ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria City Commission has updated the city’s recently enacted commercial beach activity regulations that pertain to temporary shade structures (aka rented cabanas, tents and umbrellas).
The revised city regulations that first took effect on March 15 allow certain commercial beach activities to be conducted only in the recreation open space-zoned Gulf Front Park area that extends from the northerly side of Magnolia Avenue to the southernly side of Oak Avenue in Anna Maria.
According to Mayor Mark Short, as stated on March 12, non-commercially rented temporary shade structures are still allowed in the coastal conservation-zoned public beach areas that include the beach areas near the Sandbar restaurant and the beach areas at and near Bean Point.
On Thursday, March 26, the commission adopted ordinance 26-956, an ordinance that was presented on first reading during the commission’s March 12 meeting. Ordinance 26-956 amends the Chapter 38 city code provisions set forth in a similar ordinance adopted on Feb. 26 (Ordinance 26-952), after many months of public discussion and debate.
After adopting Ordinance 26-956 with no additional commission discussion or public input given on March 26, the mayor and commission were then presented with the first reading of Ordinance 26-958, an ordinance that when adopted on second and final reading will establish a registration program for service providers.
Similar to the city’s short-term vacation rental program, the registration fees will be established each year by the commission’s adoption of a fee-related city resolution. The second reading of the registration ordinance is expected to be presented for second and final reading on Thursday, April 9.
The proposed registration ordinance also contains provisions that would allow beachfront property owners to utilize commercially delivered, set up and removed cabanas, tents, umbrellas and other allowed items on their privately-owned, coastal conservation-zoned upland properties, but they must provide the city with 18 hours’ advance notice before doing so.
ADOPTED REGULATIONS
First presented on March 12 and adopted in March 26, one of the whereas clauses contained in Ordinance 26-956 says, “The city commission has determined that the (previously adopted) ordinance should be clarified to expressly state that a Commercial Rental Area is permitted for purposes of renting temporary shade structures as defined in the ordinance.”
According to the adopted ordinance, “A Commercial Rental Area for the purposes of renting temporary shade structures is permitted with the following conditions: “Commercial Rental Areas must be pre-ordered. No more than two Commercial Rental Areas may be placed within 50 linear feet of each other, measured in any direction. Adjacent Commercial Rental Areas shall not exceed 28 linear feet in any direction.
“Signage and/or advertising may not exceed four square feet, must include the owner name and contact information, must be located on the Temporary Shade Structure within the Commercial Rental Area and may not exceed the roofline of the Temporary Shade Structure. No stand-alone signage is permitted.
“Any individual or entity providing a Commercial Rental Area must have on file with the city a valid proof of insurance certificate with coverage as stipulated by resolution of the city commission.
“Delivery and set-up may not occur prior to 7 a.m. Tear-down must be complete and removed from the beaches by dusk. During inclement weather events, tear down after dusk may not be penalized provided tear down commences as soon as the beach is safe to access.”
The Chapter 38 code revisions included in the Feb. 26 meeting packet included the following definitions: “Commercial Rental Area means an area temporary in nature not to exceed 169 square feet in total of ground coverage, and 13 linear feet extending in any direction and includes at least one Temporary Shade Structure.”
“Temporary shade structure means a portable freestanding shelter providing sun protection such as a tent, umbrella, canopy or the like. Temporary shade structures shall not exceed 169 square feet of ground coverage in total, and 13 linear feet in any direction, inclusive of any poles, pegs, tie downs, anchors, weights, sandbags or the like,” according to Chapter 38.
According to a March 27 email City Planner Ashley Austin sent to Mayor Mark Short, City Attorney Becky Vose and Commissioner Chris Arendt, a temporary beach dining area that consists of a portable dining table that holds one or more umbrellas and is accompanied by portable chairs and other accessories is not allowed according to the city regulations now in effect.
PERSONAL SHADE STRUCTURES
The Anna Maria Commission held its first beach cabana regulation discussion in July 2025. During the ensuing commission discussion on Aug. 14, Mayor Mark Short said, “Commercial activity is not listed as a permissible activity on any of our beaches. In fact, our land use ordinance even goes as far as to say you can’t even have more than one-pole tents on the coastal conservation part of our beach.”
During the March 12, 2026, meeting, Short addressed one-pole and four-pole shade structures and the misconception that personally owned, non-commercially rented temporary shade structures are prohibited in coastal conservation-zoned beach areas.
“I just wanted to make it clear that in the ordinance that was passed, that ordinance better defined beaches. And that means all beaches, whether they’re in the coastal conservation zone or in the parks and rec zone. As part of that ordinance, we say that four-post tents can be on the beaches. I know there’s been some chatter out there about mono poles only in the coastal conservation zone, but the ordinance that was passed makes it clear that people who have four-post tents can set those tents up on the beach, including in the coastal conservation zone. That was part of the ordinance we didn’t really highlight, but it did clarify the concerns about mono poles. The mayor is not against people being protected from the sun.”
The March 26 meeting packet did not contain in their entirety the most recently amended version of the Chapter 38 code provisions. The complete, amended Chapter 38 provisions that were included in the Feb. 26 meeting packet did not contain any specific references to four-post temporary shade structures being placed in the city’s coastal conservation zones.
