ANNA MARIA – After being further clarified on Thursday, March 12, the city of Anna Maria’s commercial beach cabana rental regulations took effect on Sunday, March 15.
In Anna Maria, commercially-rented beach cabanas and tents are now only allowed in the recreation open space-zoned area known as Gulf Front Park, which extends from Oak Avenue to Magnolia Avenue – southeast of the Sandbar restaurant.
Non-commercially rented cabanas and tents are still allowed in the coastal conservation-zoned beach areas that include the beaches in front of the Sandbar restaurant and at Bean Point.
Adopted in late February after numerous city commission discussions that began last year, Anna Maria’s amended parks and recreation regulations do not allow commercial cabana and tent rentals in the coastal conservation-zoned areas that include the beach areas in front of the Sandbar restaurant, on the beach areas between the Sandbar and Bean Point, on the Bean Point beach areas or on the Bayshore Park beach areas.
When the beach cabana rental discussions began last year, Mayor Mark Short surprised many when he said the city code adopted long ago prohibited anything more than single-pole, umbrella-like shade structures in the city’s coastal conservation zones.
During the March 12 city commission meeting, Short clarified that non-commercially-rented cabanas and tents are allowed in those coastal conservation zones as long as they’re located seaward of the dune line – where a dune line exists.
Short said he is not in any way opposed to beachgoers protecting themselves from the sun by using non-commercially-rented cabanas and tents in the city’s coastal conservation zones.
During the March 12, meeting, city commissioners adopted an emergency ordinance (to be followed by a regular ordinance) that specifies beach cabana and tent rentals are the only commercial beach activity allowed in the recreation open space-zoned beach area known as Gulf Front Park.
