Autocorrect blamed as Florida woman gets ticket for parking 1,000 miles away

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A woman from Florida received a parking ticket unexpectedly, as she had mistakenly paid for parking in Detroit instead of the beach in Volusia County where she was visiting.

At Toronita Avenue Beach Park in Wilbur-By-The-Sea, Patricia Dennis parked her SUV and paid a $20 fee using her mobile device via Volusia County’s novel automated payment system for parking.

Unfortunately, I accidentally sent my payment to a location in Michigan due to an autocorrect mishap, and it seems I’m not alone in this predicament.

Instead of directing Dennis to the beach lot, which had the code “FWW,” her phone’s autocorrect mistakenly changed it to “FEW.” This slight alteration led her to a Detroit payment portal with a Smart Park logo and an address of “2800 Woodward,” which turned out to be an empty lot close to Little Caesars Arena, where the Red Wings hockey team plays.

Autocorrect leads to parking tickets

Dennis shared with Click Orlando, “I’ve never been to Detroit before as far as I know, and nothing on my phone suggested it was for Detroit. With everything we have in our hands, we’re all set to head towards the water.

Due to an error where her payment was directed to an incorrect system, the Volusia County system lacked a record of it and consequently, she received a citation. Initially, when she attempted to contest the ticket via the online platform, her appeal was declined.

Instead of writing a $120 check to Volusia County for her parking fine and additional charges, Dennis chose to express her concerns by contacting the media instead.

Following queries about the news, county officials admitted that other tourists encountered comparable autocorrect issues as well.

Since then, they’ve switched the parking code at the beach from “FWW” to “FW1” in order to prevent any future problems. New signs have been installed across the parking area, and as a result, Dennis’s parking ticket has been cancelled.

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2025-07-04 00:18