Do what you can to get the apartment complex to pay the fine since they did not make arrangements for you to park elsewhere while they maintained the parking lot. I HIGHLY doubt that you'll get out of the ticket in court. And if AZ is like NC, if you pay off the ticket and don't go to court, you'll still be charged "Cost of Court" in addition to the fine.
And FWIW, from this day forward, don't park in a handicapped parking place unless you have a permit! They are there for a reason....to give better access to handicapped patrons. It's not up to me to judge who has a handicap that limits their accessibility to facilities. I personally won't even walk up a handicapped ramp unless it's the only way to get into a facility. And I don't use the handicapped stall in a restroom, even if it's the only one available....I'll wait. It's just what I do, and I wish everyone was as respectful.
