Donielle Lampley parked her car at a spot along Water Street, walked a few blocks to downtown Mobile and proceeded to enjoy an evening of watching a Mardi Gras parade and a Nelly concert.

But her evening on Feb. 3 turned sour after she walked back to where she parked her car to find it missing.

“I originally thought it was stolen,” said Lampley, 38, of Saraland. “I’ve been going to Mardi Gras my entire life, and I know where I can and cannot park and what signs to look for. There were no fire hydrants. I was furious.”

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She and her husband found out the vehicle had been towed, not far away, to the city’s Mardi Gras impound lot.

Turns out, a lot of cars were towed during the Carnival season. The 51% increase over last year in towed vehicles during Carnival season raised tempers, sparked debates on social media, and continued a frustrating trend of questionable towing practices that have plagued Mobile law enforcement and the towing industry for years.

During the city’s 19-day Mardi Gras festival, 510 vehicles were towed, or 173 more than the 337 vehicles towed during the 2022 Carnival season. Conversely, Mobile police wrote 817 parking citations this Carnival season, which is down from the 913 written last year.

Mobile officials say they will examine how they handle parking during Mardi Gras next year, acknowledging that situations along side streets where the parades did not take place – specifically, Conti Street – might have left some revelers confused as to when they needed to remove their vehicles.

The scrutiny could also include an examination of parking fees that, in some cases, were at $30 to $40 last weekend and on Monday and Tuesday – up from prior years as well.

Some complaints on social media suggested that vehicles were hauled off more than two hours before the parades cranked up. City officials countered by showing where the parking signs were posted they felt should have alerted motorists to remove their vehicles long before a parade rolled.

Lawrence Battiste, the city’s executive director of public safety, said some people were offered refunds from the $150 impound fee they are charged when vehicles are towed during Mardi Gras. Towed vehicles during Mardi Gras were transported to the city’s impound lot at Monroe and Water streets.

“As we move out of Mardi Gras season, we will reevaluate and look at the routes and all downtown routes to see if we can do something differently, so we have a better plan,” Battiste said.

Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine said his officers only towed where signage was posted and visible. He said he was unsure what else his officers could have done and noted that a public service announcement was issued after the first weekend of the Carnival season alerting visitors on the city’s parking rules.

“I don’t know what more we could have done,” Prine said.

He said the goal of police was not to tow vehicles. He said that Conti Street and other side streets near the parade routes needed to be cleared hours before the parades so they could serve as “emergency routes” for law enforcement. The routes are utilized by law enforcement in case of emergencies, such as attending to a broken-down float, can be quickly addressed.

“Everything is about time and money,” Prine said. “If we don’t get the cars removed from the route, it costs the parade organization money. They rent venues like the Civic Center, and that costs them money. It creates a huge problem and a lot of money for a lot of people involved.”

Mobile City Councilman William Carroll, who represents downtown Mobile where the parades occur, said he has received complaints about the towing. He said while it was “unfortunate we had some towing,” the city should look at ways to improve communications next year.

“I think we also, on our end, have to get that information out and make sure everyone is up-to-date especially when we have so many people downtown,” Carroll said. Authorities say around 1.1 million people visited downtown Mobile during the Carnival season, a number that is up from the 2022 season.

Carroll said he was unaware of complaints about the costs to park in some of the private garages in downtown Mobile.

Battiste, though, said the city will “check in” on whether there was price gouging for parking.

Battiste also said there were no situations of a rogue tow operator. He said private tow companies assisted the city, but that “they were not towing on their own.”

The towing industry has become a headache for Mobile officials for years, leading to investigations and criminal complaints in recent years.

The issue got complicated in 2019, when Mobile police were accused of violating the city’s own towing ordinances at the same time an investigation was ongoing against private operators for overcharging insurance companies for towing and storage of private vehicles.

The towing scandal has found itself in federal and state courts. Michael Cazzie Sellers, owner of the now-defunct Rapid Towing and Anytime Towing, went before a federal judge earlier this month on charges that he falsified bankruptcy forms.

Those issues appear to be unrelated to this year’s Mardi Gras, but Lampley said she felt the entire towing operation seemed off. She said her husband clicked the car keys and was allowed to retrieve their vehicle after paying for the $150 impound fee. She said no one at the impound lot requested to look at a driver’s license or insurance card, which is a requirement stated on the police department’s website.

She also remains confused on why her vehicle was towed to begin with, saying that other vehicles remained parked along the street within the vicinity of her vehicle. She said there were no fire hydrants nearby, and no signage. A supervisor at the towing lot, she said, could not provide her with any information and no one else was available to talk to about the situation.

“I mean, you’re down there to have a good time,” said Lampley. “We probably would have gone back there a few more times (to watch more parades) but anytime you get a $150 pop, you worry about ‘will I have the $150 to pay them if it happens again?’”