Damien Alvarado
•9/14/2026
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Charlotte County is cracking down on where large commercial vehicles can park after residents complained about semis lining public rights-of-way and creating safety and infrastructure concerns. County commissioners voted 4-0 last week to amend county code and restrict certain oversized commercial vehicles and equipment from parking in county-maintained rights-of-way.
The ordinance applies countywide and covers commercial motor vehicles with six wheels or more, box trucks, trailers and semitrailers. County officials said the Chamberlain Boulevard and U.S. 41 area in Port Charlotte was one of the locations that helped bring increased attention to the issue.
At the Sept. 8 commission meeting, Port Charlotte resident Chris McTigue told commissioners he counted more than 20 semis parked in that area over one weekend. McTigue said the trucks have damaged rights-of-way and, in some locations, created problems for drivers trying to see around parked vehicles. He also described seeing trucks changing tires or oil and maneuvering along the roadway.
“Stop signs are blocked,” McTigue told commissioners. “Mom almost got hit twice. Can’t see the stop sign, gotta keep inching out, inching out.”
County officials say the issue has been building for months. During a February transportation workshop, staff told commissioners truck-parking challenges were increasing alongside development and commercial activity. Staff identified blocked visibility, quality-of-life concerns and damage to road shoulders and pavement edges among the problems associated with prolonged heavy-vehicle parking.
Russell Foltz, a tow truck driver, told WINK News he understands why the county wants to keep heavy vehicles away from areas where they could damage drainage or underground infrastructure.
“If I was to park in my ditch, I have city sewer running out, so I could possibly crack sewer lines,” Foltz said.
At the same time, Foltz said Port Charlotte does not have enough convenient parking for commercial drivers who may need to leave a truck overnight or for several days.
“There’s not a lot of truck stops in the Port Charlotte area for trucks to actually park and leave their trucks there overnight or for two days or three days to go be with their family,” Foltz said.
Foltz said requiring drivers to park farther away can also mean paying for storage and then finding or paying for transportation between the parking area and home.
The ordinance includes exemptions for emergency response, government and utility work, active deliveries and unloading, service vehicles actively performing work and equipment being used on approved construction projects. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office will be able to enforce the ordinance without signs being posted, according to the county.
Violators can face a nonmoving traffic citation, and vehicles that remain in violation after notice or repeatedly return to the same location can potentially be towed. WINK News is working to confirm exactly when enforcement will begin.
Commissioners have scheduled a Sept. 22 public hearing on a separate no-parking ordinance for portions of Placida Road and Williamsburg Way. Unlike the countywide oversized-vehicle rule, that proposal would apply to all vehicles regardless of size within the designated area. County documents say residents contacted Public Works about excessive parking in those rights-of-way. Commissioners are also scheduled to consider restricting vehicles with more than six wheels from using Elmira Boulevard between Kings Highway and Loveland Boulevard as a through-route. The county says that proposal is aimed at preventing large vehicles from using neighborhood roads as a workaround to reach Old Landfill Road.
