National Press Release

MIAMI, June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Parking Institute (IPI) today named the Miami Parking Authority (MPA) "2008 Parking Organization of the Year" and MPA Chief Operating Officer Fred Bredemeyer, CAPP, "Parking Professional of the Year." The awards were presented today in Dallas during the Awards of Excellence luncheon at the annual International Parking Conference and Exposition, the largest, most comprehensive meeting of parking and transportation professionals held in the United States.

Nominees for Parking Organization of the Year, Parking Professional of the Year and other IPI accolades were reviewed by a select committee of regular IPI members appointed by the IPI chairman of the board. MPA was cited for its accomplishments in a variety of areas, including its contributions to the parking industry, creative solutions and innovations, standards of customer service, professional reputation, reliability, and breadth of programs and services, among others.

"On behalf of the MPA board of directors, we are deeply honored to be named Parking Organization of the Year," said MPA Chairman of the Board Jami Reyes. "We salute our chief executive officer, Art Noriega, as well as the entire management team and, most importantly, the MPA staff who interact with our customers on the streets and in our lots and garages every day."

IPI also named Fred Bredemeyer, CAPP, its 2008 Parking Professional of the Year. He was cited for the breadth of his career in the parking industry, starting as a parking-lot attendant while in college and rising to parking leadership positions in both the public and private sectors as well as consulting to organizations across the country on their parking operations. Bredemeyer holds the Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) designation, awarded to professionals who successfully complete a rigorous course of study on every aspect of the parking business. The CAPP program is the preeminent training and certification program in the industry.

About the Miami Parking Authority

The Miami Parking Authority, also known as the City of Miami Department of Off-Street Parking, develops and manages convenient, safe and affordable parking in the City of Miami. Overseeing more than 30,000 parking spaces -- including 11 garages, 78 lots and more than 8,000 regulated street spaces -- MPA provides parking for approximately 55,000 customers per week. MPA facilities are either wholly owned or managed through government, non-profit, or public/private joint ventures.

MPA funds its operations through parking revenues and receives no income from taxes or parking tickets. MPA was created in 1955 by a Special Act of the Florida Legislature and incorporated into the City of Miami's Charter in 1968. For more information, visit http://www.miamiparking.com.

For more information about the International Parking Institute, visit http://www.parking.org.

SOURCE Miami Parking Authority