up And Your Vehicle Is Being Towed But Hasn't Left the Parking Lot
Things are a little different if your vehicle is already attached to the tow truck and the driver is just getting ready to leave. Once again, you need to identify yourself as the owner of the vehicle right away. When you do, the tow driver will be obligated to stop. If you can pay the tow driver half of their standard fee on the spot, the driver is obligated to release your vehicle and not take it all the way to their company lot.
If the Towing Company Is Closed
If you find out that your vehicle has been towed and that the towing lot where your vehicle is at is currently closed, you don't have to wait for the lot to open to get your vehicle back. There should be a number posted that connects you to the operator of the towing company. Once you call them, the operator is obligated by law to show up within an hour to release your vehicle to you. If they don't show up and release your vehicle to you, they could be facing criminal charges.
Make sure that you only park in lots that you are lawfully permitted to park in. Those signs warning you that unauthorized vehicles will be towed are not a joke; business owners can and do enforce the message behind those signs. However, you still have rights if your vehicle is ever towed from a business or private lot in Florida. Contact a towing service like Express Tow & Recovery for further information about the laws in your area.
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