HOLMES BEACH – At least 35 Holmes Beach residents have signed a petition opposing a potential Gulf Island Ferry stop in the Waterline/Keyes Marina boat basin along Marina Drive.
On several occasions, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione has publicly expressed the county’s desire for a ferry stop in Holmes Beach.
And in recent months, City Commissioner Carol Whitmore has publicly acknowledged her efforts to help bring a ferry landing to the Waterline Villas & Resort boat basin. Several other government officials have also privately acknowledged the county’s efforts to purchase a boat slip or slips from the Waterline Villas & Marina owner or owners to use as a ferry stop.
For a ferry landing to happen, the county will also need a city commission-approved site plan.
When offering general public comment during the Jan. 13 city commission meeting, three Holmes Beach residents shared their concerns about the potential ferry stop location. When doing so, they reiterated concerns they and others recently addressed in emails sent to the mayor and commissioners.
Speaking first, Dana Sky said, “While water-based transportation can be beneficial when thoughtfully planned, this location is simply, in our opinion, not appropriate. Keyes/Waterline marina is located within a quiet, R-1 (zoned) neighborhood that has historically supported low-impact marina activity and minimal evening traffic. Introducing a high-frequency ferry operation here would fundamentally change the character of this neighborhood and create safety and congestion issues that cannot be reasonably mitigated.”
“A far more suitable alternative already exists: the Kingfish Boat Ramp. The Kingfish Boat Ramp is a public, commercial facility designed to handle visitor volume, vessel traffic and public access. It is not embedded in residential streets and provides local, walkable access to Manatee Public Beach and local businesses.
“It’s important to recognize that Holmes Beach contributes significantly to the county’s tourist development tax revenues. When properly allocated, these funds can support infrastructure that welcomes visitors while protecting residential neighborhoods. Investing in a well-planned ferry facility, such as Kingfish, aligns with the intent of those funds and the city’s responsibility to its residents,” Sky said.
“There’s also been discussion that this ferry could benefit Island employees or reduce traffic. We’ve spoken directly with many employees who work on the Island and they’ve consistently told us that they would not rely on this service to get to and from work. The schedules don’t align with their shift times, some days it doesn’t run and service is not reliable due to weather delays, weather itself and capacity limits. Employees cannot risk being late or stranded.
“Keyes/Waterline marina also lacks basic infrastructure, including restrooms, covered waiting areas, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access, adequate lighting and safe queuing space. Marina Drive is already one of the Island’s most congested corridors and increased pedestrian crossings, especially after dark, would create additional safety risks,” she said.
“From a marine safety standpoint, the channel is narrow, constrained and heavily used. Large vessels cannot safely pass, visibility is limited and a prior ferry attempt was unsuccessful. A comprehensive navigational study would be a bare minimum before this could be reasonably considered.
“Finally, placing hundreds of transient visitors per day into the heart of an R-1 neighborhood directly conflicts with the city’s comprehensive plan and the expectations of us residents.
“In closing, we respectfully ask the city to remove this Keyes/Waterline marina from consideration and to direct any future planning to locations that are appropriate, publicly oriented and consistent with residents’ safety and quality of life – most clearly Kingfish,” Sky said.
Speaking next, Daria Grinenko said, “I agree with everything Dana said.”
She then addressed additional concerns she has.
“I want to address the negative impact this increased usage would have on marine life, including dolphins and manatees that frequent this channel, as well as mangroves that buffer the land. There’s a personal seawall in this channel that has a highly cultivated reef that could be ruined by this increased boat traffic.
“I’ve estimated in high season that the current boat tours and rentals in this marina go out 24 times a day and back in 24 times a day. This doesn’t count the countless fishing charters and other recreational boaters that are in and out getting fuel and bait at Keyes Marina. If you add 18 more ferry rides to this basin it could be devastating to this established sea life. These impacts should be professionally evaluated for consistency with the Holmes Beach comprehensive plan policies addressing environmental protections and coastal resource preservation,” she said.
Grinenko mentioned the site plan approval process the county would have to follow and she said that process should include traffic impact studies, boater and pedestrian safety studies, the evaluation of marine life preservation reports and a review of overall compatibility.
Izzy Sky said many ferry passengers enjoy a low-priced boat ride to the Island (from downtown Bradenton) and are allowed to bring their own food, beverages and coolers. He said this results in some passengers not spending money at the Island’s local businesses and restaurants.
“We cannot be sold out to boatloads of people just to visit the Island. My question is simple: Why? The cup is full. You add any more people, it overflows,” he said.
When the speakers finished, Commission Chair Carol Whitmore said the commission could not discuss a site plan process that could come before the commission in a formal setting if the county pursues that ferry landing location.
When asked, after the meeting ended, Development Services Director Chad Minor said the city had not received a site plan approval application from the county for a ferry stop in the Keyes/Waterline marina basin.
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