The new plan creates 200 guaranteed, gated spots in the “HVN” garage adjacent to the heart, vascular and neuromedicine hospital for employees who get a new gold or silver decal.

UF Health employees who park in garages off Southwest 13th Street may end up having to park farther from work come Oct. 1 unless they can afford to pay up to $1,434 for a new decal and win the permit in a lottery.

The new plan creates 200 guaranteed, gated spots in the “HVN” garage adjacent to the heart, vascular and neuromedicine hospital for employees who get a new gold or silver decal.

Holders of the cheaper permits, which do not guarantee a spot, will have to find one in the adjacent South Garage or park in a remote garage.

UF Health CEO Ed Jimenez announced the changes in a July email to employees.

“Today, after considering all available options, we are writing to share a new plan based on the input from participating faculty and staff,” the email states. “We selected an option that will give our faculty and staff a fair opportunity to park close to their workplace. We’re also making improvements to our parking services.”

Garage parking spots are allocated by colors. Lotteries will be held for the gold and silver decal areas. The gold will cost $1,434 and will have an “official business” permit for parking in other areas. The silver will cost $1,278 and will not include the official business permit.

The cost of current yellow decal will remain at $396 a year. Red/yellow decals will be discontinued and employees who have them will be eligible for yellow decals.

UF Health last year proposed increasing the cost of permits but that was scrubbed. Instead, Jimenez and College of Medicine Senior Associate Dean Marvin Dewar met with “parking focus groups.”

The result was an acknowledgement that “While most faculty and staff would like to park as close to their workplace as possible, we are unable to accommodate everyone in the garages next to the hospitals.”

Instead, employees who had parked in those garages may end up in one further away, such as the garage on Archer Road west of the core Shands area.

“Today, there is capacity in the South Employee parking garage for Red/Yellow decal holders,” UF Health spokeswoman Rossana Passaniti said in an email. “If a space isn’t available, that decal holder can seek a parking space in garages with blue decals.”

Shuttles between parking areas and buildings will start at 5:15 a.m. on Oct. 1, including a new shuttle that goes to the Archer Road garage.

Lighting will be improved in the garages and on Archer Road sidewalks and walkways.