'A scam': Beach goers surprised with Galveston's parking ticket program
In June 2024, Galveston switched how it issues parking tickets along the Seawall. At the time, officials said they were the first in the state to issue curbed parking tickets.
Officials said it was for employee safety and to help maintain traffic flow.
Here's what changed. Instead of leaving a violation notice on the windshield, the island mails parking tickets to the registered owner.
It's a change that caught Jonathan Scott off guard when he received a letter in the mail.
"I thought it was a scam at first," Scott recalled. "I'm not paying that. That's not real."
Last summer, Scott and his family vacationed on the island for the Fourth of July holiday.
"It was wonderful," Scott recalled. "It was really pretty. I think we were there for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th."
He said he parked along the Seawall and didn't realize he had to pay for parking on his phone. Weeks after the trip, he received a collection letter in the mail showing his ticket had ballooned from $33 to $53.
"Honestly, it makes me not want to go back," Scott said.
Records reveal how many more seawall parking tickets are being issued
Galveston Chief Deputy James Pope is in charge of the enforcement. He told ABC13 that the program has made it much safer for his employees.
"It really has been great," Pope said. "It's pretty much run flawlessly since then."
Here's how it works. A law enforcement vehicle has cameras mounted on it. As it moves down the Seawall, the cameras capture license plates. The computer shows not only the image of the plate, but if someone has paid.
If a second image, taken at least 15 minutes later, shows the same vehicle hasn't paid to park, the software mails a ticket to the registered owner.
When it comes to just how many more people are receiving violations with the program, Pope was unsure.
"Between 2024 and 2025, they issued 24,496 violations just on the Seawall," Pope explained. However, when ABC13 asked him for 2025 data," he said. "We don't have the numbers yet for 2025."
The marshal's office may not have them, but Eyewitness News does. ABC13 requested the data from the municipal court. ABC13 found the number of unpaid tickets rose by 615% from June 8, 2024, when the city made the switch, through March 27, 2026, compared to Aug. 21, 2022, to June 7, 2024, which is the same number of days since the island started mailing tickets. Overall, the city issued six times as many tickets on the Seawall, going from 6,635 to 40,397.
ABC13 shared what we found with City Council Member Alex Porretto.
"It's really unfortunate that we got to that point," Porretto said. "It should've been outlined sooner rather than waiting until it gets outlined by somebody else. We should've paid attention to it a lot sooner."
Here's how much more money the island has made off the increased tickets
In addition to the number of violations issued, ABC13 asked the municipal court how much in fines was issued and how much has been collected. What Eyewitness News found was that since the island started mailing tickets, it issued $1,774,947 in violations, compared to $378,275 in the same period before. The city hasn't collected all of that money. Records show $818,713 was paid by violators compared to $164,985 during the same period before when tickets were left on windshields.
To give you an idea of how much of an increase that is, budget documents show in 2023 and 2024, the city estimated it would generate about $1 million in parking fines for the entire island. From June 2024 to March 2026, in less than two years, the island collected $818,713 just from the Seawall. There are still many outstanding violations. Records reveal the city is waiting to collect $956,233 in outstanding Seawall parking ticket payments since June 8, 2024.
If you're one of those people, and you're hit with late fees, there's a way to save money. The city is running a parking ticket amnesty program through May 29. If you call or visit the municipal court office, city officials said late fees will be waived.
'Not on my watch': Council member pushes for change
Porretto wasn't on the council when leaders decided to implement the mail ticket program. After ABC13 shared the data, he said he's planning to put an item about Seawall parking on the May 28 council agenda.
"Not on my watch will there be any price gouging or consumer problems that we have," Porretto said. "Cash grabs."
Porretto said they could discuss ways to better educate motorists, especially out-of-towners, who may not realize you have to pay to park on the Seawall.
The marshal's office said it may also ask the hospitality industry to better educate customers, not just about paying to park, but also about alerting tourists to the 350 free parking spots on the north side of the Seawall. There may also be increased signage.
Right now, officials said they have no signs warning drivers that tickets will be mailed. Pope isn't sure, though, whether it would help.
"I don't necessarily know if we put a sign in front of every parking space that they would understand that it's a paid-to-park position down there," Pope explained.
Some feel something has to be done though.