Since the start of the fall 2022 semester, finding parking on campus has been like pulling teeth from a tiger’s mouth while it’s awake. In the past, USF has had a habit of overselling parking permits. USF has done it in 2019 & in 2021. The number of USF parking permits sold in 2022 fall semester will not be released any time soon.Â
In 2019, USF sold 28,000 parking permits, but there are only 20,000 spots on the Tampa campus. In 2021, USF sold about 22,000 parking permits. While, in the past, it has been a struggle to find parking, in fall 2022, the struggle to find parking has gone from bad to worse. There are now more students on USF’s campus than there ever have been in the university’s history. We still even have first-year students who were denied housing due to all dorms being booked out. The addition of over 10,000 new students did contribute to the ongoing parking problem on campus. It does not help either that USF is in the process of creating four new buildings to include a football stadium, a new building for the Honors college, a medical center & an ESPORTS lab in the Recreation and Wellness Center.
USF Parking and Transportation Services recommends students that live in the student housing off campus not use their car and rely on the Bull Runner to get to and around campus. While, in theory, the idea sounds great, USF does not have enough buses to accommodate such an action. On top of that, relying on public transportation for campus will require students to leave an hour earlier to ensure they make it to class on time. Additionally, if we must spend $91 + tax to get a parking permit per semester, we expect to use it at will.
The tips I have found to be most helpful for finding spots on campus are usually inconvenient, but at least you won’t spend 30-40 minutes looking for parking like I did the entire first week of fall. All the parking garages on campus are usually beyond full in the mornings. You will be lucky if you manage to find parking there from 8-11am. Parking lots by USF’s C.W. Bill Young Hall ROTC Building, the Recreation and Wellness Center, or next to Argos are also extremely full at 8-11am. Usually, a few spots open up, but again you will be lucky if you manage to find parking there. Usually from 11am onward, spots start to open in these locations. That said, in my experience, the best places to find guaranteed parking within these times have been parking at Marshall Student Center lot or parking lot next to the Psychology building.Â
Sources:
https://usf.app.box.com/v/usfregulation40010
https://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/parking/parking/citation.aspx
https://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/parking/permits/permit-rates-weekly-fee-schedule.aspx#pr