TAMPA — A father and son whose car was towed from an Ybor City lot last year are pursuing a class-action lawsuit against Seven One Seven Parking Enterprises and a company it uses for towing services.

In a complaint filed this week in Hillsborough Circuit Court, the pair accuse Seven One Seven and the Tampa-based Target Recovery and Transport towing company of deceptive business practices. They allege that the companies have cheated thousands of drivers by having them pay modest parking fees, then towing away their vehicles anyway and charging inflated sums for their return.

Joseph Mecca III and his father, Joseph Mecca Jr., are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which seeks a class-action judgement on behalf of unnamed drivers whom the Meccas allege have been cheated.

Representatives of the two firms named in the complaint could not be reached for comment Friday.

The suit stems from an incident a year ago in which the younger Mecca parked his father's car in a lot at 1613 N 19th St. Mecca III claims he paid a $6 fee to an attendant to park in the lot, which is operated by Seven One Seven.

Mecca returned after 2 a.m. to find his car and two others belonging to his friends both gone. A sign in the lot directed them to Target Recovery on Florida Avenue.

To retrieve his car, Mecca said he had to pay $225, which he said included several questionable fees, among them a $25 "Parking Enforcement Collection Notice" from Seven One Seven.

The complaint accuses Seven One Seven of not informing customers that parking receipts need to be displayed on a car's dashboard, then towing the vehicles when receipts are not shown.

The younger Mecca, who previously headed a local association of towing companies, said he was never given a receipt after paying the parking fee.

Seven One Seven Parking Enterprises employs more than 2,500 people at 50 sites in Tampa and more than 200 sites nationwide, according to the complaint.

Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.