ANNA MARIA – Commissioners have established the city’s vacation rental registration fees for the year-long period encompassing portions of 2023 and 2024.
The new fee will be $84.17 for each occupant allowed in accordance with the city’s vacation rental ordinance, adopted in 2015, and also in accordance with approximately 100 Bert Harris claim settlements reached in 2016 and 2017 that allow higher total occupancies at specific vacation rental properties.
The registration fee is increasing by $9.70 per occupant from the $74.47 per occupant fee established last year. For existing vacation rentals, the increased fee takes effect as annual registration licenses are renewed throughout the year.
The annual occupancy-based registration fees are established each year by a resolution adopted by the city commission.
“We do this each year because under Florida law our fees need to be based on the actual cost of enforcing our ordinance,” City Attorney Becky Vose said when presenting resolution R23-786 to commissioners on Feb. 9.
Vose noted Mayor Dan Murphy and City Clerk/Treasurer LeAnne Addy created the proposed fee schedule. The annual registration fee for a one-bedroom short-term vacation rental that allows two guests per bedroom plus two additional guests will be $336.38. The annual fee for a six-occupant vacation rental will be $505.02. The annual fee for a 12-occupant vacation rental will be $1,010.04. The highest annual fee listed in the resolution is $2,440.93 for a vacation rental that allows 29 occupants.
Addy said the annual registration fees are calculated to cover the costs of enforcing the city’s vacation rental ordinance. Those costs include enforcement personnel and vehicles and the lobbying costs associated with the state Legislature’s annual attempts to preempt vacation rental regulation to the state rather than the city. The fees also cover vacation rental-related inspection costs, administrative costs and more.
Murphy also noted the annual fee is strictly related to the enforcement of the city’s vacation rental ordinance. Each year he estimates what the city’s total vacation rental enforcement costs will be and then divides that number by the number of registered vacation rental units in Anna Maria. The 2022-23 fiscal year budget adopted in September included $415,110 in projected vacation rental registration fee revenues.
Commission Chair Mark Short asked Murphy if the new fee matched the anticipated vacation rental expenses and revenues included in the 2022-23 fiscal year budget adopted in September.
Murphy said the fee is in line with the projections made for the current fiscal year budget. Addy said registration revenues might be slightly higher than projected due to the ongoing construction of new vacation rental homes.
HOLMES BEACH – What a difference a few days and some strong winds can make.
While red tide reports from several days earlier showed low concentrations of Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide blooms, conditions changed on Sunday.
With winds out of the west at more than 23 mph churning up the blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and pushing them toward Anna Maria Island beaches, the unmistakable smell – and feel – of red tide permeated a largely empty Manatee Beach.
One visitor from New York was coughing profusely as she left the beach Sunday morning.
“I wanted to see the beach, but I have asthma and I couldn’t stay long,” she said. “I started coughing almost immediately. This is too much for me.”
Some people experience respiratory irritation (coughing, sneezing, tearing and an itchy throat) when red tide is present and winds blow onshore, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), while offshore winds can keep respiratory effects experienced by those on the shore to a minimum.
Red tide produces toxins capable of killing fish, birds and other marine animals. The toxins can also cause health problems in humans, including respiratory irritation when wave action breaks open red tide cells and the toxins become airborne, according to the FWC.
The Florida Department of Health advises people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as COPD, emphysema or asthma, to avoid areas with red tide.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Vacation rentals are a popular use of residential properties both on the Island and in unincorporated Manatee County where West Manatee Fire Rescue’s district is located. Now district leaders are looking at reclassifying those properties within their district as commercial properties for enforcement and tax purposes.
During a January board meeting, Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski presented the idea to the district’s staff and board of commissioners as a life safety concern. With so many people in and out of vacation rentals across the district and limited oversight from government agencies, as a preventative measure, he said he’d like the district’s fire prevention bureau to be able to inspect the properties for safety.
Inspections would include looking for items such as properly placed smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, floor plans of the home indicating exit points, emergency lighting and other precautionary measures commonly found in commercial properties. To fund the initiative, he suggested the fire department’s staff look into the possibility of assessing the owners of vacation rental properties in the district as commercial rather than residential properties. If that happens, it will mean a jump of approximately $200 per year, depending on the size of the property, for vacation rental owners and an increase of more than $1 million in funding to the fire district.
To run the program, Kwiatkowski said the district would need two more inspectors and an assistant at an estimated cost of $350,309 per year with an additional $140,000 needed to pay for department vehicles for the new hires.
Currently, the district charges a fire assessment on residential trim notices at a lower rate than they do for commercial properties. And while multiple-unit residential properties are already assessed and inspected as commercial properties, traditionally residential properties, such as single-family homes and duplexes, are still treated as if a full-time resident lives there. Because they are rented, Kwiatkowski said that under the state’s fire code, the properties are identified as transient public lodging establishments, allowing for them to be inspected by the fire district’s staff. This is the same designation given to a hotel.
In the past three years, Kwiatkowski said that of the 11 residential structure fires on the Island, eight of them were at vacation rental properties. In 2022, he said there were three pediatric drownings or near-drownings on the Island, all of which occurred at rental properties.
He presented the proposed project at a Holmes Beach Code Compliance town hall meeting with vacation rental owners and representatives on Jan. 31, reassuring the rental community that the fire department would be working with local municipalities to make sure that enforcement and inspections would not overlap with those currently taking place on the Island as a result of city efforts to make rentals safer for visitors. He added that the inspections would likely begin taking place in the fall.
ANNA MARIA – State legislators say they no longer intend to commission a state-funded feasibility study on the potential consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities and their respective city governments.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy made the announcement during this afternoon’s Anna Maria City Commission meeting.
Murphy returned to Anna Maria today after spending Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Tallahassee meeting privately with the five members of the Manatee County legislative delegation – Rep. Will Robinson Jr., Sen. Jim Boyd, Sen. Joe Gruters, Rep. Tommy Gregory and Rep. Mike Beltran.
State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. is no longer pursuing a consolidation study. – MyFloridaHouse.com | Submitted
On Jan. 12, Robinson announced that the delegation intended to seek during the upcoming 2023 legislative session a state-funded study on the feasibility of consolidating or dissolving the three Island cities. During that same meeting, the delegation also announced its intent to file state legislation that could potentially preempt the city of Holmes Beach’s land development code and city charter to allow Manatee County to build a multi-story parking garage on county property to provide more public parking for beachgoers and other visitors.
An outcry erupted from many elected officials and their constituents in the Island’s three cities, Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, that state officials were attempting to destroy home rule, the ability of the Island cities to govern themselves. Concerns were voiced that consolidating or dissolving the Island cities would put them under Manatee County’s jurisdiction, eliminating local codes including building height restrictions and paving the way for a new set of rules for development.
Regarding the consolidation discussions he had with Robinson in Tallahassee, Murphy said during today’s meeting, “He has agreed to pull that from the table for this year. That won’t be an item this year. Sen. Boyd agreed.”
During a recent Anna Maria commission meeting, Murphy said that Robinson told him he sought the state-funded consolidation study because he’s received numerous complaints about taxes being too high on Anna Maria Island. The proposed consolidation study would have looked at whether consolidating some or all of the similar public services provided by each of the three Island cities might produce lower property taxes for the Island’s property owners.
Consolidating Island city services
However, Murphy said, “They would like the three Island mayors to have some formal discussions as to what can be consolidated because they are getting pressure from constituents about the tax rates here on the Island. What can we do from a service point of view? To that end, I asked the other two mayors to meet with me here at city hall this morning on my return from Tallahassee. We agreed that the three of us will work on what can be consolidated. What’s the low-hanging fruit that can quickly be captured? Long-term and short-term, what can we do here with the idea of saving taxpayers money?” he said.
Murphy said the three mayors will meet every two or three weeks to discuss what can be done regarding the consolidation of shared services. He said the mayors would likely address one potential point of consolidation at a time. He said the three mayors will also solicit input from their commissioners and city staff members and provide their commissions with regular updates.
“I feel comfortable that my fellow mayors will give it a fair and honest shot,” Murphy said.
When asked if he could provide any examples of services that might potentially be consolidated, Murphy said it was too early to do so. He said those details would be released when there’s a solid plan in place. Murphy said listing potential areas of consolidation now could cause city employees in all three cities to become apprehensive about the potential impacts consolidation might have on their jobs and livelihoods.
A few years ago, Murphy proposed consolidating the Anna Maria and Holmes Beach public works departments but those efforts proved unsuccessful.
“We need to have a serious effort on the consolidation. We’ve made efforts in the past and that went nowhere. This time it’s serious and we need to have a serious conversation. I have every confidence, after my meeting this morning with the other two mayors, that we’ll make progress with some form of consolidation,” Murphy said.
Murphy said if left to the state, the complete consolidation of the three Island cities is a possible scenario.
For his efforts, Murphy received a round of applause from the commissioners and others who attended today’s meeting.
Parking concerns
Murphy said the Legislature’s continued concern about parking in Holmes Beach is not an issue that directly impacts the city of Anna Maria.
“That’s an issue between Holmes Beach and the state. This is not a county issue anymore,” he said.
Murphy referenced the streetside parking spaces the city of Holmes Beach eliminated during its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Approximately 650 parking spaces were eliminated in Holmes Beach. The county, through the state, wants some reprimands for those. They’re gone and they’d like to have them back. I think everybody recognizes that a parking garage is not a panacea. You could put up a dozen and you still wouldn’t have enough, but 650 spots are 650 spots. They were taken and is there some way to get that back?” Murphy said.
He added that the parking reductions in Holmes Beach have “created a lot of angst” with people on the mainland who feel their ability to visit the public beaches has been negatively impacted by those actions.
“Was it the right thing to do or not? At this point, the ship has sailed,” Murphy said of that past decision.
He said Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth has reached an agreement with the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation in Holmes Beach to provide some additional public parking spaces in the church parking lot. Murphy said he was asked to meet with the priest at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach, where Murphy is a member, and there’s a willingness there to also provide some additional public parking spaces.
BRADENTON BEACH – Commissioners are in the process of enacting a temporary citywide moratorium on food truck operations.
On Feb. 2, the city commission, minus absent Commissioner Marilyn Maro, voted 4-0 in support of the moratorium ordinance drafted by City Attorney Ricinda Perry and presented on first reading. The moratorium will take effect if it is adopted on second and final reading at the commission’s Feb. 16 meeting.
The ordinance will impose a temporary 90-day moratorium on the use, operation or storage of mobile food dispensing vehicles within the city. The moratorium is being enacted to provide the commission, the city attorney and city staff time to develop permanent food truck regulations and operating standards to be adopted in a new and separate ordinance.
During Thursday’s meeting, Mayor John Chappie said he’d like to have the new food truck regulations in place during the first quarter of 2023.
Perry said she and Building Official Steve Gilbert have been working on proposed food truck regulations and locations to present to Planning and Zoning Board members for their preliminary review. Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said when she lived in Utah, food trucks gathered in a city park on Friday nights and she has fond memories of those gatherings.
“It was so enjoyable. It was very family-oriented,” she said. “We’re not saying we’re not ever going to have food trucks, right?”
“It’s not a prohibition. It’s identifying areas in the city that make good sense,” Perry said, noting that one goal is to prevent food truck operations in residential areas.
The city is responding to a state law that took effect in 2020 that prohibits city and county governments from prohibiting food truck operations citywide or countywide. The state law also prohibits local governments from imposing additional licensing and permitting requirements and fees on food truck operators.
The Anna Maria Commission recently adopted a food truck ordinance that limits food truck operations to privately-owned properties located in C-1 commercial zone districts. Exceptions can be made for food truck operations during city commission-approved special events. The finer details of Anna Maria’s food truck regulations will be established in an accompanying city resolution to be presented on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Bradenton Beach ordinance
The Bradenton Beach food truck moratorium ordinance notes that Florida Statutes define the term “mobile food dispensing vehicle” as any vehicle that is a public food service establishment and that is self-propelled or otherwise moveable from place to place and includes self-contained utilities, including but not limited to gas, water, electricity or liquid waste disposal.
“The city hereby finds that despite Section 509.102, Florida Statutes, municipalities continue to enjoy significant home rule authority to regulate land use and zoning and operational standards related to mobile food dispensing vehicles,” the moratorium ordinance says.
“Through regulated circumstances, mobile food dispensing vehicles provide a valuable and convenient service to the community by providing food and beverage options at special events and other appropriate venues. The city wishes to support convenient food and beverage options at special events and other appropriate venues and encourage and support local business and entrepreneurship by adopting uniform regulations to allow the operation of mobile food dispensing vehicles within the city consistent with the preemption provided in Florida Statutes,” according to the moratorium ordinance.
HOLMES BEACH – Residents who live near beach access points have noticed something strange happening over the past week – some permit parking only and no parking signs have been disappearing from the side of city streets.
While the disappearance of these signs may seem mysterious, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer has an explanation.
The sign disappearances are due to the removal of signs due to sign pollution, he said.
In 2022, city commissioners passed an ordinance making side street parking only available in places where all four tires can be safely parked off the road. Tokajer said the sign removals are only occurring in places where all four vehicle tires cannot safely be parked off the side of the road. If all four tires cannot be parked off the side of the road, then it’s automatically a no-parking zone, Tokajer said.
City employees are working to remove unnecessary parking signs in an effort to reduce sign pollution in the city. Signs noting that side-of-street parking requires all four tires off the road are located at the southern and northern city limits boundaries. With Holmes Beach city leaders adopting and enforcing all four tires off the road, the city came in line with regulations already passed by the cities of Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach.
Any residents who feel that permit parking only or no parking signs were removed from their streets erroneously should contact city staff to have the area measured to make sure that no vehicles can legally park in the area.
Despite some theories circulating on the Island, Tokajer said the removal of the signs was actually a planned initiative and has nothing to do with the ongoing issues among city leaders, Manatee County commissioners and state legislative representatives over beach parking for the public.
Rep. Will Robinson Jr. began leading the way during a recent Manatee County legislative delegation meeting to initiate a state bill to undermine city ordinances to construct a four-story parking garage at the Manatee County-owned Manatee Beach. The proposed bill, which is highly contested by Island city leaders and residents, is expected to be presented during the upcoming state legislative session.
I strongly oppose your efforts to do away with home rule on Anna Maria Island. The three cities are unique, which adds to the appeal of the Island, and they deserve to rule themselves according to their specific needs.
In addition, your proposal to override local parking restrictions to build a parking garage will do nothing to solve the “parking” problem and will do much to worsen the actual problem, traffic. There is a finite amount of space on the Island, and allowing more cars to park will only worsen the conditions for everyone. Any long-term solution should maintain the character of the Island and involve off-site parking with shuttles. There will never be enough parking for every resident of Manatee County, nor should there be.
It is highly suspicious of your true motives that you failed to consult with Island officials before acting on your proposals. How ironic and sad (and infuriating) it would be if your changes eliminated the very things that make the Island appealing.
I have already witnessed the gradual worsening of conditions on the Island in the nine years we have been coming here. The first year we were here, I was struck by the pristine condition of the beach. It felt “holy” to me, like a very special place; I never saw a single piece of trash. With the increase in “day trippers,” I now see trash on the beach constantly. There seems to be a lack of a sense of “ownership” when people are here for just a few hours. It would benefit the Island to maintain the combination of renters, owners and visitors and not turn the place over to those who seek to make money above all else.
I am a property owner and part-year resident of Holmes Beach. I did not buy property as an investment or to be a landlord. I own property here because of the Is- land’s unique, old Florida character and combination of residents, part-time residents and vacationers. Your proposals would lay waste to what makes AMI special. I beseech you: Do not submit these as part of a bill in the forthcoming legislative session.
ANNA MARIA – High-scoring flag football action entertained the Island last week at The Center. The kids played their third week of regular season games, while the adults finished their fourth games on Feb. 2.
In the first game of 11- to 13-year-old league play closing out January football, Solid Rock Construction faced off against Pineapple Market Place. The fast-paced game ended with the Pineapple squad maintaining their undefeated record with a final score of 48-26.
Solid Rock’s first loss of the season was not without amazing play on both sides of the football.
Carter Eurice, QB for Solid Rock Construction, threw for four passing touchdowns. Eurice’s targets were Hayden Eurice, Audrey Guess and Austin Guess.
H. Eurice finished the game with one touchdown and three flag pulls on defense. Austin Guess also scored six points in the game and, on the other side of the football, two defensive stops.
Colson Mendiola scored an all-important extra-point conversion, adding a point to Solid Rock’s score. Addie Guess and Bella and Obi Roadman made plays to support the Solid Rock squad.
Avery Guess had a nice catch in the game, keeping Solid Rock in the game.
In week three youth flag football ac- tion, Solid Rock Construction’s Carter Eurice is chased out of the pocket by Pineapple Market Place’s rusher, Jordan Tobey. – Monica Simpson | Sun
The high scorer of the week for Solid Rock was Audrey Guess, scoring two TDs and two flag pulls. With six receptions, she matched the catch count of opponent Pey- ton Hovda.
League veteran Hovda finished the game scoring three touchdowns, one rushing and two receiving, three flag pulls, two two-point conversions, and three interceptions on defense.
The three interceptions, including one for a TD, was the game changer for Pineapple Market Place, leading to their victory.
Hovda’s teammates all had an amazing game, contributing to the win.
Pineapple Market quarterback and lifelong Center flag football player Jack Mattick passed for two touchdowns to Hovda.
On defense, Mattick contributed with two flag pulls and an interception. Teammate Colin Bankert had defensive stats with two stops and offensive stats with two receptions.
Riley Karecki got the call on a successful two-point conversion play for Pineapple. Offensive pass completions for Pineapple Marketplace include two catches by Brantley Kobialka. Cyrus Ryan added two flag pulls to the team’s record.
Pineapple Marketplace teammates Krosby Lamison, Kaleb Romagnino and Jordan Tobey rounded out the squad, making contributions in the team’s win this season.
Can the Pineapple Marketplace team finish the season undefeated? With only two regular-season games left, only Shady Lady and Moss Builders can stop them. Both squads finished week three with a 2-1-0 record.
It’s not uncommon for people to look at the job of a real estate agent and say, “Wow, that looks easy. Work part-time, pick your hours, work from home and make a lot of money.” Well, those of us who have done the job know that none of that is actually true. Similarly, purchasing a second home – whether you’re setting it up as a rental investment property or using it for your personal use – is never as easy as it looks.
If you’re purchasing a property to rent, the benefits include passive income and tax breaks. Properties on Anna Maria Island, for example, have become so expensive that just getting into a property will cost a lot more than in previous years.
You need a minimum of 20% down if you’re financing, and mortgage loans on an investment property can be higher by a point or two than primary homes or even second homes that are non-rentals. In addition, investment property loans include higher minimum credit scores and a more desirable debt-to-loan ratio. Lenders also generally require more cash reserves as well.
Maintenance of a second home, whether it’s an investment property or one for personal use, has gone up considerably in the past couple of years. Some owners say it’s as much as 10%, which seems a little low to me. The cost of materials, appliances and labor have hit all homeowners, but second homeowners are hurting on all of their homes.
Anna Maria Island, especially this season, is maintaining a very high occupancy rate for rental properties. But this is not always true and if you lose the ability to rent the property, your stream of income is severely damaged. Inflation is taking a bite out of everyone’s budget and vacations are a luxury; having a nice cash buffer will help with the anxiety of not having a tenant.
One of the major benefits of owning a second home is to watch your appreciation grow and grow and grow. And that certainly has happened in the past two years. But here again, we have seen real estate markets take a plunge, taking all of your “mental equity” along with it. You’ll need to develop nerves of steel to invest in real estate.
Finally, if you have the vision of generational family gatherings passed down through the years long after you’re gone, don’t be surprised if your beneficiaries don’t feel the same connection to the property or each other. Family members may feel differently on the amount of usage, the cost of upkeep, whether the property should be updated, should they allow rentals or if indeed they even want the property. It can become really tricky to make everyone happy, especially if one of the family members wants out and the others need to come up with the cash to buy them out or sell the property.
Even on Anna Maria Island where beach houses and other second homes are off the scale valuable, ownership isn’t easy. Just like any piece of real estate, it becomes a daily chore that will all be paid back to you while sitting on your beachfront deck. Now if you want something easy, get a real estate license; we all know that’s a piece of cake.
The third annual Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend. The two-day, fly-only redfish tournament with a Snook Calcutta (an award for the longest snook of the tournament) was a sellout with 126 anglers registered. The fishing boundaries were wide-ranging, including the west coast of Florida from Crystal River to the southernmost tip of Sanibel Island. The photo submission format and the angler tournament app made it possible for fishermen in this entire range to participate. The tournament culminated in an awards banquet and prize-rich raffle at the Bradenton Yacht Club on Sunday evening, an event that was made possible by a large number of generous sponsors. All proceeds from the tournament benefited Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, preservation and improvement of the Tampa Bay watershed.
The 63 two-angler teams received a collared long-sleeve tournament shirt, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper hats, dinner for two at the awards ceremony and one raffle ticket for each angler. Target species were redfish and snook. Scoring was done by the highest combination of the two longest redfish caught between day one and day two. If a tie had occurred in any of the three top places, it would have been decided by a casting competition based on fly casting distance and accuracy.
Sponsors were pivotal to this event and the fishing community stepped up to support TBWK’s mission. A full list of sponsors is available on the Tampa Bay Waterkeeper website.
Some quality redfish were landed, but among the anglers I spoke to there was concern with the overall abundance of fish as well as the condition of the bay. That sentiment was shared by tournament organizer and TBWK Board member Adam Fernandez in his introduction at the evening’s awards ceremony and raffle. A total of 82 fish were weighed in during the two-day tournament including nine snook, the biggest at 25.5 inches.
Seventy-two redfish were entered in the tournament. The biggest, at 34 inches, was caught by Pierson Monetti of the first-place team Crawl Mode with Josh Glidden. The team entered two fish totaling a combined 65 inches. Monet- ti’s company, MRIC Spatial, was a platinum sponsor of the tournament. Second place was claimed by Team Not Ready with Leigh West and Brandon Chircop. Their two fish totaled 62.5 inches. Third place was awarded to Team Bar Fly with a two-fish total of 54 inches.
There was great camaraderie, a dinner, a raffle with many fine products and an inspirational presentation by Bill Horn. Horn is vice-chair of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT) and former assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. He is the author of “Seasons on the Flats,”“On the Bow” and many other literary works. Bill has been deeply involved in Everglades restoration for the last 20 years. He’s been a major force behind BTT’s work on water quality, fisheries management and federal policy. In his speech, he mentioned BTT’s recent study of pharmaceutical drugs in bonefish. The study was expanded to include redfish in Florida waters to show the problem was more widespread than the Florida Keys. Tampa Bay was one of the regions sampled and the redfish were found to have some of the highest levels of pharmaceutical drugs, including antidepressants, blood pressure medications, painkillers and a host of other compounds. Horn finished by saying that the technology exists to remove these compounds and emphasized the critical need to implement them before the drugs enter the environment further. Organizations like Tampa Bay Waterkeeper are on the front line of the defense of our littoral environment and deserve the support of anglers and all those who appreciate the threatened coastal ecosystem. The challenge is to make decision-makers aware of the concerns and have them address them at the state and national levels. Your vote is critical to making this a reality. See how your local, state and federal representatives have voted on these issues at the League of Conservation Voters website. As Horn mentioned in his closing statement, “if we don’t do this, this might be the last generation of anglers to have the opportunity.” Join Tampa Bay Waterkeeper and be a part of the solution.
BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) hosted a public information meeting to provide new details about the pending Cortez Bridge replacement project.
The informal setting at Kirkwood Church in Bradenton on Jan. 31 provided attendees an opportunity to view informational panels detailing various design and aesthetic aspects of the fixed-span bridge planned to replace the existing Cortez Road drawbridge, built in 1956.
FDOT representatives were on hand to answer questions and discuss the plans that include several recommendations provided by the Bridge Aesthetics Committee (BAC), which consists of 11 local residents, condominium owners and business owners who have met several times since the committee was formed in mid-2020. Comment sheets allowed attendees to share their written comments on the plans.
The informational slides, a 19-minute video presentation and more can be viewed at the project website. Comments can still be submitted online at the project website. Comments received by Feb. 10 will be included in the meeting summary to be released in late February or early March.
“I hope they got an under- standing of where we’re at with the current design of the bridge and hopefully we’ve been able to answer some of their questions,” FDOT Design Project Manager Ryan Weeks said during the meeting.
FDOT Communications Specialist Adam Rose said, “We’re showing the design of the bridge, as well as taking comments to better fit the bridge needs for the local public and the traveling public. We’re trying to facilitate every aspect of transportation we can on this bridge.”
Rose said FDOT has not yet decided what will happen to the existing drawbridge once the new bridge is completed. He said bridge replacement projects often result in the demolition of the old bridge, but some old bridges are converted into fishing piers instead.
“The department will eventually make that decision. We haven’t made that decision yet,” Rose said.
BAC member Connie Morrow attended the meeting and said, “The Department of Transportation worked with the aesthetics committee from the very beginning. One of the things we asked for was assurance that what we did and what we produced would carry through regardless of the height of the bridge so our efforts would not be a waste.”
The new bridge will feature four curved observation points. – FDOT | Submitted
Morrow said the images and information presented Tuesday night accurately reflect the BAC members’ recommendations, which include multi-column bridge piers, a sand-colored bridge and bridge columns, blue railings and light poles, four curved and bench-less observation points and a multi-wave design pattern for the retention walls at both ends of the new bridge.
Project details
The bridge replacement project contract is scheduled to be awarded to a contractor in the summer of 2025 and construction is expected to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.
The new bridge will be built north of the existing bridge, with horizontal curves at each end of the bridge that bring the traffic flow into alignment with the existing roadway. Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists will continue using the existing bridge until the new bridge is completed.
At its highest point, the fixed-span bridge will provide at least 65 feet of vertical clearance
for vessels passing below. The new bridge will be 68 feet and 3 inches wide and consist of two 12-foot-wide travel lanes (one in each direction), two 10-foot-wide shoulders and two 10-foot-wide sidewalks buffered by concrete barriers.
The roadways approaching the bridge will feature two 11-foot-wide travel lanes (one in each direction), 6-foot-wide bike lanes and 10-foot-wide sidewalks.
The east end of the project will include the construction of a new road called Hunters Point Way that will connect Cortez Road and 127th Street West and provide access to businesses and homes in that area.
Coastal Watersports owner John Cadmus attended Tuesday’s meeting to learn more about the new bridge’s potential impact on his business. He wondered if parking spaces, bike racks and pedestrian amenities would be installed under the Cortez side of the bridge.
“They don’t seem to have parking under the bridge,” he said after speaking to FDOT representatives.
Bridge Aesthetics Committee member Connie Morrow shared her insight on the bridge plans, with FDOT Design Project Manager Ryan Weeks standing by her side. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Coastal Watersports owner John Cadmus discussed the bridge plans with FDOT Design Project Manager Ryan Weeks (right). Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I think it’s going to be a great project. I’m supportive of the bridge, but I’m concerned that there’s no end date for the construction. They couldn’t tell me if it would be two years or five years,” Cadmus said.
Stormwater retention
The plans include three stormwater retention ponds identified as stormwater maintenance facilities along the southwest end of the bridge in Bradenton Beach. One retention area, SMF 3-1, is located near the Bradenton Beach police station. Two more are to be located near the Bradenton Beach Marina, including one, SMF 3-3, that will extend under the new bridge and impact the existing pedestrian and bike pathway there.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie is concerned about the retention area SMF 3-1 being located at the north end of the police department parking lot, which has metal railings that can be removed to provide direct vehicular access from Highland Avenue to Cortez Road if Gulf Drive is blocked during a storm, hurricane or other emergencies.
One of the proposed retention ponds would block emergency access to Cortez Road through the removable rails at the end of the police department parking lot. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“This is vital for public safety,” Chappie said of the railings.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Chappie shared his concerns with Weeks.
“We’ve been told they’ll be making accommodations in that area and they understood our concern, but on the drawing, nothing’s changed. The retention pond is in the way,” Chappie said.
The online video notes the bridge replacement plans don’t include improvements to the Gulf Drive/Cortez Road intersection. Chappie said FDOT is planning a separate complete streets project during the 2023-24 fiscal year that may address safety concerns with the existing sidewalks and crosswalks there.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The recent proposal by Manatee County’s state legislative delegation to fund a study to determine the feasibility of combining or eliminating the three Anna Maria Island cities has far-reaching ramifications.
The Florida Legislature has the power to merge or dissolve cities, although it has only dissolved three cities in the past 50 years.
The 1973 ratification of the Home Rule Powers Act allows dissolution or consolidation by a special act of the Florida Legislature or by a referendum vote of the voters in the municipality, according to the Florida League of Cities.
Since then, only 11 municipalities have been dissolved and only three were by a special act of the Legislature: Hacienda Village was merged into the town of Davie in 1984, Golfview was sold to an airport in Palm Beach County for a new runway in 1998 and Islandia was dissolved in 2012 because the population dwindled to less than five and no elections had been held since 1990.
In 2005, voters in Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach voted in favor of a non-binding resolution to study the feasibility of consolidation, but Anna Maria city commissioners opted to not put the question to voters in that city, so nothing came of the proposal.
If the state Legislature consolidates the three Island cities into one new municipality, the new city would lose its existing ordinances, including length of stay for vacation rentals, height restrictions, parking restrictions, occupancy requirements and vacation rental regulations. Some regulations would lose their grandfathered status as they would be pre-empted by subsequent state law, according to the league.
Deconstructing cities
According to Florida Statute 165.061, not only can a municipality be dissolved by a special act of the state Legislature, but multiple municipalities also can be merged together.
The statutory requirements for a municipality to be dissolved include that the municipality not be substantially surrounded by other municipalities. The county or another neighboring municipality also must prove the ability and willingness to provide necessary services to the dissolved municipality and be able to absorb the financial responsibilities of the dissolved municipality. In addition, a financial or job placement arrangement must be made for employees of the dissolved municipality.
To create a new municipality by merging existing municipalities, the area under consideration must be compact, contiguous and susceptible to urban services, honor existing solid waste contracts, provide financial compensation or job placement for employees and meet the prerequisites to annexation listed in Florida Statute 171.042. Some of those prerequisites include the creation of a new boundary map, creating plans for the running and governing of the new municipality and holding public hearings for all residents and property owners.
Mayors on Anna Maria Island have expressed their opposition to the dissolution or consolidation of the cities and met on Jan. 30 with delegation members Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and Rep. Jim Boyd to discuss the proposed study and a proposed bill to circum- vent Holmes Beach regulations to build a four-story parking garage at the county-owned property at Manatee Beach. A joint statement on the two topics is expected to be issued after press time for The Sun.
BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners continue to express concerns about legislative actions recently proposed by State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and other state legislators.
On Jan. 12, Robinson (R-Bradenton) and his fellow Republican members of the Manatee County legislative delegation announced their intent to pursue state legislation that could potentially allow Manatee County to preempt the city of Holmes Beach’s land development code in order to build a multi-story parking garage on county property to provide more parking for beachgoers and other visitors. Robinson and his fellow state legislators also announced their desire for a state-funded study regarding the possible consolidation or elimination of the three Island cities and city governments.
Led by Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton), the Manatee County legislative delegation also includes Sen. Joe Gruters, Rep. Tommy Gregory and Rep. Mike Beltran. State legislators began a special 12-day legislative session on Monday, and their regular annual 60-day legislative session begins on March 7.
Bradenton Beach concerns
On Feb. 2, the Bradenton Beach Commission again discussed these legislative matters. Mayor John Chappie noted that City Attorney Ricinda Perry referenced the state legislators’ efforts in a letter she sent to the accounting firm that annually audits the city’s finances. In that letter, Perry identified current or potential legal actions or litigation that could impact the city’s finances.
“The city of Bradenton Beach has been placed on notice that Representative Robinson may propose a study funded by the Florida Legislature to determine if the three Anna Maria Island Cities – Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria – should be consolidated or dissolved,” Perry stated in her Jan. 31 letter.
“The impacts of this would impair all existing contracts, leases, franchise agreements, employment agreements, endowments and retirement accounts. There has been real property gifted to the city that may have reverter clauses. The city would cease to exist if the special act creating the municipality would be repealed and the city was dissolved by the Florida Legislature,” Perry’s letter said.
“To date, the city has not received notice that the study has been authorized, nor has the city received notice that Representative Robinson has filed a local house bill to dissolve the city,” Perry’s letter said in closing.
Perry noted eliminating the city would also eliminate the city charter. Among other things, the city charter includes height restrictions that prohibit the construction of high-rise structures.
Perry receives legislative updates from the city’s contracted lobbyist, Dave Ramba. Ramba believes Robinson will push for the consolidation study during this year’s legislative session and wait until the 2024 session to decide what to do with the recommendations made in the study. Perry said the study is one of Robinson’s top legislative priorities.
Perry also spoke with Florida League of Cities attorney David Cruz and was told the League will be part of the efforts to defeat the legislative actions sought by the Manatee County delegation.
“This is a new attack on home rule,” Perry said.
Perry said she spoke with Robinson, too. She said he’s concerned about the tax burdens placed on the Island’s taxpayers and wants to know whether consolidating some or all of the services provided by each of the Island cities would reduce those tax burdens.
After noting that people voluntarily chose to live and own property on Anna Maria Island, Perry said, “If the extra (property) tax is the concern, then by virtue of his claim every municipality in the state is an overtax on people and every county should be a county with no municipalities in it.”
Chappie noted the city only receives a small percentage of the tax revenues Manatee County collects in Bradenton Beach.
Perry said Robinson also feels the three Island cities, in general, need to find or create more parking for beachgoers and visitors, but one city in particular (Holmes Beach) is the state legislators’ main concern.
On Jan. 30, Chappie, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy met with Robinson and Boyd at Anna Maria City Hall in a private meeting arranged by Murphy.
During Thursday’s commission meeting, Chappie shared some of what was discussed during that meeting, and also during his previous meetings with Titsworth and Murphy. Chappie said the three mayors have had some preliminary discussion about possibly consolidating some of the services provided by each of the three cities, including flood plain management, the flood insurance-related Community Rating System, code enforcement and things of that nature.
“We’re looking at that and that was part of the request from our legislators,” Chappie said.
Commissioner Ralph Cole addressed the potential consolidation or elimination of the city’s police department.
“It’s good to have your own police department. They know the people, how the area works and what’s going on in each neighborhood,” he said.
“Look at the amount of crime out here on the Island and tell us we haven’t done a good job,” Cole said in comparison to crime rates experienced elsewhere in the county.
Regarding consolidation in general, Chappie said, “I don’t think the numbers actually work. We’re going to look at all that.”
“It would be a disaster for this area,” Cole said.
No one has more vested interest in water quality and the protection of our local marine habitat than anglers. That fact is clearly evident for those that make a living from the bays and estuaries that define the Suncoast, making it one of the country’s most desirable locations to visit and live. It’s easy to understand that fishing guides, waterfront restaurants, marinas and resort accommodations like hotels, motels and marinas, benefit from a robust and sustainable environment. What’s less well appreciated by the public at large is the impact of a healthy environment on the economy at large.
Fortunately, local anglers, through advocacy groups like Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, are getting that message to a wider audience through the media, legal actions and events like this week’s Third Annual Waterman Fly Fishing Tournament. The event, a sellout this year, is a two-day, fly fishing-only, catch-and-release redfish tournament with an optional Snook Calcutta that awards the winner a 50/50 cash payout. The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4-5. The tournament has a full field of 50 teams with 100 anglers.
All proceeds from the photo submission, all release formats including entry fees, 50% of the Snook Calcutta and raffle ticket purchases directly benefit Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The fishing boundaries are the west coast of Florida from the southern tip of Sanibel Island to the southern edge of the Crystal River Power Plant main channel. The target species are snook and redfish. The Waterman tournament culminates on Feb. 5 with an awards banquet at the Bradenton Yacht Club and features a raffle made possible by our generous sponsors. A limited amount of guest tickets to the awards banquet are available for purchase for $50.
Locally, we are blessed to receive the benefit of two Waterkeeper groups. Suncoast Waterkeeper concentrates its efforts on the waters of Manatee County and Sarasota County, primarily Sarasota Bay. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper focuses its efforts on the waters of Tampa Bay and its surrounding estuaries. Local anglers know that there are no distinct boundaries between these areas and both organizations work together on broader issues, like Piney Point and the proposed fish farm off New Pass. While the tournament is sold out this year, I’ll report back on the results and would encourage everyone to support these groups’ advocacy efforts through donations, advocacy and volunteerism. Their work supports everything we value locally.
Some quality redfish were landed, but among the anglers I spoke to there was concern with the overall abundance of fish as well as the condition of the bay. That sentiment was shared by tournament organizer and TBWK Board member Adam Fernandez in his introduction at the evening’s awards ceremony and raffle. A total of 82 fish were weighed in during the two-day tournament including nine snook, the biggest at 25.5 inches.
