MANATEE COUNTY – Whether residents want it or not, the wheels are in motion for county taxpayers to foot the bill for a three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
County commissioners voted unanimously on May 14 to approve $1.125 million for a preliminary design criteria package for the parking structure.
The item was listed as a budget amendment under the consent agenda before Commissioner George Kruse pulled it for discussion; consent agenda items are voted on without discussion. The funds for a pre-design criteria package of the parking structure, along with $625,000 for a similar design package for a parking garage at the Bradenton Area Convention Center and $1,175,000 for a garage at the Premiere Sports complex, total $2,925,000. The budget amendment states that those funds are being transferred from the 2023 Revenue Improvement Bonds Capital Projects fund.
Kruse said he pulled the item from the consent agenda because he felt that the commission needed to have more discussion before committing taxpayer funds to come up with a plan for the garages during an RFP process for designing and building the structures. He noted that while other infrastructure projects have been delayed for two years or more due to a lack of funding, commissioners are willing to push the parking garage projects forward. He said he felt the commission should have gotten more information before spending money.
“We say we’re fiscally conservative up here,” Kruse said, noting that he has a lot of questions about why his fellow commissioners are willing to spend taxpayer funds without more information.
Speaking on behalf of county staff, Manatee County Director of Property Management Cary Knight said, “My understanding of the process that was put into place is that we’re bringing on an architecture firm to do a pre-design criteria package. That pre-design criteria package then gets included with RFQ for a three-P partner (public-private partnership) to come and make proposals for how they would build the building, how they would finance it, how they would make money off of it, whether or not it would be a paid parking situation or maybe the county is a lease situation where the three-P becomes basically the bank for the county. That’s kind of the process that’s in place right now.”
“It seems like this is almost a cart before a horse,” Kruse said. He added that he feels the county staff could determine if paid parking is a viable option. He suggested looking at established paid parking in Bradenton Beach to see utilization, hourly rates and what the backlash from visitors and residents is. He said he feels he’d rather spend the money elsewhere.
Despite Kruse’s misgivings on the topic, he voted in favor of allocating the funds to design services for the three parking garages.
County Administrator Charlie Bishop said the county isn’t “an expert on building parking garages” and is relying on Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, to determine that public-private partnerships are viable at the three proposed parking garage locations.
The downtown Bradenton parking garage, which has been deemed structurally poor and needs to be replaced as soon as possible, was not on the list of proposed garages discussed at the May 14 meeting.
The beach parking garage is a pet project for Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who represents the residents of Anna Maria Island and west Bradenton, many of whom have spoken out publicly against a parking garage at the county-owned beach in Holmes Beach. Van Ostenbridge has disregarded protests from residents and visitors, along with other county commissioners, stating that the parking garage would allow for more inclusive beach access for county residents, despite the fact that he plans for the garage to have paid parking instead of the free parking currently allowed in Holmes Beach.
While Holmes Beach city leaders have staunchly defended their city against the encroachment of paid parking, which has sprung up to the north and south in Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach, Mayor Judy Titsworth has stated that if county commissioners build the garage with paid parking, the city may have to rethink its stance on paid parking.
SIDESTEPPING HOLMES BEACH
Currently both multi-level parking garages and paid parking are against the city’s land development code and ordinances. County commissioners opted to circumvent the city by going to the Manatee County state legislative delegation. The five-member delegation pushed a bill through the state Legislature in 2023 allowing the county to build the parking garage at Manatee Beach without approval or permits from the city.
During a 2023 county commission work session, Van Ostenbridge presented his ideas to his fellow board members. He said the garage would have three stories with a fourth parking level on the roof and span the entirety of the buildable space at the public beach park. The current historic concession stand, retail space, bar, restroom and shower facilities would be demolished with new facilities built into the parking garage. At the time, he estimated the parking garage could be built for about $45 million.
Van Ostenbridge said the garage would have around 900 parking spaces, about 450 more than what currently exists on the Manatee Beach property, and paid parking of at least $2 per hour would be necessary to pay for the construction of the garage and the estimated $200,000 annual maintenance costs.
During demolition and construction, the current parking spaces and facilities would be unavailable to beachgoers, meaning that the only beach on Anna Maria Island with restroom, shower and changing facilities would be Coquina Beach on the southern tip of the Island.
Island residents, visitors and elected officials alike all protested strongly prior to the bill being filed during the legislative session and continue to do so.
The latest protest action against the parking garage occurred earlier this month at a rally hosted by residents’ group Save Florida Home Rule, where several people spoke out against the building of a parking garage at Manatee Beach. None of the county commissioners attended, though a contender for Van Ostenbridge’s seat on the county commission, Diana Shoemaker, did speak and said she was committed to hearing the voices of the residents in District 3, not dismissing them as she said some others have done and continue to do.
