ESTERO, Fla. - It's a parking ticket war between Florida Gulf Coast University students and campus police.

Students say they are getting tickets when they shouldn't, but parking services say they're parked illegally and there are hundreds of other spaces available.

Lines of cars fill parking lots and garages at FGCU. Some students say when they finally get a spot, they're ticketed.

One, who doesn't want to be identified, said he got a 100 dollar ticket after running out of gas on campus.

"A teacher actually helped me push the car out of the way because it was in the road."

His car was pushed into a reserved space.

"I was only gone for 10 or 15 minutes. By the time I got back I already had a ticket."

He tried to appeal the ticket - which he can do, but said he was denied.

Robert Ritchie got two tickets in one night. He said he was parked behind a building that didn't have any signs posted, then ticketed again for parking in a reserved space... after 5:00, on a weekend.

"It's ridicules," Ritchie said. "I understand reserved spots and I understand students should not be parking in them, but when it's a Sunday night and there's no faculty on campus, it doesn't hurt to allow students to park there."

The Chief of Police didn't want to go on camera but he said rules are rules and they are just enforcing them.

The "reserved and restricted spaces are enforced all day, every day." Still, Ritchie is out more than 150 dollars in tickets.

"I've had holds on my account," Ritchie explained. "I wasn't able to register for classes because of these parking tickets, so now I can't get the classes that I need for next semester."

"A little bit more leniency would be great," another student said. "We're all students here paying our own way for the most part."

Students WINK News talked to said changing the appeal process would help. Then again, campus police said there isn't a problem that needs fixed.