Fort Lauderdale to allow curbside valet service

Restaurants and businesses will be able to take as many as five parking spaces for curbside valet operations under a proposal that city commissioners tentatively approved Wednesday. They also will be able to rent spaces in public lots and garages to park customers' cars.

Curbside valet service has long been allowed in other South Florida communities. Businesses from the Himmarshee entertainment district to the beach have been pushing for change under the belief that they can draw more customers with valet service.

The city has only allowed valet service if the business has private property where the customer can drop off the car and where attendants can then park the vehicle. The old restrictions largely ruled out valet service in older areas like Himmarshee and Las Olas Boulevard, but enforcement of the ban on curbside drop-off had long been erratic.

Fort Lauderdale will prohibit curbside valet on busy parts of Las Olas Boulevard and Southwest Second Avenue and on streets where the speed limit is greater than 30 mph. Businesses in those areas could propose curbside service on side streets.