HOLMES BEACH – In the aftermath of a joint meeting with Manatee County commissioners, Holmes Beach city leaders are trying to figure out their next steps toward building a better relationship with county leaders.
During a March 8 work session, Holmes Beach commissioners went over their notes from the joint meeting, held March 1. They also took public comment on the meeting to help gauge public opinion following the discussion, which primarily revolved around beach parking.
Holmes Beach resident Izzy Skye, representing a group of residents attending the meeting, thanked commissioners for holding firm to their stance on not reopening residential streets near the beach to public parking.
“You cannot pave our paradise to put up your parking lot,” Skye said, speaking about the discussion where Manatee County commissioners suggested building a large parking garage at Manatee Beach. “Visitors are coming to see a preserve. This is no place for a concrete jungle.”
About the March 1 meeting, Commissioner Terry Schaefer said, “I think it was a good opportunity to look the county commissioners in the eye and see the kind of people they are.” He added that it was “obvious” that the primary objective of Manatee County commissioners was to discuss parking, something that Holmes Beach commissioners weren’t willing to change their stance on. But Schaefer said he feels there is still room for more discussions with county leaders, a sentiment echoed by his fellow commissioners.
“It was a beginning,” he said. “I’m not discouraged.”
While Holmes Beach commissioners understand that there are a growing number of Manatee County residents and visitors every year who want to go to the beaches on Anna Maria Island, they also feel that it’s the issue of county leaders to provide parking and facilities for the people wishing to access county beaches. Mayor Judy Titsworth said that she doesn’t have a problem with visitors to the Island – she said she welcomes them – however, there is only so much space available on the 7-mile island, about three of which are occupied by the city of Holmes Beach.
HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer said that, using the city’s license plate reader cameras, he counted 9 million cars coming into Holmes Beach across Manatee Avenue in 2020, increasing to 9.6 million in 2021.
In an effort to work with the county to find solutions to parking problems, and hopefully address some of the city’s concerns in a future joint meeting, she said she’s having City Attorney Erica Augello look at the lease for the land where the Island Branch Library sits to see if that parking lot can be used for overflow beach parking while the library is closed without violating the land grant from the Holmes family, which donated the property to the city.
As a stop-gap measure, Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously on March 8 to enter into an agreement with the Manatee County School Board to use the more than 60 spaces at Anna Maria Elementary School in Holmes Beach as overflow beach parking. During the joint meeting, Titsworth said that if the county wants to use the school for excess beach parking, they need to provide trash and restroom facilities along with a flashing beacon or crossing guard for the crosswalk. While county commissioners were amenable to providing portable restrooms and trash cans, they balked at providing a crossing guard or flashing beacon for the crosswalk traversing Gulf Drive.
“I think the dialogue is open and that’s good,” Commissioner Jayne Christenson said, adding that she thinks Holmes Beach commissioners need to step back and assess what they can do to address some of the issues. She suggested rebranding the city as a community across social media and the internet rather than as a vacation destination.
Commissioners agreed to have another work session to discuss potential action items before scheduling another meeting with county commissioners.
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