'They will be watching and waiting,' fume drivers after towing crackdown

CAR owners are unhappy as officials have approved the increase of towing fees earlier this week.

The Miami Beach City Commission signed off on hiking the cost of towing fees on Wednesday.

The new towing charges grant a serious request from tow companiesCredit: AlamyThere are only two tow companies that are allowed to operate in Miami BeachCredit: Getty

The decision was made quietly and with no discussion, The Miami Herald reported.

A number of drivers shared their thoughts about the new towing costs in response to a tweet posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by a reporter for The Miami Herald sharing an article about the hike.

"Which means they will be waiting and watching to tow your car," a user replied.

"I wonder what resources the city gets from the county and other collective sources like property insurance that can be reduced," someone else said.

A person asked: "Back in the day most of the tow companies were police owned. Has that changed out of interest?"

"If only there was an inexpensive, reliable, and efficient way to travel to/from Miami Beach," an individual chimed in.

The new towing charges grant a serious request from tow companies.

The towing businesses claim they need to accumulate more money to keep up with new state regulations and rising insurance costs.

There are only two tow companies that are allowed to operate in Miami Beach.

Beach Towing and Tremont Towing will increase their administrative fees from $77 to $110 for non-Miami Beach residents.

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The increase will not affect city residents.

Local drivers will continue to pay $77.

Additionally, local towing companies will eliminate three-day grace periods for imposing it once a vehicle is towed.

What to do if your car is towed

Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a "No Parking" zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.

Steps to take when your car is towed:

Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted "No Parking" sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.

If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:

Be prompt - many states have a small window of time where it's acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm

The change means that, if a non-resident gets towed in Miami Beach, it'd likely a total of nearly $400.

In a June 4 letter to Interim City Manager Rickelle Williams, a lobbyist named Ralph Andrade made a brave statement about that the two companies.

He said that they "can no longer afford to so deeply discount the administrative fee" from what the state allows.

Tow companies can charge an administrative fee of as much as $250 to release a vehicle, according to Florida law.

The administrative fees in Miami Beach are on top of a $250 towing rate for most vehicles.

There's also a $30 fee that goes to the city and $40 for outside storage beyond six hours, according to Miami Beach City records.

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