HOLMES BEACH – Beachgoers beware. Right of way, street and beach access parking are still closed in Holmes Beach with most parking spaces planned to remain closed to drivers once the COVID-19 threat is over.
During a May 12 commission meeting, Police Chief Bill Tokajer updated commissioners on a plan to eliminate right of way and street parking on all streets in the city west of the Gulf, East Bay, Marina and Palm Drive main thoroughfare. Tokajer said that “no parking” signs and poles had been ordered and were expected to arrive within the next few weeks with additional time needed for sign installation. With the current plan, he said it would be the end of the month before any street parking spaces are open to the public, including visitors and residents.
Until those signs are installed, all street, right of way and beach access parking remains closed to the public. Violators may receive parking tickets or have their car towed at their own expense. Banners proclaiming the parking regulations are on display throughout the city.
Once the new “no parking” signs are installed, only the beach access parking spaces and street parking on the east side of the city will reopen, eliminating about 2,000 parking spaces. If beach parking becomes a problem on the east side of the city, Tokajer said he would review the situation and come back to the mayor and city commission with a new plan.
Church, business lot issues
One problem that’s already made itself apparent now that Manatee Beach is reopened at full capacity to visitors is local churches lending their parking lots to beachgoers. Because the parking lots are privately owned, the city can’t regulate parking in them, however, Mayor Judy Titsworth expressed concern that not only are the lots being used for beach parking, pushing beachgoers through neighborhoods to beach access points, there’s also no way to enforce social distancing. With the public beach parking lot also now opened to full capacity, Tokajer said enforcing social distancing in that lot is also a problem.
For owners of private lots, including parking lots at commercial businesses and shopping plazas, if no parking signs are present, business owners can call HBPD officers to ticket violators who are parking in the lots to go to the beach. However, while HBPD officers will have cars towed if they are parked at beach access points, on city streets and in the right of way, it’s up to the parking lot owners to have vehicles towed out of their spaces.
Titsworth said she would reach out to the churches and other private lot owners to follow up on how the lots are being used and let them know what services HBPD officers can offer for parking violators.
Currently, Tokajer said there are no plans to up the city’s parking violation fine from $50 though he added that the issue would be revisited if necessary in the future.
HBPD officers are taking over the enforcement of parking at the Manatee Beach lot, along with social distancing and monitoring of beachgoers. If police enforcement at the beach becomes an issue, Tokajer said he’d ask Manatee County leaders to step in and bring staff back to the beach to deal with issues. On the weekends, Friday through Monday when beach traffic is typically at its highest, Tokajer said his officers would have reinforcements from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
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Parking remains closed in Holmes Beach
