BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board voted unanimously to discontinue funding the Old Town Tram at an Aug. 15 budget meeting.
The potential defunding of the tram comes on the heels of another free Anna Maria Island ride service, the Monkey Bus, which has temporarily shut down services while attempting to resolve insurance issues.
The Old Town Tram, a free park-and-ride shuttle service in the CRA district (from the Cortez Bridge to Fifth Street South), is supported by the CRA at a cost of $52,000 annually.
“We have $52,000 set aside for this as a recurring cost in our budget,” City Attorney Ricinda Perry said during the budget discussion meeting. “Is this something that you’re looking at continuing? We have extended and extended and extended the trial period to see if this is a success.”
Launched as a pilot program in November 2020, the Old Town Trams were put in place to help address the lack of parking on and around Bridge Street. The program, using two electric golf carts, is provided by the Sarasota-based Easy Parking Group, owned by Joshua LaRose.
Perry noted that the tram agreement between the CRA and Easy Parking Group is on a month-to-month basis and could be closed this budget year.
“We have had a loose understanding of what is successful. We know that one of the main contributors to why this is not wildly successful is because of what is happening with the construction on the south end of the city,” Perry said, referring to an ongoing sewer project.
Perry noted that changes are coming with regard to Manatee County’s water taxi and she said she has had discussions with Elliott Falcione of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council about how people will make their way to the beach and back, and perhaps the county might want to be in partnership with that endeavor. Perry asked the board: “Do you feel the $52,000 is something you want to continue to invest in that project or is this something we need to look at tapering off and picking up potentially down the road?”
“I think that tram is a waste of money personally,” Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said. “I don’t see any benefit to that tram.”
Commissioner Ralph Cole expressed his belief that the tram service should be run privately.
“I think there’s enough interest out there that a private individual would buy the insurance to do it,” he said.
Mayor John Chappie echoed Cole’s sentiments.
“I’ve said all along that I thought the private sector could handle things. If the businesses want to provide some sort of tram, trolley system, golf carts, they should be the ones to do it,” Chappie said, adding, “We’ve tried this as an experiment. I don’t think it’s been all that successful.”
Chappie noted that a significant change throughout the Island in recent years is the rental of golf carts.
“That’s what the people are driving around in,” Chappie said. “The private sector needs to step up.”
The tram is partially funded by advertising sales.
“No one’s going to do that business,” Commissioner Jake Spooner said. “Josh is not covering his own costs. To think that service is going to keep happening from the private sector – I don’t think is going to happen.”
“If there’s money to be made, somebody will do it,” Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby said.
Spooner said while he doesn’t feel the tram is successful, he thinks it could be more successful after a promenade is built and the ride service has a designated route.
“I think it does serve a purpose, and for $52,000 a year, that’s totally up to the board. My other thought is if we get rid of it and then we get the promenade, it’s hard to get things back,” Spooner said.
“Let’s see if that $52,000 is one of our priorities,” Chappie said. “Let’s move on and see how it shakes out.”
After a line-by-line discussion of other CRA-budgeted projects during the meeting, the tram was not among the approved expenditures.
LaRose declined to comment on the specifics of the CRA vote, but expressed the desire to continue the tram service.
“We would like to keep going,” he said, adding that he has reached out to the city to discuss options. “I haven’t heard back yet, but I have some ideas. We still have service going right now.”
LaRose said the two trams he has in service currently accommodate 4,000 riders a month off season and close to double that in season. One of those vehicles is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.
“Right now, we have more value than ever with the construction limiting the amount of parking,” he said. “Our guys tell people where parking is so we’re also an information service.”
The CRA board unanimously approved the following expenditures: 300,000 for paid parking; $38,550 for a grant to monitor seagrass and $20,000 for future monitoring professional services; $300,000 for undergrounding; $40,000 for Christmas on Bridge Street; $25,000 for a fence at Anna Maria Oyster Bar; $10,000 for cultural arts; $75,000 for a resiliency project on Bay Drive South; $106,690 for cistern improvements; $30,000 for sidewalk improvements; $50,000 for district improvements, including trash cans, bike racks, planters and landscaping; $15,000 for signage in the CRA district; and $10,000 for additional improvements.
The next CRA budget meetings are tentatively scheduled on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m.
