Monday marks the beginning of another school year for students at Apex Friendship High School plagued with parking concerns.

Some families have taken advantage of nearby properties, including Annie Mae Scott’s front lawn. WRAL Investigates observed 10 cars parked there around 1:00pm.

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WRAL Investigates was the first to report that the Town filed a lawsuit against Scott for running an illegal parking lot.

“[Scott] has disregarded the Town's orders for over [a] year, and absent injunctive relief, the Town cannot compel compliance with its orders,” the lawsuit reads.

According to the lawsuit, Scott owes the Town $3,700 in violation fees, as well as $100 per day in additional civil penalties from the date of the filing.

Apex resident Rebekah Weber sent an email to town leaders, asking several questions, including why paid student parking is allowed at a nearby church but not at Scott’s property.

The school system charges $200. A parent told WRAL Investigates the church charges $300 to park – the same amount as Scott. Both properties are in the rural residential zone, according to property tax records.

“This is a person who's been an entrepreneur, and they're doing what a church across the street is also doing, and they are zoned exactly the same way,” Weber told WRAL Investigates.

We took that question to Mayor Pro Tempore Terry Mahaffey.

“The church is a commercial use, and commercial uses can have parking lots…I asked the same question to our planning staff,” he said.

He explained that the church is not considered a residential property and can legally offer parking.

WRAL Investigates also reached out to a church representative for comment.

“It has absolutely nothing to do with the church,” said Susan Croom, a representative of the church. “Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is.”

How did we get here?

Scott previously told WRAL News she started offering her yard as a parking lot for the school after parents complained there was no space for their students to park on campus.

Wake County Public Schools spokesperson Michael Hyland said Apex Friendship High School has 556 student parking lot spots with 28 Senior reserved spots up top for students with half day schedules. As of August 18, 2026, the district reports about 100 students on the waitlist.

In 2020, the town approved a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) prohibiting students from parking in residential areas. Scott’s property is zoned as Rural Residential.

“Given that your property is zoned Rural Residential (RR), student parking is not allowed. If you wish to offer legal student parking for the 2025-2026 school year, you will need to take immediate action to rezone the property to non-residential zoning district,” reads a warning letter to Scott dated April 14, 2025.

At the time, the town encouraged Scott to apply for rezoning in order to legally charge families for student parking.

“The only reason they want me to rezone is so they can control me,” Scott told WRAL News in an exclusive interview last August. “I have no need to rezone. I have my own sewer; I have my own water. So, what is it for me to gain other than taxes?”

Last August, Mayor Gilbert said Scott’s property designation changed to a public vehicle area, saying it was “no longer a residential lot in the eyes of the law.”

At the time, Apex leaders said students at Apex Friendship High School would be allowed to park in Scott’s front yard for the 2025-2026 school year.

Three months later, town council members debated whether that new designation exempted Scott from the town’s parking restrictions and whether she could be fined. While Mayor Gilbert favored finding a way to allow the parking, the Town Council holds the legislative authority to enforce or amend zoning codes.

“If there were only somebody who can help decide…oh yeah, they're called judges. So, if we need to do that, we can always do that,” Council member Ed Gray said during a November meeting.

By the end of the meeting, the council voted to enforce the town’s rules.

“The only reason they want me to rezone is so they can control me,” Scott told WRAL News in an exclusive interview last August. “I have no need to rezone. I have my own sewer; I have my own water. So, what is it for me to gain other than taxes?”

Last August, Mayor Gilbert said Scott’s property designation changed to a public vehicle area, saying it was “no longer a residential lot in the eyes of the law.”

At the time, Apex leaders said students at Apex Friendship High School would be allowed to park in Scott’s front yard for the 2025-2026 school year.

Three months later, town council members debated whether that new designation exempted Scott from the town’s parking restrictions and whether she could be fined. While Mayor Gilbert favored finding a way to allow the parking, the Town Council holds the legislative authority to enforce or amend zoning codes.

“If there were only somebody who can help decide…oh yeah, they're called judges. So, if we need to do that, we can always do that,” Council member Ed Gray said during a November meeting.

By the end of the meeting, the council voted to enforce the town’s rules.

“We're being asked, essentially, to not enforce the law. We can't do that. We literally cannot do that. We have to enforce the law on everyone,” Council member Terry Mahaffey said at the time.

“The reason that we did not pursue the UDO amendment -- which is one of the other options -- is that the UDO is the blanket law for everybody in town and therefore would be much more impactful than the one property that we’re debating right now,” Council member Arno Zegerman added at the time. “There's other, more targeted methods, again rezoning probably being the primary one here that have been recommended but not pursued.”

In the days following the lawsuit’s filing, Mayor Jacques Gilbert made multiple social media posts, calling for solutions to the problem.

He announced a proclamation last week, saying the town, Wake County Public School System, families and property owners need to “work together with urgency to identify, evaluate, and advance safe, lawful and sustainable solutions for student parking and transportation in Apex.”

What’s next?

According to court records, Scott is representing herself in the legal case. She said very little during a phone interview with WRAL Investigates, saying that she did not want to talk about the lawsuit.

“It’s a wait and see game… I’m just fighting to try to get them somewhere to park, that’s all,” Scott said over the phone.

WRAL Investigates also asked Wake County Public School System:

  • What resources does the district offer to students on the waitlist? Does the district/school have official partnerships with other locations for additional parking spaces? 
    • Has the district made any adjustments to its current parking structure to alleviate the issues (for example, prioritization, modifying spaces on campus, etc.)?
      • The Apex Mayor announced a proclamation, saying the town, Wake County Public School System, families and property owners need to “work together with urgency to identify, evaluate, and advance safe, lawful and sustainable solutions for student parking and transportation in Apex.” What work has been done so far? What still needs to be done? 

        The district did not explicitly answer all of those questions.

        “There was also a community forum on Nov. 12, 2025, that included staff from WCPSS and the town of Apex and was focused on this topic. The number of parking spaces at the school is also the maximum allowed at the site,” Hyland wrote in an email.