JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A federal lawsuit has been filed against Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS), the company that manages a parking lot on Broad Street in Jacksonville.
The lawsuit accuses PRRS of violating privacy laws to identify drivers who owe money for parking, potentially turning into a class action suit with multiple plaintiffs.
According to the lawsuit, filed by a Duval County resident, PRRS sent him an $80 parking notice two weeks after he parked at the lot in May 2022. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff never provided the company with his name or home address, yet the notice included photos of his license plate.
The plaintiff alleges that PRRS violated the Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), a federal law that limits the use of personal information held by state motor vehicle departments. Specifically, the lawsuit states that PRRS “knowingly and without consent obtained the Plaintiff’s personal information, including their names and home addresses, from non-public motor vehicle state records.”
Attorney Gene Nichols, who is not associated with this case, commented on the challenges the plaintiffs may face in proving their case.
Nichols noted that the lawsuit hinges on whether PRRS obtained the information directly from the DMV. If so, it would be a clear violation of the DPPA. However, Nichols also pointed out that PRRS might have sourced the information from third-party databases, where personal details are often available through non-government channels.
This isn’t the first time PRRS has come under scrutiny. News4JAX previously reported on the company when it was criticized for high overage charges in the downtown parking lots it manages.
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The current lawsuit also raises concerns about the company’s use of license plate recognition cameras, which reportedly capture images of vehicles entering and leaving the lot. According to the plaintiffs, PRRS then requests the vehicle owner’s information from the DMV when it determines that a parking charge is due.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs suggest that this could become a class action lawsuit, with dozens of other drivers potentially joining the case. If successful, each affected driver could receive $2,500 in damages.
The lawsuit also alleges that PRRS admits on its website to obtaining and using personal information from DMV records by cross-referencing license plate numbers with vehicle registration data.
News4JAX has reached out to PRRS for comment but has not yet received a response.