Tag: Cortez Beach

Bradenton Beach commissioners discuss beach hole ordinance

Written by Leslie Lake on June 17, 2025. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners discussed the current city ordinance prohibiting the digging of holes on public beaches at the June 5 meeting.

“This was brought up by (Manatee County Natural Resources Director) Charlie Hunsicker a couple of weeks ago at the coalition of Barrier Island Elected Officials meeting,” Mayor John Chappie said.

Holmes Beach has since passed a city ordinance prohibiting digging holes on beaches within the city’s limits.

“One of the things that was brought up to me is that it would be nice to have all of the three cities with a very similar if not the same ordinance,” Chappie said. “People don’t know when they’re crossing into different cities.”

The Holmes Beach ordinance prohibits removal of sand or shell and digging on the beach and states in part, “No person shall possess on or about the sandy Gulf beach a metal shovel of the type customarily sold in a hardware store (not a children’s toy) unless part of a (permitted) construction project.”

Chappie said the Bradenton Beach prohibition does not apply to kids digging with small beach shovels but is intended to prevent injuries to people and entrapment of sea turtles caused by larger holes.

“This is dealing with having big garden shovels out there or as somebody phrased it, as ‘an overexcited father with his kids digging a huge hole’ and then they don’t fill them back in and somebody could trip and get hurt,” he said.

Chappie said he recently received an email from a man who wrote that his wife was in the hospital after falling into a large hole at the beach.

“She hurt herself pretty badly apparently, so I think it is needed,” he said.

City Attorney Ricinda Perry said the city already has a city ordinance on the books which prohibits digging on the beaches and beach accesses.

Perry referred to Sec. 46-36 – Removal of Natural Resources – under city ordinance number 08-404 which has been in place since 2008.

“No person in a park shall dig, remove or displace any beach sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stone, tree, shrub or plant, down timber or other wood or material, or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means or agency,” that section states.

The ordinance states, “Park means a park, golf course, playground, beach, recreational center or any other area in the city, owned or used by the city, and devoted to active or passive recreation.”

“If you look at it, I don’t see the need to do anything more,” Perry said. “We have something on the books that prevents this from happening.”

The 2008 Bradenton Beach ordinance doesn’t limit or specify the depth of a hole that can be dug in the beach sand. The Manatee County, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria ordinances limit the depth of a hole dug in the beach sand to 1 foot.

Penalties and enforcement

“If a code enforcement officer from the county or somebody from the city is around at the right time and place, that’s when enforcement is going to happen, but our guys are not going to be out there looking for it,” Chappie said.

Commissioner Scott Bear asked if the city could assess fines for violations.

Perry said there is nothing in Holmes Beach’s proposed ordinance that provides for fines but said she and Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby have been discussing city-wide penalties and modifications as they relate to code enforcement and traffic violations.

“If you don’t write it in the ordinance then it’s subject to difficulty applying a penalty for it,” Perry said. “The penalty that’s in the code that’s applicable is any person violating the provisions of this article shall be subject to expulsion from the park.”

She said the city has concurrent jurisdiction on the beaches with Manatee County.

“If they (Manatee County) have an ordinance with a fine associated with it, then we can have that particular fine be applicable,” Perry said.

A person convicted of violation of this code could receive a fine of not more than $500, she said.

“The way I see this, the city could issue a ticket like we do with turtle lighting issues and some other irreversible harm and add this to the ticket book for removal of sand, but it can’t exceed $500 per incident.”

Cosby said city fines and possible increases will be discussed at a Wednesday, June 25 city budget meeting.

Beach hole concerns deepen

Written by Joe Hendricks on May 20, 2025. Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Deeply-dug beach holes, and using metal shovels to dig those holes, are becoming a major concern on Anna Maria Island’s beaches; and county officials are asking the three Island cities to adopt local ordinances to help address the problem.

Manatee County Natural Resources Department Director Charlie Hunsicker expressed his concerns about unfilled beach holes when giving a presentation to the Holmes Beach mayor and city commissioners on May 13. He plans to make similar presentations to the Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach mayors and commissioners and he hopes all three cities will adopt ordinances that mirror a county ordinance adopted within the past year or so.

Regarding the removal of natural resources, County Ordinance 23-121 states: “No person shall dig, damage, remove, displace or destroy any beach sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stone, tree, shrub or plant, or down-timber or other wood or material, or excavate by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means without first obtaining a permit from the director. Exception is made for the building of sandcastles or other sand sculptures, except that the sand used for such activities must not be moved from the general vicinity of its source. The area must be returned to its original state after use.”

In regard to digging holes on a county beach, the ordinance states: “No person shall possess on or about the sandy Gulf beach a metal shovel of the type customarily sold in hardware stores – not a children’s toy – unless part of a construction project permitted under the Florida Building Code or similar law. No person shall dig a hole in the sandy Gulf beach deeper than one foot below surrounding grade unless part of a construction project permitted under the Florida Building Code or similar law.”

Manatee County owns and manages Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach and Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach. The county also maintains and manages Bayfront Park in Anna Maria, which is city-owned and includes a beachfront area along the Tampa Bay shoreline. The county does not have the authority to regulate beaches that are not county-owned or county-managed.

As part of the efforts to protect the Island beaches, those who visit them and the wildlife that inhabits them, Hunsicker encouraged the Holmes Beach mayor and commission to consider adopting a city ordinance that would allow the city’s police officers and code compliance officers to enforce hole digging regulations similar to the county’s. Hunsicker will soon ask the Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach mayors and city commissioners to do the same.

“Everyone wants to come and build a sandcastle and get buried on the sand, but what we’re seeing now, and what we’ve seen the last several years, is a movement towards this massive work,” Hunsicker said.

His presentation includes a photo of large holes dug several feet deep on county beaches – some with adults standing in them and some with teenagers standing in them.

“Why is this happening? Because they’re out here with garden tools,” Hunsicker said. “No one’s going to be opposed to a beach pail and a plastic beach shovel and building family traditions and memories about some sandcastle. However, we’ve reached the point where some of these things are just excessive.”

Hunsicker said uncovered holes in the beach sand are even harder to see at night, which can result in people getting injured and sea turtles and other wildlife becoming fatally trapped. His presentation includes a photo of a loggerhead turtle that fell into a beach hole and died on its back, unable to escape.

Hunsicker’s presentation also references an Associated Press news story about a 2024 beach hole collapse in Fort Lauderdale that resulted in the death of a young girl. That story also references three other 2023-24 sand digging incidents that resulted in the deaths of a teenager in each instance.

Beach raker’s observations:

As the county’s primary beach rake operator, longtime Cortez resident Mark Taylor drives a large John Deere tractor up and down the county beaches towing a beach rake. Based in Holmes Beach but utilized Island-wide, the beach rake collects seaweed, algae, dead marine life and wildlife, trash and other beach debris.

Hunsicker said Taylor once encountered a deep beach hole with a two-year-old child at the bottom of it; had he not seen the hole and then passed over it with the beach rake the consequences could have been disastrous.

At Hunsicker’s request, Taylor addressed the mayor and commission.

“Your police department has had to rope off holes that are bigger than my tractor and rig combined. These holes are dangerous. It’s a real problem,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he has to avoid the holes when raking the beaches and he also expressed concerns about lifeguards and other first responders hitting an unseen hole while driving on the beach at an accelerated speed.

He said he gets out of his tractor a half-dozen times a day to kindly remind beachgoers to fill their holes before leaving. He also reminds them it’s currently sea turtle nesting season.

Taylor said the county beaches are his top priority but he often operates the tractor and beach rake Island-wide, including while traveling from one county beach to another. During turtle nesting season, Taylor works closely with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella to ensure the Gulf shoreline is clear of debris and that the sand is properly sloped for the sea turtles to travel upon.

Taylor supports all three Island cities adopting beach regulations similar to the county regulations.

Commission comments:

Mayor Judy Titsworth said the city recently updated the public beach access signs placed at city street ends.

Regarding sea turtle awareness, the signs say:

“Lights out of for sea turtles May 1-Oct. 31;
“Do not approach turtles or nests;
“Remove beach furniture at dusk;
“Leave nests and signs undisturbed;
“Fill all holes dug in the sand.”

Police Chief Bill Tokajer supports the adoption of a city ordinance that would provide his officers and the city’s code compliance officers with the authority they need to direct beachgoers to fill their excessive holes immediately and return their metal shovels to their vehicles.

“Deeper than your knee is too far,” Tokajer said about enforcing an ordinance that would limit the depth of the holes dug in the beach sand.

City Attorney Erica Augello said she has no legal concerns about the city adopting an ordinance that mirrors the county’s language and she noted the commission could revise the county language if so desired.

The commission reached unanimous consensus in directing Augello to draft an ordinance and present it for first reading at a future commission meeting. Any changes desired by the mayor, commission or city staff can then be incorporated before the ordinance is brought back for second reading and final adoption.

Natural Resources Director discusses state of beaches

Beach improvement projects coming

Written by Leslie Lake on May 12, 2025. Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

MANATEE COUNTY – Anna Maria Island beach renourishment is scheduled for 2026-27 at federal expense, but Manatee County must pay to stabilize Gulf Drive, install offshore erosion control breakwaters and repair the Longboat Pass jetty, the county’s beach official said.

During a joint meeting of the Manatee County Commission and the Town of Longboat Key on May 7, Manatee County Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker gave a presentation on storm recovery and beach renourishment.

“Our contract with the federal government says if we lose the beach to a hurricane or a single major event, what’s called an emergency condition… the federal government will return to rebuild your project at 100% federal cost including putting in dunes to replace the ones lost,” Hunsicker said. “So we’re in a very fortunate position Island-wide, but that still leaves us with the full burden of cost for these other features at Coquina and Cortez Beach.”

Beach renourishment

The first Anna Maria Island beach renourishment was in 1992.

“Up until 1992, 9 miles of Anna Maria beaches left us only 30% of the beaches you could walk at high tide,” Hunsicker said. “If you weren’t here then and you see our healthy beaches now, you wonder why are we in this strong effort to keep these beaches healthy and continue to nourish. Because this is the end point when our nourishment stops. The erosion effects on our Island is day to day. Storm or no storm, we are losing about 10 feet a year to erosion.”

“We’ve continuously stayed with the projects ever since, with help from our federal partners as well as state partners. Of course, we have a program with the city of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach area that is supported by the Army Corps of Engineers,” Hunsicker said. “The Bradenton Beach area called Coquina and Cortez Beach are not federally supported because they are recreational beaches. There’s really no value behind that sand for a federal interest to protect.”

Hunsicker said there is talk that FEMA may not participate in funding recreational beaches.

“That would be a dramatic shift in responsibilities to the State of Florida and local governments who have recreational beaches,” he said. We have to ponder that as we think about our future budgets.”

Gulf Drive stabilization

Hunsicker addressed Gulf Drive stabilization to protect against storm surge and damage such as that caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

“The Gulf Drive stabilization, this was and still is a non-engineering structure. It’s there to protect wave runoff and protect this road from getting washed away,” Hunsicker said.

He said the current structures were placed in the early 1960s and he showed a slide which stated that Hurricane Helene storm surge and overwash caused severe damage to dunes, the revetment and the roadway.

“Because they were not engineered with a planning permit, we’re not going to get any assistance from FEMA or any government agencies to replace what was there,” Hunsicker said. “So we’re going to need to come back with an engineered structure designed to accommodate our knowledge of rising sea levels over decades and also provide the protection we’re going to need.”

Hunsicker said the choice of materials to protect the road is either rock or seawall.

“The downside is we can’t get through any of these processes without committing about $20 million along that Cortez Beach road section,” he said. “So we put in for a grant application and other activities. We’re going to be trying very hard to make that happen, but remember that $20 million is for that section of Cortez Beach. We really don’t have an alternative.”

Cortez Beach groins, Longboat Pass jetty

In 1957-58, perpendicular erosion control structures called groins were placed on the shoreline of Coquina Beach, Hunsicker said.

“They have deteriorated to the point where it’s not only an embarrassment from the standpoint of a beautiful beach, but is actually a safety hazard,” he said. “If a small child is on this side and the lifeguard tower is on this side, you can’t see them.”

The county is working on a plan to build four offshore breakwaters to deter erosion.

“We have to provide the same erosion protection and our plan coming up next year is to remove all these structures and substitute an offshore breakwater system that will continue to protect the beach but will give a complete and free clear run for public safety, for beach enjoyment, all the way to our central holding pier,” Hunsicker said.

At the south end of Coquina Beach, “The jetty is almost 70 years old. This has held up about as long as it can. We’re going to be removing some of the cross ties, putting in additional rock and a sheetwall right here behind it to be able to continue to rely on this jetty from keeping Coquina Beach from washing up into Longboat Pass,” Hunsicker said. “That’s the purpose of this jetty, to protect the navigational integrity of Longboat Pass to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Unknown man rescues 9-year-old from drowning

Written by Jason Schaffer on September 11, 2023. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – For one family, the Labor Day holiday weekend ended with gratitude to an unknown rescuer after a 9-year-old girl was saved from drowning at Cortez Beach.

According to Bradenton Beach Police Officer Ryan Gagliano’s report, he was dispatched to lifeguard tower 3 at Cortez Beach on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 5:05 p.m. in reference to a near-drowning. According to his report, when Gagliano arrived on the scene, Beach Patrol was already accessing the victim, whose name is being withheld due to her age.

“Sandra Parizo, the victim’s aunt, was on the scene and stated the victim was in the water with her juvenile brother,” Gagliano said in his report. “Parizo stated the brother came out of the water and when asked where his sister was, he did not know.”

An unknown man had located the girl in the water and pulled her to shore before 911 was called, according to the report. Parizo said she did not know how long the girl had been in the water, but bystanders said they thought it was around two minutes. Gagliano said he observed the girl come and go out of consciousness while Beach Patrol and EMS were assisting her.

EMS called for a Bay Flight helicopter to come to a landing zone that police officers had cleared at the North Coquina Boat Ramp. The victim was transported to All Children’s Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition as of 10:40 p.m. that day.

On Sept. 7, Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz said he was pleased to have gotten an update on the victim’s condition, and she was doing well and was expected to make a full recovery.

Old Town Tram contract extended

Written by Joe Hendricks on April 10, 2023. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The contract for the Old Town Tram parking shuttle service has been extended for another year.

First launched as a one-year pilot program in November 2020, the Old Town Tram consists of two golf cart-like trams that provide free rides seven days a week within the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) district, which extends south from the Cortez Bridge to the southernmost property lines along Fifth Street South.

Beyond the CRA district, the Old Town Trams also serve the Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach parking lots where tram users are encouraged to park and catch a tram ride to and from their destinations in the CRA district, which includes Bridge Street.

Bradenton Beach CRA members approved the contract extension with Joshua LaRose’s Easy Parking Group by a 5-1 vote on April 5.

During the meeting, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said the current contract was set to expire this month, but the contract could, with LaRose’s approval, be continued on a month-to-month basis if so desired.

When asked about a potential six-month extension, LaRose said he preferred something longer than that.

Each month, LaRose presents the CRA members with a monthly invoice for the tram services rendered. The Easy Parking Group invoice for March totaled $9,510. According to the invoice, advertising panels affixed to the two trams generated $5,175 in ad revenue, which left a $4,335 balance to be paid by the CRA.

LaRose also provides the CRA members monthly ridership data and reports. During Wednesday’s meeting, he said tram ridership has increased by 40-60%.

CRA member Ed Chiles initially said he’d support a three-year extension, but the board agreed on a one-year extension. Perry noted that even with the extension, the contract can be terminated at any time by the CRA or LaRose with 30 days advance notice.

CRA member David Bell said he supports the trams and feels they provide an important service. He said he doesn’t have a problem with CRA funds being used to support the tram program, but, as he’s stated before, he feels the tram routes need to be adjusted.

Based on the ridership data and additional input provided monthly by LaRose, Bell has repeatedly expressed his support for discontinuing the little-used tram service at Coquina Beach and extending that service north of the Cortez Bridge where demand appears to be higher.

“People are not going to park at Coquina to come up to the CRA (district),” Bell said during the April 5 meeting. “My concern always is that we’re not analyzing the data the way that we should.”

CRA member Jan Vosburgh cast the only vote opposing the contract extension. Before doing so, she questioned extending the Old Town Tram contract at a time when significant portions of the Cortez Beach parking lot along Gulf Drive South are being rendered temporarily unavailable because of a Manatee County sewer line replacement project that’s not expected to end until late 2024.

“I don’t see why we should be paying for the tram right now considering all that construction on Gulf Drive. Why bother with the trams? I don’t think we need it while all that construction’s going on,” Vosburgh said.

“Actually, I think it’s more important to have it now because of the construction,” CRA member John Chappie said, noting the county project sometimes forces people to park even further away from their desired destinations.

The Old Town Trams run Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5-10 p.m. On Sundays, the service ends one hour earlier at 9 p.m. Passengers can hail a tram as it passes by or call 941-404-6240 to request a ride.

Sewer project will soon impact Bradenton Beach traffic

Sewer project impacts Bradenton Beach traffic

Written by Joe Hendricks on December 28, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County’s sewer rehabilitation project is expected to cause traffic interruptions and parking challenges in Bradenton Beach beginning in late January.

On Dec. 15, Project Manager Alex Gonzalez sent a letter to city officials and others regarding the Bradenton Beach sewer rehabilitation project and a project-related public information meeting taking place at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Dr. N., on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 6-8 p.m.

“The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the Bradenton Beach sewer rehabilitation project on Gulf Drive, from 6th Street South to 13th Street South,” Gonzalez stated in the letter.

“There will be no formal presentation and guests are invited to stop by anytime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to view project boards and design plans. Project staff will also be available to answer questions and provide additional project-related information,” he said.

“This project will replace and relocate a portion of the gravity collection system in south Bradenton Beach to new locations within the public right of way. The replacement of aging sewer infrastructure will improve the resiliency of the Bradenton Beach sewer system by increasing capacity and reducing the risk of pipe failures and leaks,” the letter states.

When contacted via email on Dec. 22, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan said the Woodruff & Sons construction firm is expected to begin its work during the third week of January – the week after the Jan. 12 public information meeting.

“That would be the work on Gulf Drive and they expect it to last through summertime. Then they will begin work on the side streets,” Logan told The Sun.

Project website

Additional information and project updates can be found at the project-related website. According to the website, construction is expected to be completed in September 2024.

“The project includes the installation of approximately one mile of 10-inch and 8-inch gravity main along Gulf Drive South as well as 21 manholes and approximately 100 new 6-inch laterals. Lateral service connections will extend from the gravity main on Gulf Drive South down each side street from 6th Street South to 13th Street South. The project will also require road repair and restoration,” according to the website. “This project will replace and relocate a portion of the gravity collection system in south Bradenton Beach to new locations within the public right of way. The contractor is currently developing a construction schedule and procuring project materials.”

Chief’s concerns

During recent city meetings, Police Chief John Cosby has expressed concerns about the traffic and parking impacts that will occur along Gulf Drive South.

At a Dec. 7 Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting, Cosby referenced the sewer rehabilitation project and its anticipated impacts on the Cortez Beach parking lots south of Bridge Street – which in addition to providing beach parking also provide public parking for CRA’s Old Town Tram parking shuttle service.

“They are cutting holes across Gulf Drive at every street, from 6th Street down to 13th. Because it’s gravity fed, they cannot do (underground) boring, so it’s physically cutting holes about 15 feet deep and the width of the road in order to put the pipe in,” Cosby said.

He said Gulf Drive South traffic will be diverted through the unpaved Cortez Beach parking lots which will also be used to store construction equipment and materials.

“Cortez Beach parking for the next 18 months is non-existent. And as you know, the parking is still not finished at Coquina (Beach). There’s still one more section to do at Coquina once they’re done with the middle section that is not completed yet. You’re about to lose all that parking space at Cortez Beach,” Cosby said.

“We’re looking at 18 months if everything goes perfect. When’s the last time that happened?” he added.

During the Nov. 2 CRA meeting, Cosby said he and Mayor John Chappie had already met with county staff twice to discuss the pending project.

“It is going to be a nightmare,” Cosby said of the project’s anticipated impact on traffic and parking.

Modifications planned for Coquina, Cortez beach parking lots

Written by Joe Hendricks on August 8, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Manatee County.

BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County has some modifications in mind for the Coquina Beach, Cortez Beach and Bayside Park parking lots.

City and county officials discussed the plan recently when Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie, Police Chief John Cosby and Public Works Director Tom Woodard met with Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Deputy County Administrator Charlie Bishop, Public Works Director Chad Butzow and Parks and Natural Resources Grounds Operations Manager Carmine DeMilio.

DeMilio summed up those discussions in a video recap that Chappie shared with city commissioners during their Aug. 4 meeting.

In the video, DeMilio details the county’s plans to create an additional overflow parking area near the children’s playground at the southern end of the Coquina Beach parking lot. Those plans include the installation of a split rail fence and the planting of royal palm trees to separate the children’s play area and the overflow parking area.

DeMilio said county staff would manage the overflow parking area and open and close the gates as needed to provide additional beach parking. DeMilio said this modification requires a change work order to the phase 2 drainage and parking lot improvements already taking place in the center section of the beach parking lot. Additional fencing will be installed along the entrance road that runs parallel to Gulf Drive South.

DeMilio said the county also plans to install a median, with parking on both sides, in the unpaved parking lot at the south end of Coquina Bayside Park parking lot, near the Longboat Pass Bridge.

Cortez Beach

DeMilio said the county plans to eliminate automobile parking at the far north end of the Cortez Beach parking lot along Gulf Drive South, between Fourth and Fifth streets south. The county plans to limit that narrow strip of parking spaces to motorcycle and golf cart parking.

To address the issue of tandem parking – cars parking in front of other vehicles – the county plans to install fencing and/or rope bollards that would reduce the depth of the automobile parking areas to 10-12 feet deep, which would only provide space for a single row of automobiles to be parked between the fence and Gulf Drive South.

DeMilio did not specify when the proposed changes would be made to the Coquina Beach, Bayside Park and Cortez Beach parking lots.

Tram path

After watching DeMilio’s video, Chappie commented on the proposed fencing in the Cortez Beach parking lot.

“The idea is to move it back so you cannot tandem park in that area. There’s a big safety concern – not only tandem, but three (vehicles) in a row,” Chappie said.

Chappie said vehicles parked two and three deep reduces access to the multi-use trail and reduces the drivable area between the parked cars and the bike lane along the western edge of Gulf Drive South. Chappie also said the city could create a tow-away zone there to further address tandem parking.

Commissioner Ralph Cole noted the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) hopes to one day install along that same stretch of the Cortez Beach parking lot a dedicated path for the CRA-funded Old Town Tram parking shuttle service. Cole asked Chappie to make sure county staff takes that into consideration.

City Attorney Ricinda Perry reiterated the need for county staff to be aware of the desired tram path when planning the Cortez Beach parking lot modifications. She noted former City Engineer Lynn Burnett previously took several measurements in the Cortez Beach area as part of the initial tram path plans informally presented to and tentatively supported by the county commission. Perry suggested using temporary tape to lay out and conceptualize where the tram path might be located.

“I don’t want to lose that tram path,” she said.

Chappie said he would relay those concerns to county staff. The plans previously presented to the county commission include a tram path that extends to the Coquina North boat ramp parking lot and a proposed employee parking lot near the Manatee County Beach Patrol station. That parking lot would be reserved for those who work in and around the Bridge Street/downtown Bradenton Beach business district.

“Commissioner Van Ostenbridge is really enthusiastic about the whole project,” Chappie said.

Multiple vehicle break-ins at Coquina and Cortez beaches

Multiple vehicle break-ins at Coquina, Cortez beaches

Written by Jason Schaffer on July 11, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – It’s easy to get distracted by the beauty of the beaches and surrounding areas when visiting Anna Maria Island, but four vehicle break-ins on July 30 are a reminder that even paradise can have problems.

Two vehicles were broken into at Coquina Beach and two at Cortez Beach, according to reports filed by two Bradenton Beach police officers. The crimes all took place within an hour or two of each other.

According to a report filed by Officer Roy Joslin III, he was dispatched to a vehicle burglary on June 30 at 7:04 p.m. in the 1000 block of the Cortez Beach parking area. Two female adult victims said they had their purses stolen from their car after they parked and took a walk to the beach. They said they were only gone for about 15 minutes, but believed they had left the car unlocked with the purses in plain view in the back seat. There were no witnesses and no video footage available for the area.

At 8:18 p.m., shortly after Joslin was investigating the first break-in, Officer Devon Straight was dispatched to another vehicle burglary in the 2650 block of the Coquina Beach parking lot. When Straight arrived, he spoke to a female victim who said she left her vehicle around 5:30 p.m., returning at 8:15 p.m. to find her rear window broken out and her purse missing. The victim said the purse was in plain sight laying in the back seat. In his report, Straight said this burglary, the burglary investigated by Joslin and two others that happened during the same time frame were possibly related.

Straight found another vehicle with a broken rear window at Coquina Beach as he was completing his investigation of the first vehicle. He waited for the owners of the second vehicle to return, which they did about 15 minutes later. The owner reported a purse that had been located in the back seat was missing.

The fourth vehicle at the Cortez Beach parking lot had an iPad taken during a break-in that closely resembled the others during the same time frame.

The four burglaries were referred to a detective for further investigation. No suspects have been identified and the investigation remains open.

“It’s hard to catch these guys, they can easily gather around a vehicle and look like beachgoers,” Bradenton Beach Lt. Lenard Diaz said. “This happens every now and then on busy holiday weekends. They come from out of town and blend in. It doesn’t take long to bust out a window and grab a purse or an iPad.”

Diaz says the best deterrent is to always lock your doors and keep valuable items hidden out of sight. Leaving valuable items in plain view is an invitation to thieves. They want to get in and out fast, so if they don’t see anything valuable, they’re likely to move on to another vehicle.

Mayor hopes to celebrate Bridge Street’s 100th anniversary

Written by Joe Hendricks on July 11, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor John Chappie wants to recognize the 100th anniversary of Bridge Street with a celebration.

The street was once at the foot of the bridge leading to Anna Maria Island from Cortez before a new bridge was built. The Bradenton Beach pier now stands in the footprint of the original bridge.

Chappie, a member of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), asked the board last month for $10,000 to purchase holiday banners to place on light poles down Bridge Street. He hopes some of the money will be used to purchase banners commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the historic commercial area. CRA members approved the funds and expressed preliminary support for the proposed celebration.

During the CRA meeting on July 6, he provided additional details on his anniversary celebration plans.

“We just are finishing up with our hundredth year of Bridge Street existing,” Chappie said, adding that Bridge Street is believed to be the longest existing commercial area on Anna Maria Island. “100 years is pretty cool.”

Chappie told the board he recently spent a couple of hours doing research at the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum and he couldn’t find any specific details as to exactly when the street was renamed Bridge Street, so he’s using the construction of the original Cortez Bridge, which began in 1921, as a start for the 100-year timeline.

“As the bridge was being built, a hurricane came late in 1921 and they had to rebuild what was destroyed in 1922, so we’re still within that 100-year timeframe,” he said.

Construction of the Cortez Bridge was completed in 1922, according to the book “Anna Maria Island: The Early Days, 1893-1940,” written by late Island historian Carolyne Norwood.

“The bridge from Cortez to Cortez Beach (now known as Bradenton Beach) was completed in 1922. Cortez Beach soon became the commercial center of the Island – just in time for the Florida boom and prohibition! By 1927, Cortez Beach had a population of 75. There was a village store, a gas station, the Bayside Inn (now The Bridgetender Inn), the Bath House and the popular Pagoda Dance Hall. Among the many characters were carpenters, bookkeepers, bootleggers and ladies of the night,” Norwood wrote.

This photo of the Bath House was taken in 1922 in the city then known as Cortez Beach. – Manatee Public Library Digital Collection | Submitted“The Bath House was on the Gulf beach at the end of Bridge Street. South of the Bath House stood the huge Pagoda Dance Hall. People were charged to dance and be served setups for the rum, homebrew and moonshine they bought from the locals. Weekends and holidays, as many as four hundred Model T’s a day would cross the bridge from four surrounding counties, since Cortez Beach had the only bathhouse and dance hall on the midwest coast of Florida. This was the heyday of Cortez Beach. Al Capone stayed at the Albion Inn (in Cortez) in 1928 amid rumors of his arranging for illegal rum to go to the Midwest from Cuba,” Norwood wrote.

In 1956, the original bridge was replaced with the current drawbridge, now slated to be replaced with a higher fixed-span bridge.

Chappie told the CRA members he’s already discussed with some Bridge Street business owners the prospect of hosting an anniversary celebration event in September.

“I’m putting out feelers and I’ll be reporting back,” he said.

Police confront armed man on pier

Written by Jason Schaffer on May 30, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Four agencies responded to a suicide attempt by an armed man on May 24 on the erosion control groins at Cortez Beach known as Twin Piers.

Responding to a 911 call at 12:26 p.m. about an attempted suicide in progress, Officer John Tsakiri and Lt. Lenard Diaz of the Bradenton Beach Police Department found a man sitting on the end of the pier with Manatee County Marine Rescue and EMS workers, according to their police report.

The man reportedly had asked a number of people to leave, including a grandmother and her young grandchild.

“I saw the way he was sitting with his right arm and hand between his legs, and I felt strongly he had a gun in that hand,” Tsakiri said. “I took out my binoculars to get a better look, but due to the way he was sitting, I still couldn’t see the gun. Lt. Diaz and I were walking towards the subject with our weapons drawn when we got a call on the radio from the MSO (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office) Marine Boat confirming he was holding a gun.”

After receiving confirmation that the subject was armed, both officers jumped off the cement pier to take cover behind it. Diaz continued to call to the armed man to put down the gun so they could talk, but the man continued to point it at his chest and head, screaming loudly at times and refusing the officer’s request.

“The last thing we wanted was for anyone to get hurt, but after continuing to ignore our commands, and at one point starting to stand up, I told Lt. Diaz that if he pointed the gun at us, I would have no choice but to engage him with my firearm,” Tsakiri said.

After sitting back down facing the water on the end of the pier, the armed man leaned forward and fell into the water as a gunshot was heard.

“I ran up to the water expecting to see blood in the water, but there was nothing. I didn’t see any wounds or blood. He missed,” Tsakiri said.

A Marine Rescue worker jumped in the water and recovered the man, who, after being brought to shore, was determined to be unharmed. He was transported to HCA Florida Blake Hospital in a Baker Act action taken by police.

The gun was recovered by Marine Rescue Capt. Joe Westerman, who found it in the water near the scene of the incident. The 9 mm automatic handgun had eight live rounds remaining when it was recovered.

Tsakiri spoke to the man at Blake, who said he never wanted to harm anyone other than himself. He said he had been let go from his job in Sarasota earlier in the day and had not contacted his parents or girlfriend to inform them of his intentions to harm himself, according to the police report. No charges were filed.

Tram operator asked to focus on beach parking spaces

Written by Joe Hendricks on April 13, 2022. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) members want the CRA-funded Old Town Trams to serve more people who park in the Manatee County-owned parking spaces at Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach.

The unpaved Cortez Beach parking spaces are located along the west side of Gulf Drive South, just south of Bridge Street, from Fourth Street South to 13th Street South. The recently paved and soon-to-be-paved parking spaces at Coquina Beach are located at the south end of the city.

The Old Town Tram shuttle service pilot program is now in its second year and the current one-year contract with Joshua LaRose’s EASYParking Group expires in or around November. Before that contract expires, CRA members must decide whether to continue the experimental pilot program, enter into a permanent contract with LaRose, seek another private operator to provide similar services at no expense to the CRA or simply abandon the publicly-funded tram shuttle concept.

The CRA members’ long-term goal is to install a dedicated tram path along the Cortez Beach parking lot to alleviate the need for the trams to travel in the heavy traffic along Gulf Drive.

County officials have expressed preliminary support for a dedicated path and other tram-related amenities, but those plans can’t be pursued until an extensive utility improvement project that includes the Cortez Beach parking lot is completed. According to CRA member John Chappie, county officials have a definitive timetable as to when that project will start and end.

The other long-term goal is for tram advertising revenues to provide all or most of the funds needed to cover the monthly operating costs.

Concerns and solutions

Each month, LaRose provides a report that details ridership, routes traveled and advertising revenues generated.

During the April 6 CRA meeting, LaRose said the trams generated $5,475 in advertising revenues in March, which equates to 57% of the $9,665 monthly costs, with the CRA paying the remaining $4,190 balance.

LaRose said 5,632 passengers rode the two electric trams in March, with tram drivers picking up 169 passengers at the south end of the Coquina Beach parking lot and 1,102 passengers along Cortez Beach.

City attorney and CRA liaison Ricinda Perry noted the 169 passengers picked up from Coquina Beach equaled about five people per day.

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend this board invest more funds into it if it’s not being used,” she said.

Perry said there are more than 1,300 parking spaces available at the nearby county beaches compared to the dozen or so parking spaces near the Bradenton Beach Police Department where the trams frequently travel.

“The objective is to flip those numbers around. I need to know why that’s not happening on the beachside,” she said.

LaRose said his drivers tell him the heavy traffic presents challenges when traveling to the southern beach parking areas and a dedicated tram path would help. He committed to asking his drivers to get feedback from passengers as to why they don’t utilize the beach parking spaces.

Chappie noted the Cortez Beach parking area is three-quarters of a mile long and could be divided into three primary points to load and unload tram passengers. Chappie said the tram drivers should be driving through the Cortez Beach parking lot rather than on Gulf Drive and be looking for additional passengers along the way.

“The last thing the (tram) driver wants to do is get in that traffic,” CRA member Ed Chiles added.

Perry asked LaRose what else can be done to encourage people to utilize the Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach parking spaces as originally intended.

LaRose said he could conduct a test run in late April or early May with one of the two carts only traveling between Bridge Street and the beach parking areas. The operating hours have been added to banners that promote the free service and he suggested placing another banner at or near Coquina Beach.

He also said digital QR codes have been created to share with the businesses in the CRA district. Accessed by cell phone, the QR codes will provide instant information about the tram service and how to hail a ride. To request a ride, call 941-404-6240.

The Old Town Trams operate daily between the Cortez Bridge and Coquina Beach from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5-10 p.m.

Old Town Tram picking up steam

Written by Joe Hendricks on June 6, 2021. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Old Town Tram continues to make progress in ridership, route consistency and advertising revenues.

The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) contracts Joshua LaRose and his Sarasota-based EasyParking Group to provide two electric trams, the tram drivers and the support services for the park-and-ride shuttle program. The pilot program is an attempt to address the lack of parking that exists in and around the Bridge Street area.

With a financial commitment of slightly more than $100,000, the CRA-funded one-year pilot program for a park-and-ride shuttle service was launched in November. The program currently employs two electric trams in the CRA district, which extends from the Cortez Bridge to Fifth Street South. As part of the designated route, the trams also travel outside of the CRA district boundaries to transport passengers who park in the county-owned Cortez Beach parking lot along the west side of Gulf Drive, from Fifth Street South to 13th Street South.

The pilot program encourages visitors to park at Cortez Beach and elsewhere in the CRA district and utilize the free tram service to get to and from the businesses and attractions along Bridge Street and elsewhere in the CRA district. The tram route also encompasses the parking areas near the Bradenton Beach police station and the Bradenton Beach Marina, at city hall after normal business hours, along Bridge Street and near the Bridge Street Pier.

Ridership and revenues

While attending the Wednesday, June 2 CRA meeting by phone, LaRose said the Old Town Trams provided 4,393 rides in May, and 737 of those rides were to or from the Cortez Beach parking area. He said the peak ridership was on Sundays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Fridays.

At the end of each month, LaRose submits an invoice to the CRA for the monthly services provided. The invoices average approximately $9,000 per month before the advertising revenues generated by signage placed on the trams are deducted. LaRose receives the advertising revenues directly and deducts those revenues from the monthly payment sought from the CRA.

The May invoice totaled $9,200. The amount to be paid by the CRA was $6,225 after the subtraction of $2,975 in advertising revenues. LaRose said he expects to receive an additional $1,800 to $1,900 in June when the Bridge Tender Inn, the Bradenton Beach merchants group and an unnamed ice cream shop join the existing tram advertisers.

LaRose said the anticipated addition of those three new advertisers and securing additional advertisers to fill the remaining ad spaces would produce advertising revenues that would cover approximately 85-90% of the tram program’s total monthly operating costs. If that happens, The Old Town Tram program would be close to achieving the financial self-sufficiency envisioned by the CRA members when they approved the pilot program.

“Congratulations CRA board,” CRA member Ed Chiles said of the progress being made.

Call for a ride

LaRose said the direct phone line available for those seeking rides generated 1,045 calls hailing rides in May. That’s in addition to the riders who simply grab a ride when a tram passes by every seven to 15 minutes or so. To arrange a free ride within the CRA district, call 941-404-6240.

Old Town Tram program making progress — The tram route map is posted at the Old Town Tram website. – EasyParking Group | Submitted

The Old Town Trams operate from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, the service stops at 9 p.m. The route map and more information can be found at the Old Town Tram website.

Banner criticism

During Wednesday’s meeting, the CRA members briefly discussed a text message Mayor John Chappie and others received from Bradenton Beach resident and business owner Mike Norman. Norman’s text pertained to the tram banner installed earlier this year at the intersection of Gulf Drive and Cortez Road. Additional banners were placed near the Cortez Beach parking area and near the east end of the Cortez Bridge.

In his text message, Norman referred to the banner design as “stupid.”

“It says ‘park and ride.’ Park where? Ride where?” Norman stated in his text message that also questioned who came up with the banner design.

Norman’s text message included a sketch for a sign he feels would be more informative. His sketch features the words “Plenty of free parking” with an arrow pointing south. Below that, appear the words, “At Coquina Bch. Ride the Free Tram to Bridge St.”

The trams are authorized to travel all the way to Coquina Beach, but the demand for rides that far south has thus far been low, according to LaRose.

Regarding the banners, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said she, LaRose, BridgeWalk resort owner Angela Rodocker and Rodocker’s husband worked on the banner design at no cost to the city. She also noted Rodocker placed that same design and information on a billboard along Cortez Road at no cost to the city.

“This was the decision the board went with based upon on all of that labor,” Perry said of the banner design. “We have at least one individual who feels it’s not directing folks to where the tram is actually located, and he does not care for the look of the banner that’s out there.”

Perry referenced Norman’s proposed sign design and said his suggestions could be taken into consideration if and when the CRA members decide to install permanent tram signs.

“If it’s working right now, we need to just leave it, and down the line maybe something more permanent,” CRA Chair Ralph Cole said.

Bradenton Beach parking tram program starting soon

Written by Joe Hendricks on September 7, 2020. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The parking tram pilot program in Bradenton Beach is expected to begin service on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) members unanimously approved a one-year contract on Wednesday, Sept. 2 with Easy Parking Group owner Joshua LaRose, who in June was selected as the CRA’s top choice over two other bidders.

Easy Parking Group already provides daily tram service for the Daiquiri Deck and the Bridge Street Bazaar businesses that operate in the building owned by CRA member and City Commissioner Jake Spooner.

Utilizing two electric, golf-cart-like trams, the pilot program will be funded by the CRA. The trams will be owned, operated, maintained and insured by the Easy Parking Group and one of the trams will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The rides will be free for passengers, but tram drivers will gladly accept tips.

The one-year contract provides LaRose with exclusive rights for five one-year renewals.

When service begins, the trams will provide park-and-ride shuttle services in and around the CRA district that extends from the Cortez Bridge to Fifth Street South. The county-owned parking spaces at Cortez Beach – along Gulf Drive and south of Bridge Street – will be among the locations where motorists can park for free and catch a free ride to various destinations in and around the CRA district. The county-owned parking spaces further south at Coquina Beach may also be used.

City Attorney Ricinda Perry said there’s “absolutely no need to go to the county” regarding the use of the county-owned beach parking spaces currently used by Island residents, county residents, non-residents, the Monkey Bus and others. Perry said there’s nothing that prohibits or prevents the CRA from running trams to those public parking areas.

The city-owned parking lot behind the BridgeWalk resort and the city lot next to the public works department building may also serve as park-and-ride destinations, as could the after-hours parking spaces at city hall.

The trams will also provide park-and-ride service to employees who work in and around the CRA district.

“It will move them to the Coquina and Cortez beach areas if the owners of the establishments tell their people they need to park elsewhere and open up more spaces closer to the businesses we have in the Bridge Street/CRA area,” CRA member and Mayor John Chappie said.

Tram routing

The initial tram plans envisioned trams running back and forth between Cortez Beach and the public works parking lot, using Fifth Street South, Bay Drive South, Church Street North, First Street North and Bridge Street as the proposed travel routes.

This led to some public resistance from residents who live along Fifth Street South and Bay Drive South, which led to additional CRA discussions about potentially using a route that relies more on Gulf Drive and Bridge Street.

During Wednesday’s meeting, resident Terry Gephardt again expressed her concerns about the potential tram route.

“I want to make the same comment I’ve made all along: Please do not run the tram down Fifth Street South. We are a neighborhood. We want to be a community, we don’t want to be a commercial endeavor,” she said.

The exact tram routes and operating hours will be subject to ongoing review and revision.

“This is a pilot project. We need to decide where it runs, where it will be best suited, how often it will be used and what the peak seasonal needs and demands are,” Perry said.

Chappie also addressed the routing concerns.

“The routing is going to be flexible. I’ve heard what the concerns are on Fifth Street and there’s a lot of good points there. I think we need to look at these other areas, along with the Fifth Street area. I think we need to move forward with it and see how this shakes out,” Chappie said.

Perry said LaRose is willing to treat the pilot program as a fluid situation as long as the CRA commits to two trams.

The contract calls for LaRose to provide the CRA with ridership and route data that can be used to continually evaluate the program’s impact and success.

That data may also be used to support the CRA’s potential future efforts to install a dedicated tram path in the Cortez Beach parking area, running parallel to Gulf Drive. City Engineer Lynn Burnett has already discussed with county staff the possibility of a tram path and reconfiguring the Cortez Beach parking lots using diagonal parking and ropes and bollards to separate the parking areas from the tram path.

Anticipated costs

Perry said the trams will run seven days a week, 365 days a year and the initial hours of operation will be Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The city’s contract with the Easy Parking Group is based on daily rates. Perry said the rates will be $155 per day for the regular shuttle cart and $165 per day for the ADA-compliant cart. This equates to $320 per day, approximately $9,731 per month and $116,800 per year.

As he has done during previous discussions, CRA Chair Ralph Cole again expressed concerns about dedicating more than $100,000 per year in annual CRA revenues to a parking tram program. In recent years, CRA’s annual tax revenues have averaged between $500,000 and $600,000, according to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Cole questioned whether the proposed annual tram expenditure might be better used to pursue other CRA projects instead, including the additional undergrounding of utility lines. Despite his reservations, Cole agreed to give the pilot program a try.

Perry said advertising revenue generated by signs affixed to the trams would help offset some of the CRA expenses. Perry said the ad revenues will be noted on the monthly invoices and deducted from the CRA’s monthly payments to the Easy Parking Group. Perry said she’s already been contacted by six business owners interested in advertising.

“If the pilot program’s not successful, we can cancel it. If we decide we can’t appropriate the funds for it, we can get out of it,” Perry said.

Additional comments

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the road construction taking place in and around the CRA district, member David Bell questioned whether Nov. 1 was the best time to launch the program and begin collecting ridership data.

CRA member and Beach House restaurant owner Ed Chiles said, “It seems like we’re on the precipice here of success, and that gives me goosebumps. We’ve been working on this for years and years.”

Chiles noted parking has historically been the biggest problem in the Bradenton Beach business district.

“I think it’s a great overall Bradenton Beach project. We’re going to have something fresh and new as we hopefully come out of this pandemic. I think it’s universally supported by the businesses. Ricinda, thank you for your perseverance. It looks like we’re about to make this thing happen,” Chiles said.

Fourth of July celebrated on Bradenton Beach beaches and waterways

Fourth of July celebrated on beaches and waterways

Written by Joe Hendricks on July 4, 2020. Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Folks flocked to Bradenton Beach and the south end of Anna Maria Island to celebrate the Fourth of July.

At 9:30 a.m., a short line of vehicles towing personal watercraft and boats waited to put in at the Coquina South boat ramp. The recently fire-damaged dock along the north side of the ramp was closed but the ramp itself remains open. In orderly fashion, boats, personal watercraft and kayaks entered and exited the water as a sunny Saturday morning unfolded.

At the south end of the Coquina South boat ramp property, families and friends set up tents along the Sarasota Bay/Intracoastal Waterway shoreline, while others enjoyed the solitude of fishing from the seawall near the Longboat Pass Bridge.

By 10 a.m., the South Coquina boat ramp parking lot was nearly full, as was the North Coquina boat ramp just up the street.

Across the street at Coquina Gulfside Beach, beachgoers were setting up tents and settling in for a day at the beach. Social distancing was practiced to varying degrees. Some groups and individuals maintained greater distances and others preferred to be in closer proximity to one another.

Just offshore, a pair of parasailers took to the sky and a Coast Guard plane flew along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Under the shade of the Australian pines, several groups gathered with family and friends for Fourth of July picnics.

To the east, several boats gathered offshore of Jewfish Key, with several boats flying American flags in honor of Independence Day. Other boaters preferred to beach their boats at nearby Beer Can Island.

To the north, the scene was similar on a smaller scale at Cortez Beach. Beachgoers and beach accessories lined the beach and sightseers and fishermen stood upon the nearby groin the extends out into the Gulf of Mexico.

A little further north, more beachgoers gathered near the Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge and the BeachHouse restaurant.

On Bridge Street, restaurant patrons enjoyed lunch and adult beverages, pedestrians walked the sidewalks, some wearing masks and some not, shoppers perused the retail shops and the Drift In bar was open for takeout and package service only in accordance with the governor’s current restrictions.

At 12:30 p.m., a trio of tow trucks passed by Cortez headed south, possibly awaiting calls for their services as legal parking spaces became more difficult to find.

Beach reopenings welcomed by most, questioned by some

Written by Joe Hendricks on May 4, 2020. Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Coquina Beach, Cortez Beach and Manatee Beach are open again.

By order of the Manatee County Commission, the county beaches and beach parking lots on Anna Maria Island reopened at 10 a.m. this morning.

Public Safety Director Jake Saur closed the county beaches and beach parking lots on March 20 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. But the beaches were never totally off-limits to Island residents, vacationers and those who found parking spaces.

Monday also marked the return of outdoor dining, with tables spaced at least 6 feet apart and indoor dining at 25% capacity according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ phase one reopening plans, which took effect Monday.

These masked friends from Tampa – Caroline, Abby and Lesley – enjoyed lunch at Ginny’s and Jane E’s in Anna Maria on Monday. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Many of the Island’s retail businesses also reopened Monday in accordance with the 25% capacity set forth in DeSantis’ executive order.

The entryways to Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach and Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach are now staffed by county workers who hand drivers 5 by 7 cards with COVID-19 safety tips on one side and the handwritten date and arrival time on the other.

The dashboard cards provide county code enforcement officers the information they need to issue $25 parking citations to those who linger too long – with no tires chalked.

“If you’re away from people and keeping your distance, you can be out in the open air enjoying the sunshine, water and sand.” – Tina Miller, Bradenton resident

“Our goal today is to be courteous and helpful to the people who want to enjoy the beach,” Manatee County Code Enforcement Officer Zach Stiscak said, noting the goal is to educate beachgoers, not ticket them.

Construction projects at Manatee Beach and Coquina Beach have reduced parking capacity at both beaches. When a parking lot becomes full, entry will be delayed until cars leave and make room for others.

The main entrance at Coquina Beach is open. Drivers can also pull through the Coquina South boat ramp parking lot and under the Longboat Pass Bridge to access the south parking lot.

The beach restrooms are open, but the concession stands are not.

With no gated entryways, enforcement of the two-hour parking limit at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach was minimal.

The parking lot at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria remains closed.

Back to the beach

Amanda Daughtry and her two sons were among the first to arrive at Manatee Beach Monday morning.

“We are out of the house and so excited,” she said, noting she didn’t think their beach visit would expose them to greater risk.

Bradenton resident Tina Miller sat on the beach with two friends from Michigan.

“Opening the largest playground in Manatee County for large gatherings sends the wrong message.” – Bill Tokajer, Holmes Beach Police Chief

“I am so happy they reopened the beaches. If you’re away from people and keeping your distance, you can be out in the open air enjoying the sunshine, water and sand. Thank you, Manatee County,” Miller said.

Manatee Beach was busy but not packed, and for the most part beachgoers practiced social distancing. The same was true at Cortez Beach and at Coquina Beach, where Bradenton residents Judy and Dennis Schultz enjoyed beach time with seasonal Cortez residents Deb and Bob Bates.

“We missed it a lot,” Judy Schultz said.

“We’re snowbirds and we haven’t been able to come to the beach. I’m thrilled that I get to spend a couple days here before we go back to Michigan,” Deb Bates said.

Police perspective

The Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach police departments are not assisting with the enforcement of the two-hour parking rule. And Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer doesn’t think the beaches should be open yet.

Tokajer said that message was conveyed to county commissioners last week before they made their decision.

“Opening the largest playground in Manatee County for large gatherings sends the wrong message. The commissioners need to listen to the medical professionals who are telling everybody the numbers in Manatee County are still too high. Opening the beach indicates the virus is over and everything’s OK, but there’s still the opportunity for this virus to be spread to our workers at Publix, CVS, Walgreens and at our restaurants. That puts our residents, workers and officers in harm’s way.

“Holmes Beach will continue to have no parking on our streets, right of ways and beach accesses and violators will be ticketed and possibly towed,” Tokajer said.

Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale is concerned about the lack of parking at Coquina Beach.

“You’re going to get people from across the state who decide to go to the beach and they’re going to get here and find out there’s no parking because of the construction,” Speciale said.

Lt. John Cosby said, “People are ready to get out, they’re tired of being locked down. But the more people that come out, the more interaction they’ll have with all the Island’s law enforcement officers, and that puts our people at risk,” Cosby said.

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Tag: Cortez Beach

Penalties and enforcement

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Cortez Beach groins, Longboat Pass jetty

Chief’s concerns

Cortez Beach

Tram path

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Call for a ride

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Police perspective