Transportation

Parking kiosk typo nearly costs Florida driver $85

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September 4, 2026

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A parking payment kiosk in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, became the center of an $85 dispute after driver Stan Stephenson entered the letter "O" instead of the number zero when typing his license plate number, according to a WTPV News report. Stephenson said he paid for his parking at the kiosk, but later received a $75 nonpayment notice from Intrapark, the company that manages the lot.

Stephenson challenged the charge, providing proof of payment along with a copy of a certified letter he had sent to the company. Despite his efforts, he subsequently received another bill that had increased to $85. Intrapark eventually told Stephenson the citation resulted from the mismatch between the letter "O" he entered at the kiosk and the zero appearing on his Florida license plate.

Intrapark said Florida restricts the use of the letter "O" on license plates, but the company cannot eliminate that character from its payment system because other states and territories have different plate formats. The company ultimately agreed to cancel Stephenson's citation. Stephenson said he hopes the experience serves as a warning for motorists to carefully check their license plate information when using parking kiosks.