ANNA MARIA – City commissioners have eliminated the possibility of the county installing a stand-alone Gulf Islands Ferry landing structure near the Lake La Vista inlet and jetty.
On May 27, with Commissioner Kathy Morgan Johnson absent, commissioners Gary McMullen, Chris Arendt, John Lynch and Charlie Salem reached a 4-0 consensus that a stand-alone ferry landing is not a desired. The commission remains open to the possibility of the county installing a ferry landing alongside the Anna Maria City Pier after the hurricane-damaged pier is replaced.
The commissioners remain open to resuming the pre-hurricane use of the City Pier as a ferry stop for the two pontoon boats that began landing at the City Pier in January 2024. The commissioners are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to installing a landing that would accommodate the larger and heavier boat expected to join the county-contracted ferry fleet later this summer.
Mayor Mark Short and the commissioners remain adamant that replacing the City Pier walkway and reopening the pier is the city’s top priority and the expansion of the existing ferry service is a less-immediate concern.
The commission’s May 27 discussion was preceded by the May 8 ferry landing presentation that Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione, Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker and county consultants Thomas Pierro and Morjana Signorin provided the city commission.
The May 8 presentation included three potential ferry landing locations near the Lake La Vista inlet and jetty and two potential locations alongside the City Pier – one between the shoreline and the T-end buildings and one at the farthest end of the pier. The commission consensus doesn’t state a preference for which landing alongside the pier is preferred.
Commission discussion
On May 27, Mayor Mark Short asked the commissioners to provide the county with some preliminary guidance regarding the future location of a new ferry landing. He said the county’s intent is to accommodate the larger ferry boat, which at full capacity will carry approximately 100 passengers. The pontoon ferry boats currently operating between downtown Bradenton and the Bradenton Beach Pier carry up to 49 passengers.
Short said county officials at least need to know whether the city commission prefers a stand-alone ferry landing or a landing located next to the City Pier. Short said choosing one of the two general locations doesn’t obligate the city to approve a county-funded ferry landing at some future point.
McMullen said a ferry landing attached to the City Pier would be more efficient and more cost efficient and he favors county option C, which proposes a ferry landing installed alongside the pier, between the T-end buildings and the shoreline. He said that location would leave the T-end of the pier unobstructed for sightseers and people fishing from the end of the pier. Arendt agreed with McMullen.
Participating by phone, Lynch said his primary concern was creating more foot traffic and congestion on a pier that already offers limited space. He said a stand-alone landing built near the jetty would provide a separate point of arrival and departure for ferry passengers. He agreed that a landing built next to the pier would be more cost efficient and he later joined the other commissioners in reaching unanimous consensus to eliminate the stand-alone landing option.
Arendt asked Short if county officials responded to Lynch’s previous request for additional information about the impact additional ferry passengers and foot traffic would have on the pier and the other pier users. Short said the county had not provided that information.
Arendt asked if safety railings are being considered for the new pier walkway. Short said the walkway design that’s about 85% completed does not include safety railings, but that could be considered before the design process is finished.
Salem said he’s not comfortable selecting a ferry landing location until the pier walkway is replaced and the pier is reopened. He also noted the county’s financial contribution to the walkway replacement project – using tourist development tax revenues – remains unknown.
Salem said it doesn’t make sense right now to dedicate a lot of time and energy enhancing the ferry service that’s not expected to return to Anna Maria until 2027. Arendt asked Salem if he was comfortable with at least eliminating the stand-alone landing scenario and Salem said he was.
Short said he hasn’t submitted a tourist tax revenue-related funding request to the county yet because he doesn’t yet know how much to ask for. He’s still waiting to see how much FEMA will contribute to the walkway replacement project and whether Gov. Ron DeSantis will approve or veto the city’s project-related state appropriation request.
T-end buildings
Before Hurricane Milton destroyed a significant portion of the pier walkway, Brian Seymour and his business partners operated the City Pier Grill & Bait Shop at the T-end pier in space leased from the city. The Mote Marine Science Education & Outreach Center also operated in a T-end space provided by the city. With no pedestrian access, the pier and the T-end buildings will remain closed until the walkway is replaced.
Short said the T-end buildings are beginning to suffer from the lack of electricity and the formation of mold. He said the pier tenants’ equipment needs to be removed soon and the city will be contracting a marine demolition and remediation firm to stabilize the condition of the pier buildings before it worsens.
General Manager Dean Jones said he’s traveled by boat to the T-end of the pier several times and each time he visits finds the buildings to be in worse shape.
Related coverage:
Anna Maria ferry landing discussions continue
