ANNA MARIA – When discussing three conceptual scenarios for a Manatee County-funded Gulf Islands Ferry stop in Anna Maria, Mayor Mark Short said city commission approval is needed for any ferry landing installed at or near the Anna Maria City Pier.
The ferry landing scenarios first discussed during the April 21 Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) meeting include a standalone ferry stop located between the City Pier and the Lake La Vista jetty. This scenario also calls for the current jetty to be extended to help reduce sediment accumulation and the need for maintenance-related dredging of the channel. The conceptual scenarios also include a ferry landing installed alongside the northwest side of the City Pier walkway or a ferry landing that extends from the tip of the T-end of the pier.
Last October, Hurricane Milton destroyed most of the pier walkway, including the boat landing at the T-end of the pier that served as a Gulf Islands ferry stop since January 2024. Built on a concrete foundation, the T-end of the pier and the pier buildings sustained minimal hurricane damage.
On April 24, Short told city commissioners he contacted Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione on April 17 regarding the ferry update included on the TDC meeting agenda.
“I reminded him that anything they want to do out here needs this commission’s approval,” Short said. “I also told him that our priority is to rebuild that pier; and it has to be built in the exact footprint it was in.”
During the TDC meeting, Falcione said the new, larger enclosed 76-passenger ferry boat, the Manatee Belle, expected to arrive in July, would weigh 30,000 pounds. He said the two 49-passenger, open-air pontoon boats that will remain in service weigh 1,000 pounds. Falcione later corrected himself and said the Manatee Belle will weigh 100,000 pounds and the pontoon ferry boats each weigh 33,000 pounds.
Short said the new pier walkway, when constructed, could accommodate the pontoon ferry boats but a pier walkway built in the exact same footprint could not accommodate the new and heavier ferry boat.
“Sooner or later, this commission is going to be asked to vote on one of the scenarios. They can’t make our reconstruction of the pier part of their add-on. They cannot bolt that on to our project. It would be a completely separate project, outside of what we’re working on with the pier rebuild,” Short said.
Commissioner Charlie Salem noted the county’s August 2027 estimate for ferry service to resume in Anna Maria would leave the city without ferry service for another two and a half years.
Falcione and Manatee County Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker will present the ferry landing scenarios to the mayor and commission on Thursday, May 8 at 1 p.m.
“The city encourages the public to attend that meeting to learn more about the options the county is considering,” Short said.
The May 8 meeting can be accessed by phone and public input can be given by calling 1-929-205-6099 and entering the meeting ID: 85392000280.
Pier repair funding
Earlier this year, Short submitted a funding request to the county that listed an estimated $8 million total cost to replace the pier walkway. The city hopes to fund the pier repairs with a portion of the hurricane-related $252.7 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the county.
Falcione told The Sun that he, Short and other county staff members have also engaged in preliminary discussions about possibly using county commission-controlled tourist development tax revenues to help fund the pier walkway repair project.
During the April 24 meeting, Short also addressed the pending demolition and removal of what remains of the pier walkway. He said 10 construction companies sent representatives to the mandatory pre-bid walkthrough meeting held at the pier the previous day. Bid proposals for the demolition and debris removal contract are due by May 16 and Short hopes to recommend a demolition firm for city commission consideration on May 22.
Ferry accident
Contracted by Manatee County, the Gulf Islands Ferry service is managed and operated by Trisha and Dennis Rodriguez through their Gulf Coast Water Taxi LLC. Through their Clearwater Ferry Services LLC, the couple also manages and operates the Clearwater Ferry service that was involved in a fatal boating accident in Clearwater on April 27. The accident resulted in the death of 41-year-old ferry passenger Jose Castro and 10 other passengers were injured.
The fatal accident is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Coast Guard. According to the FWC, the three-engine power boat that struck the ferry boat was driven by Jeff Knight, 62. At the time of the accident, Knight owned the Jannus Live music venue in Clearwater and several other Clearwater businesses. On April 30, Jannus Live issued a statement saying Knight is no longer affiliated with the music venue.
According to FWC Capt. Matthew Dellarosa, Knight voluntarily subjected himself to a breathalyzer test that evening and no alcohol was detected in his system. To date, no criminal charges have been filed as the investigation continues. Knight’s legal team now questions whether the ferry boat was properly lit when the accident occurred.
According to various media reports, Knight was piloting the same motorboat in 2019 when it collided with a pontoon boat, injuring three pontoon boat passengers. In 2012, he was named in a civil lawsuit after a man slipped and drowned while getting off his boat. That lawsuit was later dismissed.
