HOLMES BEACH – The Easter weekend was a busy one for Holmes Beach police officers as they worked to enforce the city’s new no parking mandates.
Beginning April 10, no parking orders went into effect in the city, blocking parking at all beach accesses, along city streets and in the right of way. Banners were placed throughout the city warning drivers that violators would be towed and beach accesses were blocked by police barricades. Some private parking areas where businesses were closed also were blocked off to prevent illegal parking on April 12.
Also on Sunday, officers and tow truck drivers created a staging area at the then-closed Kingfish Boat Ramp where 7 vehicles were towed on Sunday. In a conversation with The Sun on April 13, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that he had nine officers out on April 12 to help educate drivers. He said that his officers warned drivers as they parked that if they left the vehicle it would be towed at their expense. Without that, he said that the number of cars towed would have been much higher, around 40-50. For the drivers whose vehicles were towed, Tokajer said the vehicles were towed to the boat ramp instead of in town and officers gave the drivers a ride to Kingfish to pay to retrieve their vehicles while pointing out all of the banners and signs the drivers had passed warning of the city’s new parking policies.
Tokajer said that officers gave drivers 69 parking tickets over the weekend to help educate them that the new parking regulations would be enforced. He added that he had five tow trucks from different companies on Sunday to tow illegally parked vehicles. With Kingfish reopening on April 13, he said that if needed, officers may set up a towing staging area across the street instead of using the area for overflow boat trailer parking.
Both Tokajer and Titsworth said the new parking regulations are designed to help discourage people from coming to the beach and encourage them to abide by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stay at home order, which is set to expire at midnight on April 30. Tokajer said he felt the new parking regulations helped with social distancing and keeping large groups from gathering.
The new parking regulations remain in force until at least April 30 or when Mayor Judy Titsworth rescinds her executive directive.
In Bradenton Beach, Lt. John Cosby said that there were no issues with illegally parked vehicles over the weekend. While the city remains under a state of emergency, drivers are advised to not park in the First Street North municipal parking lot, at the Coquina and Cortez county beach parking lots or in barricaded areas. Bradenton Beach police officers are strictly enforcing the new rules and violators may be ticketed or have their vehicles towed at their own expense.
– Sun reporter Joe Hendricks contributed to this story.
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