It’s starting already.

Months before JetBlue and American Airlines join Breeze Airways in providing commercial service at Vero Beach Regional Airport, city officials are receiving complaints about parking – particularly in the short-term lot alongside the terminal building.

“I was approached the other day by a regular customer at C.J. Cannon’s restaurant,” City Councilman Aaron Vos said last week. “Apparently, people who use the airport’s short-term lot aren’t abiding by the three-hour limit, and it isn’t being enforced.”

Vero Beach Airport Director Todd Scher said he had heard similar grumbling from the restaurant’s customers who have expressed frustration over their inability to park in closer proximity to the terminal.

He said he and his staff are exploring ways to address the issue, including police enforcement of the short-term lot’s time limit.

“It’s challenging, because there are more people who want to park than there are close-in spaces,” Scher said. “Right now, the short-term time limit operates on the honor system, but we’re looking at ways to tighten things up a bit.”

According to Scher, the short-term lot contains 107 parking spaces, plus eight ADA spots. However, Avis currently leases 30 spaces for its rental-car fleet.

The other spaces are used by people meeting or dropping off airline passengers, restaurant customers and on-premises workers – employees of Cannon’s, Avis, the Transportation Security Administration and the airport itself.

Scher said he’s hoping to create an Employees Lot, which would open up spaces in the short-term lot.

“It’s something we’re looking into, especially as the airport gets busier and we have a greater demand for parking,” he said. “I don’t know where we’d put it or how many spaces we’d need. Lately, everything seems to be happening quickly.

“We’ve got an airport improvement project underway, and we’re waiting to see the benefits of the new paved long-term lot.”

The wait for Lot C to be paved, however, will be longer than originally expected – perhaps months longer.

As Scher explained it: City staffers involved in the permitting process suggested the Florida Department of Transportation-funded plan be redesigned to double the lot’s capacity.

Scher, though, doesn’t know if FDOT would cover the expense of a redesign.

“We’re going to ask, even if it delays the project,” he said. “If we can double the number of spaces in that lot, we think it’s worthwhile to hit the pause button and see if a redesign is possible.”

Scher said he was hoping the lot would be ready by the end of the year – before the area’s busy season moves towards its peak – but pursuing a redesign likely would postpone the project until the late spring or summer.

“We’re still having internal discussions,” he added, “but if we’ve got to postpone the project, it makes sense to wait until after the season.”

In the meantime, Scher said he will try to address the short-term lot issues. In addition to enforcing the three-hour time limit, he said he and staff are discussing the creation of a cell-phone lot for people picking up arriving passengers.

“We’re looking at everything,” he said. “First, though, we need to find out who’s taking up those spots and can we relocate them. Then we’ll look at additional enforcement.”

As for installing a pay-to-park system, Scher said, “We’ve talked about – and we might eventually need to go there – but I don’t see it happening in the very near future.”

For now, at least, Scher said there has been no call to reduce the short-term lot’s time limit to two hours.