ANNA MARIA – City Pier tenant requests, increased parking fines and ongoing service issues with Waste Management were among the topics discussed during the June 26 Anna Maria City Commission meeting.
The meeting began with Manatee County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Chief Matt Myers giving a short presentation at the request of Mayor Mark Short. Short said he plans to take full advantage of EOC resources this storm season and do a better job of communicating with the county’s emergency operations team regarding hurricane preparation and response.
Window coverage
The commission approved on first reading an ordinance that upon second reading and final adoption will increase from 20% to 80% the window coverage businesses are allowed for window signs and other promotional materials. The ordinance requires businesses to maintain a 6-inch vertical visibility strip on each window so first responders can look inside before entering.
Parking fines
The commission adopted a resolution that increases the city’s parking ticket fine from $50 to $75 in an effort to discourage beachgoers and other motorists from viewing a $50 parking ticket as an acceptable price to pay to park for the day. Now in effect, the resolution also increases the fine for parking in a handicapped space from $225 to $250. Violators of any parking offense in Anna Maria can be ticketed every two hours for the same ongoing violation.
Pier tenants
The commissioners shared with the mayor their opinions on several requests recently presented by City Pier Grill tenants Brian Seymour, Vic Mattay and Nick Graham.
The pier tenants’ initial five-year lease expires on Dec. 31 but can be automatically extended for an additional 15 months or so to account for the time lost to the damage caused by Hurricane Milton. Short hopes to reopen the pier in October 2026 and the pier tenants also have to decide if they want to renew their lease for another five years.
The commissioners support placing a permanent, open-air roof structure over the uncovered T-end seating area, but they want the roofline to match the roofline of the adjacent building occupied by Mote Marine so people can still fish off the far end of the pier.
The commissioners support drink rails being attached to the inside of the roof covering support beams but Commissioner Kathy Morgan-Johnson doesn’t want the additional seating provided by the rail stools to be used to obtain a liquor license. Johnson is OK with the existing beer and wine sales, but she doesn’t support liquor being served in a public area often populated by children.
The commission supports leaving the pier open 24 hours a day when it reopens rather than closing it at 10 p.m. as has been the case since the new pier opened in 2020.
Regarding Seymour’s comment about paying $400 per square foot to lease the city-owned pier space and paying $40 per square foot to lease his privately-owned Anna Maria General Store space, Commissioner John Lynch noted the city only charges Seymour and his partners for the interior pier building space and does not charge them for the outdoor area that provides seating for their customers.
Short said he will take the commissioners’ insights into account during future pier lease discussions with Seymour.
Waste management
The mayor, commissioners and residents continue to express displeasure with the residential trash collection services provided by Waste Management. The primary concern is Waste Management is not adequately providing the side door service required for non-homesteaded residential properties (including short-term vacation rentals) and paid for by those property owners. On several recent occasions, Short and others have complained about Waste Management employees not returning the trash and recycling receptacles to the side of the residential structure after emptying them.
Short also made commissioners aware of a new concern. He said a member of the Waste Management team will appear before the commission on July 10 seeking commission authorization to switch trash collection days from Monday and Thursday to Tuesday and Friday and switch recycling collections from Monday to half of the city on Tuesday and half on Friday, with yard and landscaping collection continuing on Monday.
Short said Waste Management made the request after securing a contract with Manatee County for trash collection services in the unincorporated portions of the county. Johnson and Commissioner Gary McMullen oppose giving up Monday trash collections because of the heavy trash accumulation that occurs during weekends. Lynch suggested Waste Management is trying to manage its margins and pick up additional business without increasing its capacity and the trucks and equipment needed.
