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One parking lot meets city deadline; three closed

One parking lot meets city deadline; three closed

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – One of four paid parking lots owned by Shawn Kaleta was brought into compliance by the city’s Sept. 9 deadline for adherence to several requirements.

The applicants opted to close the remaining three lots at 102 Third St. N., 206 Bay Drive N. and 207 Church Ave.

Seven months after the city commission conditionally approved a one-year temporary use permit for paid parking at 101 Bridge St., all requirements there have been met, according to city Building Official Darin Cushing.

City commissioners voted unanimously on Sept. 5 to remove the sidewalk installation stipulation for the temporary use permits at Kaleta’s paid parking lots on Third Street and Bay Drive.

Sam Negrin, manager of Beach to Bay Investments Inc., a Kaleta-owned entity, told commissioners at the Sept. 5 meeting that Kaleta plans to build homes on the lots and said permits will be submitted within a couple of months.

“The permit packages are being worked on at this point,” Negrin said.

“The applicants for the temporary use parking lot permits came to last Thursday’s commission meeting to ask for a modification of their stipulations, essentially to not install sidewalks on the Third Street and Bay Drive lots as was originally stipulated,” Cushing wrote in a Sept. 11 email to The Sun. “The commission agreed, and that stipulation was removed.”

But on Sept. 9, Cushing said the applicants emailed city staff informing them that they now intended to terminate the operation of paid parking lots at those lots as well as the Church Avenue lot.

The parking lot stipulations from the Feb. 15 commission approval of the Bridge Street parking lot include no entrance or exit from Bridge Street, the installation of directional arrows, landscaping less than 3 feet high, a sidewalk north of Third Street South to hook into the corner sidewalk on Gulf Drive, trolley benches and a slab, and black and white signage, in addition to review and approval of the site plan by the building official. The one-year temporary use permit runs through Feb. 15, 2025.

In an Aug. 1 letter to Kaleta, Cushing wrote that he intended to barricade the lots on Aug. 9 with a permanent closure deadline of Sept. 6 if all the stipulations had not been met. The deadline was extended to Sept. 9 to allow for the repair of a leaking artesian well at 101 Bridge St.

The parking lots were barricaded by the city on Aug. 9, but reopened the following day after intervention by Kaleta’s Bradenton attorney, Louis Najmy.

City reduces sidewalk requirement for parking lots

City reduces sidewalk requirement for parking lots

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners approved a request last week to remove one of the requirements for two paid parking lots owned by developer Shawn Kaleta.

Sam Negrin, manager of Beach to Bay Investments Inc., a Kaleta-owned entity, spoke to commissioners at a Sept. 5 meeting about a sidewalk installation stipulation at the 102 Third St. N. and 206 Bay Drive N. parking lots.

“I’d like to apologize for how this whole situation has gone down from the start,” Negrin said. “We took the lots back over and we’re back on track and I’ve been working daily with Darin (city building official Darin Cushing) to get the parking lots up to the standards that you’re requiring making sure we’re meeting all your regulations.”

He then addressed the sidewalk stipulation that had been put in place in March by the commission.

“Essentially what’s being requested is these two very small patches of sidewalk at the ends of the two properties, abutting up against Third Street North,” Negrin said. “From my talks with Darin and his talks with the police chief, it seems the general consensus is these sidewalks might not be the greatest set of ideas, for a couple of reasons.”

Negrin said that Kaleta plans to build homes on the lots and that permits will be submitted within a couple of months.

“The permit packages are being worked on at this point,” Negrin said. “Within several months they will no longer be operating as parking lots. The point of this is to walk through this with you and see if it’s something you want us to rush into place for our deadline next week. It’s something that we can do. We’re just questioning whether that’s something you’re looking to have done.”

“You’re saying you’re going to build in a couple months? December?,” Commissioner Ralph Cole asked Negrin.

“No it’s a much longer process,” Negrin said. “We’ve had these plans in the works, they’re now out of the design phase. And we’re working on the permit packets to submit to Darin. He should see the permit submissions within the next couple months.”

Once the plans are submitted and approved, the temporary use permits on those lots will end, according to the stipulations that were put in place for approval in March.

“They serve their purpose for just a short couple months,” Negrin said. “We could start laying the sidewalks tomorrow, that’s not really the issue. The issue is does the city really want to have them?”

“My only concern is we’re getting ready to redo our entire stormwater system and I’d hate to see spot sidewalks all over the city that we’re probably going to wind up ripping out because we’re going to put pipe,” Bradenton Beach Police Chief and Interim Public Works Director John Cosby said. “We have lengthy conversations about mid-block swales to divert the stormwater that is coming. So until we know where we’re actually going to put our stormwater system, that may change the thought that the sidewalk needs to be at the pavement or it needs to be put further back in the right of way. I think there needs to be a little more thought on this.”

City commissioners voted unanimously to remove the sidewalk stipulation for temporary use permits for paid parking at lots on 102 Third St. N. and 206 Bay Drive N.

City commissioners question paid parking contract

City commissioners question paid parking contract

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners took issue with multiple provisions of a proposed parking lot management contract between the city and Shawn Kaleta-owned Beach to Bay Investments Inc., opting to continue the discussion at a Tuesday, July 16 meeting.

At a March 7 commission meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a bid from Beach to Bay Investments, the sole bidder for RFP 2024-03, to manage the existing parking lot between Church and Highland Avenues by the Public Works Department in a 50/50 split partnership with the city.

City Attorney Ricinda Perry read the terms of the proposed contract to commissioners on June 20 and several of the provisions raised concerns among the commission.

One of the sticking points was a clause that stated in part, “All decisions as to changes, charges and rates, and the timing and modification of same during the term of this Agreement and extensions or renewals of same shall be made by the operator (Beach to Bay) in its sole discretion.”

Commissioner Ralph Cole said that stipulation conflicted with his recollection of the discussion of parking rates at the March meeting and he requested time to review the audio recording.

“I thought we had thoroughly discussed pricing in March,” Cole said.

“I hate to say this to a client, but an open-ended determination of the cost was agreed upon by the city,” Perry said. “Nothing in the RFP said it was capped. We’d have damages if we walked away.”

At the March 7 Commission meeting, the following discussion took place.

Mayor John Chappie said, “We’d like to look at a cap on what we charge per hour.”

Pricing would change during the time of the year, Beach to Bay Investment representative Sam Negrin said.

Commissioner Jan Vosburgh asked what the parking rates would be and Negrin said that was open to discussion with the city.

“That’s something we could certainly put a cap on,” Negrin said. “I don’t know what we’re going to charge there yet. The lot across from Beach House charges $5-$10 an hour, so I think it will be somewhere in that range.”

Cole said he would like to know what the hourly charges are in order to make a determination as to which of three offered partnership plans to accept.

Some of the other issues discussed by commissioners at the June 20 meeting were the costs to the city for termination of the agreement.

“Either party shall have the right to terminate this agreement with or without cause upon providing 30 days’ notice to the other party,” according to the agreement proposal.

Beach to Bay Investments will be improving the city-owned parking lot with paving and striping, landscaping, clearing of the lot, signage and installation of lighting and security cameras.

A discussion ensued as to when the city’s obligation for reimbursement for the improvements would be ended in the event of a termination of the agreement.

“We need to have a good number for the cost of the improvements,” Cole said. “I need to see all the numbers before the contract is signed.”

“We can come up with a number the city is comfortable with,” Negrin said at the meeting. “It can be made more specific.”

Perry said she had an issue with indemnification and insurance.

“They want to cap it at $250,000,” Perry said. “Our agreement with John Horne at AMOB is $1 million per occurrence. I have an issue with indemnification and insurance. That’s very important.”

Perry suggested resuming the contract discussion at a future meeting.

“Let’s carry this on to the next meeting,” Chappie said.

A motion to continue the discussion to the July 16 meeting was made by Commissioner Jan Vosburgh and seconded by Cole. The motion passed unanimously.

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

HOLMES BEACH – About two dozen people came out on March 20 to meet with Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, bringing their questions for the candidate, who is seeking re-election in November.

Kruse held a town hall meeting at the Island Branch Library where he answered every question posed, discussing everything from parking and traffic to the possible consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities.

On the subject of traffic and making the Island trolley service more efficient during peak times, Kruse said that if there’s traffic, the trolley is stuck in it the same as any other motor vehicle. He did say that he would look into the possibility of adding additional trolleys during peak times, such as over holiday weekends and spring break to help reduce the amount of time spent waiting for transportation that may be too full to accept more riders.

When the new Cortez and Manatee bridges are built, Kruse said he hopes that there will be an express lane – a third lane for emergency and transit vehicles.

“You’re not going to reduce the want of people to go to the beach, you have to get them out of their cars,” he said, adding that with the current situation, one lane in each direction, people won’t want to sit on a bus in traffic instead of in their vehicles. The way around that would be to have a dedicated express lane for those people to bypass congestion on the way to the beach. Kruse said he’s spoken with Florida Department of Transportation representatives about including an express lane in the design for the new bridges but hasn’t received a definitive answer.

When it came to talking about a parking garage and the availability of beach parking on the Island, Kruse said he doesn’t currently see the benefit in building a parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach. With paid beach parking now existing in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria, he added that he believes it’s just a matter of time before Holmes Beach city leaders will have to reconsider their stance on paid parking.

Currently, Holmes Beach is the only Island city that does not allow paid parking. Speaking up during the discussion, Mayor Judy Titsworth said that she’s not in favor of charging for beach parking and will avoid it in Holmes Beach for as long as possible. She said she feels the beach should be free for everyone to access, not limited to those willing to pay to park to access the sand.

Though the city has an updated parking map on its website, the map does not show parking space availability in real time. Titsworth said that to install the sensors and develop the corresponding applications for use would cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” funds that the city doesn’t have to commit to the project. To complete the project, she said the parking would have to be paid parking, going against what she believes is in the best interests of the city.

When the conversation turned to the state study concerning consolidation of the three Island cities, Kruse said he’s unsure that anything will come out of it, but he thinks what would be in the best interests of the residents would be to leave the three cities as-is with the possibility of consolidating some services to save taxpayer money.

An ongoing Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study was begun at the request of the Manatee County state legislative delegation and against the wishes of city leaders in the three cities. While city leaders said they would support the study for the purposes of potentially saving taxpayer funds, they don’t support the other three possibilities – consolidation of the three cities into one, or elimination of the three city governments and annexation of Anna Maria Island into unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton.

Kruse added that he can’t truly guess what state leaders plan to do with the results of the OPPAGA study because there’s no precedent for the state eliminating a municipality without cause, such as the municipality being financially insolvent, which is not the case in any of the three Island cities.

To hear what Kruse had to say about these issues and more, visit The Sun’s Facebook page to watch the town hall discussion in its entirety.

City leaders continue to fight parking garage

City leaders continue to fight parking garage

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Gov. Ron DeSantis may have signed off on a beachfront parking garage, but that doesn’t mean that city leaders are giving up the fight to stop the garage from being built just yet.

“We’re committed to fighting this thing. We’re not going to stop until there are shovels in the ground,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said, with his fellow commissioners echoing the statement.

The garage that commissioners are vowing to fight is planned as a three-story parking structure with 1,500 or more spaces at Manatee Beach. While parking garages are not an allowable land use in any of the three Anna Maria Island cities, they are allowed in Holmes Beach by special exception. Feeling that city officials would never approve the garage, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said he opted to circumvent the special exception process in Holmes Beach by encouraging state Rep. Will Robinson to introduce HB 947, a bill to allow for the garage to be built without requiring any input or approvals from the city. Despite public outcry against the bill, it received unanimous support from the local state delegation, the Florida House and Senate, and, ultimately, from the governor.

The garage is estimated to cost $45 million to build, $400,000 a year to maintain and take at least two years to build, during which facilities and parking at Manatee Beach would be unavailable. The existing concession building with a retail store, restrooms and the Anna Maria Island Beach Café would be torn down to make way for the parking garage. Once built, the garage is expected to house new restroom and concession facilities.

City Attorney Erica Augello said that the legal battle is now underway to try and stop the garage from being built. While she said she’s just beginning to work on the city’s legal defense against the parking structure, she said she’s aware that at least two groups of residents and other interested parties have sprung up locally to fight against the garage. Augello said that if either or both groups decide to retain an attorney to pursue legal action she would like the attorneys to contact her to coordinate legal efforts.

Coquina Beach parking lot improvements nearly complete

Coquina Beach parking lot improvements nearly complete

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Almost the entire Coquina Beach parking lot is now available to beachgoers, including those visiting the beach during the extended Fourth of July weekend.

The second phase of Manatee County’s long-running drainage and parking lot improvement project is now in its final stage, with the remaining work taking place in the overflow parking area being created north of the picnic pavilion area.

Coquina Beach parking lot improvements nearly complete
This diagram illustrates where the work was completed and the overflow parking area, circled in red, still being worked on. – Manatee County | Submitted

According to Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan, all the Coquina Beach parking spaces are now open except for the overflow area, which he said is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Coquina Beach parking lot improvements nearly complete
An overflow parking area is being constructed near the picnic pavilions. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“That is the last and final parking and drainage improvement,” Logan said of the final work taking place.

Formerly comprised of shell and sand, the Coquina Beach parking spaces are now paved with permeable concrete which contains gaps that allow water to drain down through the pavement and into the new drainage elements below.

A visit to the Coquina Beach parking lot on June 27 indicated that, with the exception of the overflow area, the entire parking lot was finished and available for parking.

Coquina Beach parking lot improvements nearly complete
The improvements made to the north end of the Coquina Beach parking lot are complete. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Coquina Beach drainage project started at the south end of the beach parking lot in May 2019 and included the removal of approximately 100 Australian Pine trees. County staff said the trees needed to be removed in part because their expansive root systems would hinder the drainage and paving improvements. As the second phase of the project moved north, approximately 87 more Australian pines were removed. Although many Australian Pines were removed, many still remain in place, including those along the recreational trail between the parking lot and the beach.

When the county commission approved the phase two plans and tree removals in 2020, the estimated phase one cost was $3.36 million and the estimated phase two cost was $3.62 million.

Memorial Day weekend parking won’t be without peril

Memorial Day weekend parking won’t be without peril

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – With Memorial Day weekend just days away, Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach are preparing for what could be record-breaking crowds.

While a number of visitors will fly to the area from around the U.S., Canada and Europe, the Island is also preparing for the thousands of Florida residents who will arrive by car.

Officials in all three cities encourage visitors to take advantage of public transportation options, but for many there is no option but to bring the car and hope for the best.

“We’ll be here through Memorial Day weekend. We drove from Atlanta so we have a car but we’re not crazy, the car won’t be leaving the condo all weekend,” said Terry Dosier, who arrived May 14 with his family. “Traffic hasn’t been bad since we got here, but we’ve talked to enough people to know it will be an entirely different animal for the holiday weekend.”

The Dosiers are staying in Holmes Beach, which is making every effort to accommodate the influx for the weekend, but there is only so much the city can do beyond offering the normal beach parking. According to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, there was an average of 39,000 cars per day coming into the city during the busy spring break season, and that number could be topped over Memorial Day weekend.

“We will be allowing parking at Anna Maria Elementary School for Memorial Day weekend, but no cars can be left on the lot overnight, and only legal parking spaces may be used,” said Tokajer, who stressed that all signs posted in the city must be observed and rules must be followed.

Bradenton Beach has been the scene of serious parking violations that number in the hundreds over the past few weeks. More than 100 tickets were written for double parking along Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach on Mother’s Day and close to 100 more were written the following weekend. Police could have written more, but some violators got lucky when police ran out of tickets.

“Double parking will not be tolerated; neither will parking in the right of way. We have signs out there and we’re not wanting to ticket people, but people get confused. They see the barricades that say no parking and don’t realize that those apply the entire length of Gulf Drive starting at the bridge,” said Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz, whose advice to visitors is to come early.

“Use common sense, if you’re questioning where you’re parking then it’s probably not the right place to park,” he said.

All three cities plan to have extra officers on duty due to the large anticipated crowds, and all three cities will tow any vehicle that is blocking access for emergency vehicles. Depending on the tow company, vehicles could be taken more than 10 miles from where they were illegally parked, so in addition to the expensive tow cost, there is the cost of a ride to retrieve the vehicle. If not towed, tickets could range from $50 to more than $250 depending on the violation.

Plans for driving to the Island over Memorial Day weekend should also include allowing time to get across the three bridges that link Anna Maria Island to Bradenton, Cortez and Longboat Key. During busy holiday weekends, traffic can back up for miles, resulting in wait times that can be more than two hours at peak arrival times. With pedestrian crossings, trolley stops and other things unique to AMI, officials say it’s best to relax and accept the things that can’t be changed.

Lifeguards, law enforcement prepared for busy beach holidays

Lifeguards, law enforcement prepared for busy beach holidays

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Featured.

COQUINA BEACH – This weekend marks the start of the busy holiday beach season that runs through Memorial Day weekend, and local public safety agencies say they are ready.

Public Safety and local law enforcement agencies held a press conference on March 29 to discuss the measures they will take to keep the public safe.

Beach patrol, law enforcement and EMS will be facing new and unique challenges this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said.

“It’s critical for Manatee County to work in unison with our Island partners and local law enforcement agencies to keep all beachgoers safe so that they have a safe place to enjoy this Island and this community while they’re on break or taking some much-needed downtime from their hectic schedules,” Saur said, reminding residents to expect large crowds during this busy season. 

Manatee County Beach Patrol Chief Joe Westerman spoke about the challenges facing lifeguards and first responders as the busy spring and summer holiday season begins. 

“We ask a few things of everyone that comes out here. One is to always swim in front of a lifeguard, and check with your lifeguard about what the surf and beach conditions are that day. Also, there is no alcohol allowed on any of our beaches. Also, this isn’t a place to bring pets, we don’t allow any pets on our beaches unless it’s a service animal,” Westerman said, adding that a little planning ahead of time will make for a successful day at the beach.

It takes coordination between multiple agencies to keep the public safe at area beaches. Manatee County Emergency Management Chief Steve Litschauer said 13 different agencies or departments are working together, including all law enforcement agencies on the Island, EMS, Code Enforcement, Property Management and Public Works. Litschauer said communication is essential, and the fact that all 13 agencies are able to communicate effectively is a key factor in the event of an emergency.

Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer took to the podium to reiterate the Island’s zero-tolerance policy regarding alcohol on the beach. 

“No alcohol, no pets, no glass bottles, no fires and no grills unless you’re in a grilling area that’s assigned. It’s important to remember that you’re vacationing in a residential area, so keep the noise down to a respectable level, and remember that we still have a mask order in place and social distancing,” Tokajer said, stressing that these laws would be enforced. Tokajer also said that anyone caught drinking alcohol would be issued a fine, and anyone underage caught consuming alcohol would be removed from the beach and their parents would be contacted, regardless of their location.

Chief Tokajer also shared some numbers on just how busy the spring season has been so far this year.

“Between March 1st and March 26th, we have had 650,000 vehicles come to Holmes Beach alone, which is 24,700 cars a day. We have limited parking, so if you want a space, you should come early.”

Parking can often be an issue during the busy spring season, but Longboat Key Police Lieutenant Chris Skinner said his department, as well as others, would strictly enforce parking regulations, and if you park outside designated areas, you should expect a citation. Skinner said his department will increase patrol not only on the streets, but on the beaches as well during this busy season.

Almost exactly a year ago, the agencies were working together to close the beaches because they didn’t know what to expect from the pandemic. Now the same agencies are once again working together to prepare for what will likely be larger-than-normal crowds at area beaches. As more and more people are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations and positivity numbers continue to slowly go down, many have their eyes on Gulf beaches for a much-needed getaway. It’s important to remember, however, that COVID-19 is still a genuine threat, and if you can’t social distance – or wish to visit businesses on the Island – masks are still required.

Officers enforce new parking measures

Officers enforce new parking measures

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The Easter weekend was a busy one for Holmes Beach police officers as they worked to enforce the city’s new no parking mandates.

Beginning April 10, no parking orders went into effect in the city, blocking parking at all beach accesses, along city streets and in the right of way. Banners were placed throughout the city warning drivers that violators would be towed and beach accesses were blocked by police barricades. Some private parking areas where businesses were closed also were blocked off to prevent illegal parking on April 12.

Also on Sunday, officers and tow truck drivers created a staging area at the then-closed Kingfish Boat Ramp where 7 vehicles were towed on Sunday. In a conversation with The Sun on April 13, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that he had nine officers out on April 12 to help educate drivers. He said that his officers warned drivers as they parked that if they left the vehicle it would be towed at their expense. Without that, he said that the number of cars towed would have been much higher, around 40-50. For the drivers whose vehicles were towed, Tokajer said the vehicles were towed to the boat ramp instead of in town and officers gave the drivers a ride to Kingfish to pay to retrieve their vehicles while pointing out all of the banners and signs the drivers had passed warning of the city’s new parking policies.

Tokajer said that officers gave drivers 69 parking tickets over the weekend to help educate them that the new parking regulations would be enforced. He added that he had five tow trucks from different companies on Sunday to tow illegally parked vehicles. With Kingfish reopening on April 13, he said that if needed, officers may set up a towing staging area across the street instead of using the area for overflow boat trailer parking.

Both Tokajer and Titsworth said the new parking regulations are designed to help discourage people from coming to the beach and encourage them to abide by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stay at home order, which is set to expire at midnight on April 30. Tokajer said he felt the new parking regulations helped with social distancing and keeping large groups from gathering.

The new parking regulations remain in force until at least April 30 or when Mayor Judy Titsworth rescinds her executive directive.

In Bradenton Beach, Lt. John Cosby said that there were no issues with illegally parked vehicles over the weekend. While the city remains under a state of emergency, drivers are advised to not park in the First Street North municipal parking lot, at the Coquina and Cortez county beach parking lots or in barricaded areas. Bradenton Beach police officers are strictly enforcing the new rules and violators may be ticketed or have their vehicles towed at their own expense.

– Sun reporter Joe Hendricks contributed to this story.

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