ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The official number of visitors to the Island won’t be available for a few days, but this Labor Day weekend appeared to be a more subdued event than last year, when the post-COVID travel boom brought a record number of visitors to the Island.
“We came to Panama City first to visit a friend there, then we headed here,” said Tom Biscontine, who traveled here with his wife, Stacy, from Illinois. “We have a wedding to go to in Bradenton, so coming to the Island was a no-brainer.”
Biscontine says his father was a regular at the Coquina Beach Cafe for years, even having his own reserved chair with his name on it. The couple likes to come to the Island, but says they usually avoid the busy holiday weekends.
“We are surprised, it’s not crazy at all here right now, it’s really nice,” Biscontine said. “We love the beaches here, the people, the food, and, of course, the live music. We love to go see a great band and there are plenty here.”
Both Lt. Lenard Diaz of the Bradenton Beach Police Department and Chief Bill Tokajer of the Holmes Beach Police Department say Labor Day weekends are not typically as busy as the Fourth of July or Memorial Day weekends because children are back in school and it’s a tight window for air travel in that short time frame. Regardless, all the police departments on the Island increased the number of officers on patrol last weekend and got assistance from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which not only patrols the city of Anna Maria, but brings in additional officers to Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach on holidays.
Normally, holiday weekends on Anna Maria Island cause serious traffic issues, but this year, some beachgoers found roads less crowded.
“It took us over an hour to cross the Palma Sola Causeway last year,” Brandon resident Tommy Stamper said. “This year on the same day it took less than 20 minutes.”
According to statistics from Manatee County regarding the tax dollars brought in from the 5% tax on tourist rentals on the Island, the summer months have seen a sharp decline from 2021, showing that the freedom to travel burst after the COVID-19 lockdown has started to level off.
“I know we need our tourists to keep our economy strong, and I love them,” said Maria Nunez, of Holmes Beach. “On the other hand, it’s nice to get to work in just a few minutes rather than planning for chaos.”
