New Gainesville app lets homeowners rent out their driveways on Gators game days

Press release from Parkey

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Parkey, a Gainesville-based parking app, is recruiting homeowners around Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to list their driveways and yards as reserved parking for the coming football season, including residents who live too far from the stadium to catch the traffic that fills the yards closest to the gates.

The app was founded by University of Florida student Zane Knapp, alongside co-founders Matthew Seyoum and Trevor Regli. Hosts post an open driveway, set their own price, and choose which dates they want to be available. Fans reserve and pay in advance, and hosts keep the full amount they list for; Parkey adds a 15% service charge to the renter’s total at checkout.

“It’s Airbnb for parking, basically,” said Knapp. “If you rent out your yard on a game day right now, you spend five hours standing in your driveway with a sign, waving cars in. That’s the part we’re trying to take off people’s plate. If your spots are already booked before kickoff, you can be at your own tailgate, or at the game.”

Knapp said the app also opens the option to homeowners who have never realistically been able to sell parking at all. Houses a few blocks off where most yards fill rarely see the drivers that circle the streets nearest the stadium, no matter how much traffic moves through the area. On the app, those spots appear as a cheaper option for fans willing to walk a little farther.

Parkey ran its first pilots this spring, during UF’s spring game in April and the Morgan Wallen concerts at the stadium on May 15 and 16. One host filled every space on their property that Friday. The team spent the summer collecting feedback from hosts and reworking the app ahead of the football season opener.

Homeowners interested in listing a spot for the fall can download Parkey from the App Store. An Android version is coming soon.