Teagan Mcternan knew something was wrong while he was driving home on Feb. 7. The Tampa father knew he had to pull over, and he did, parking his SUV at a Walgreens parking lot in North Tampa and having a friend drive him home.
A couple of days later, Mcternan found that his SUV had been towed from the parking lot. He understood why it happened and was willing to pay the bill until he discovered where his SUV had been impounded.
Mcternan found his SUV had been taken to a lot in Plant City, some 36 miles away from the store. The mileage charge alone was $216.
He looked in the parking lot of Walgreens, which shared a lot with other stores and found the name of a local towing company. Mcternan assumed that operator was the one Walgreens contracted with to tow vehicles from the property.
State law and Hillsborough County ordinance mandate that a tow operator can haul a vehicle no more than 10 miles from the pickup point.
However, the rules are different, and drivers pay more if the pickup is labeled a private property impound and the business does not have an agreement with any tow operator.
Walgreens told ABC Action News the signs near their store are for a neighboring retailer’s tow service and that their store does not have a contract with a towing company. The invoice labels the tow as a private property impound.
Hillsborough County Code Enforcement explained.
Your question about a private property impound is a situation where a property owner who does not have a written agreement with a towing company, the property owner can contact any provider to remove a vehicle from their property. Usually this occurs when the vehicle has been abandoned or somehow disrupting the business. In this case the mileage requirement as per the ordinance does not apply.
McTernan said he attempted to pick up his SUV on a Friday but was told the business was closing for the weekend. The law states that tow companies must respond to a pickup request within an hour.
We relayed McTernan’s story to Walgreens, and they paid the $1,206 tow invoice.
Towing companies must follow state laws and local ordinances. In Hillsborough and other counties, you can file a towing complaint with the local code enforcement office.
