ANNA MARIA – City officials’ desire to rebuild the hurricane-damaged City Pier walkway and Manatee County officials’ desire to install a ferry landing at the pier are financially and philosophically intertwined.
The city needs county funds to help replace the pier walkway weakened by Hurricane Helene and mostly destroyed by Hurricane Milton. The pier wasn’t insured and the city doesn’t have enough money to self-fund the project.
The county needs the City Pier to serve as the Anna Maria stop for the larger ferry boat that will join the Gulf Islands Ferry fleet later this year. The county’s long-term goal is to use the larger ferry boat to transport passengers between the City Pier and downtown Bradenton and use the two pontoon boats as “Island hoppers’ that travel between Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and the South Coquina boat ramp – and potentially Holmes Beach. The county also plans to include a ferry stop at the Cortez Marina in Cortez when the county-owned marina is built.
The Gulf Islands Ferry service currently runs between the Riverwalk Day Dock in downtown Bradenton and the Bradenton Beach Pier in Bradenton Beach.
On June 16, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short appeared before the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC), which recommends county commission approval for the city to use up to $2 million of tourist development tax revenues for the City Pier project.
City/county meeting
On June 18, Short, city commissioners Charlie Salem, Chris Arendt and Kathy Morgan-Johnson and City Clerk Amber LaRowe met with County Commission Chair George Kruse, County Administrator Charlie Bishop and other county staff members. County commissioners Tal Siddique and Carol Ann Felts participated by phone. The city and county officials discussed several topics but first and foremost were the related pier and ferry landing projects.
For cost saving purposes, the current pier walkway that opened in 2020 was built atop hollow concrete pilings and a wooden support structure. The new pier walkway will be built atop solid concrete pilings and a concrete support structure similar to the T-end of the pier that survived the 2024 hurricanes.
Short estimates the pier walkway replacement will cost between $7 million and $9 million and hopefully be completed by October 2026. He said the city’s pier walkway replacement project and the county’s ferry landing installation must remain separate projects because the emergency permit received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires the new walkway to be built in exactly the same footprint.
The city will know by July 1 whether Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes the city’s pier-related $1.25 million state appropriation request. Those state funds would be available on Oct. 1 if not vetoed. The city anticipates receiving around $4 million in pier-related FEMA reimbursements but those federal funds aren’t guaranteed and Short doesn’t know if or when the city will receive them.
Short said the city already spent $223,000 on the pier project. He estimates the city will spend another $1.1 million between now and September, including $239,500 for the demolition of the remaining pier walkway and $800,000 to repair and remediate the T-end pier buildings that sustained flood damage but remain structurally sound. Short estimates the city will need $3.1 million in 2025 and another $4.1 million in 2026 for the pier project.
Kruse asked Short who is responsible for restoring the T-end pier buildings occupied by Mote Marine and the City Pier Grill. Short said the city will repair and remediate the city-owned pier buildings and the pier tenants are responsible for replacing their damaged equipment and contents.
Kruse asked Short if he expects Mote Marine to return to the pier.
“If that goes away, it’s not the same,” Kruse said.
Short said Mote personnel recently visited the pier by boat and are assessing Mote’s future plans.
Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said the Mote space could be used as a ferry passenger waiting area if Mote doesn’t return. Kruse said he’d like to see that space used for something more than a waiting area.
Falcione said Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker estimates the City Pier ferry landing will cost the county an additional $1 million to $1.5 million. Falcione also said Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) will assume oversight of the county-contracted ferry service on Oct. 1 and the visitors bureau will continue marketing and promoting the ferry service it currently oversees.
Kruse insights
Kruse expects county commissioners to vote on the $2 million TDC recommendation on July 29.
He noted the $4 million in potential FEMA funds equates to about half the estimated pier replacement costs.
“It could be 18 months before you know if you’re even going to get it and another three years before you actually get it,” Kruse said of the FEMA funds.
Speaking for himself, and not the county commission, Kruse said the county may need to front the city the additional money needed to complete the project, with the city later reimbursing the county using FEMA funds or other funding sources.
“This has to be rebuilt,” Kruse said. “I don’t think there’s any alternative. It’s critical to our tourism, it’s critical to our residents and we’ve got great amenities out there. We need the landing space. We want people to go to Mote. We want people to go to the grill. We want people to use that pier.”
He also mentioned the economic impact of ferry passengers visiting the restaurants and businesses within walking distance of the pier, and beyond.
Kruse suggested Mote Marine and City Pier Grill representatives meet with city and county officials for an all-inclusive discussion. He also said city and county staff need to create a funding proposal.
Kruse mentioned the hurricane-related line of credit the county secured, the county’s reserve funds and the county’s tourist development tax revenues as potential funding sources.
“I don’t think this is a question of should we do it,” Kruse said. “I think it’s a question of where’s the money coming from in the short term and where’s the money coming from in the long term? It’s still taxpayer money.”
“We understand and we appreciate that,” Short said.
Related coverage:
Mayor seeks TDC support for pier replacement project
Manatee County, Bradenton Beach officials discuss ferry options
City Pier Grill operators hope to renegotiate lease
City commission narrows ferry landing options
