Skip to main content

Tag: Holmes Beach parking garage bill

City leaders continue garage fight

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

HOLMES BEACH – The Florida House of Representatives and Senate may have passed House Bill 947 on to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk, but that doesn’t mean that city leaders are done fighting against the construction of a parking garage at Manatee Beach.

During a May 9 commission meeting, Mayor Judy Titsworth and City Attorney Erica Augello said they’re exploring every available legal strategy to combat the parking garage bill which would see a three-story garage built over the current parking, concession stand, retail space and restroom facilities at the Manatee County-owned beach property. Estimated to cost $45 million to build over a minimum of two years, the garage is planned to hold 1,500-1,700 paid parking spaces, a new concession stand, retail space, restrooms and a bar. While the garage is under construction, parking at the beach, located at 4000 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, would be unavailable.

Currently, city leaders are asking residents and other Anna Maria Island stakeholders to write to DeSantis to encourage him to veto the bill. DeSantis can veto the bill, sign it into law, or take no action and allow it to become law. As of press time for The Sun, DeSantis had taken no action on the bill.

If the bill becomes law, Augello said she thinks there are a few ways for the city to fight it in court, however, she didn’t want to give away any available strategies during a public meeting.

Plans for a parking garage were first discussed between county and city elected officials as far back as 2021. Multi-level parking structures were never an approved land use in the city but are allowed by special exception, granted by city commissioners at a public hearing. When commissioners moved to pass an ordinance clarifying the land use restriction, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge took the matter to county state legislative representatives, where the plan to construct the garage received unanimous support. The bill to bypass city regulations and allow the county to issue its own permits for the construction of a parking garage at the Manatee Beach property is sponsored by Rep. Will Robinson Jr., a Manatee County native.

Garage bill rolls through House, next stop Senate

Garage bill rolls through House, next stop Senate

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

TALLAHASSEE – With unanimous approval from 116 Florida state representatives, a local bill to build a parking garage at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach has moved to the Florida Senate for consideration. The Senate is the final stop for the bill before going to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk for final approval or veto.

The bill, presented by Manatee County Rep. Will Robinson Jr., sped through three House committees before going to the floor for a vote on April 27, despite opposition from local elected officials and residents. After passing the House, it has now been referred to the Senate rules committee for consideration.

The bill, which received unanimous support from the Manatee County legislative delegation when it was first proposed in January, has been a controversial topic on Anna Maria Island. If it becomes law, it will allow Manatee County officials to construct a three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach without seeking approval or permits from Holmes Beach officials, where the beach is located. It also would supersede the city’s land development code and building ordinances, which do not allow parking garages without a special exception. Capping the structure at three stories does maintain the city’s current height limitations.

The parking garage is a pet project of Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge and came as a result of tension between county and city elected officials stemming from streetside parking reductions in Holmes Beach.

To help protect the quality of life of city residents, Holmes Beach leaders enacted a long-planned residential permit parking-only zone on residential streets near beach accesses, with some streets closed to parking entirely due to the narrowness of the lanes. City leaders also recently adopted a four tires off the pavement parking rule to come in line with the parking regulations in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria. These actions reduced available public parking by about 400 spaces with another 600 available until 5 p.m. daily for city residents only. Van Ostenbridge said the parking changes were a disservice to Manatee County residents and beachgoers.

The plan outlined by Van Ostenbridge would remove the 400-plus spaces currently available at the public beach along with the existing facilities including retail, restrooms and concessions, replacing them with a three-story garage with an estimated 1,500-1,700 parking spaces, new retail and concession areas and new restroom facilities.

The garage is estimated to cost around $45 million to build with construction taking at least two years to complete during which parking would not be available at the site.

To fund the ongoing maintenance of the garage, Van Ostenbridge said the parking spaces provided at the public beach would be paid parking. He estimated a fee of $2 per hour per vehicle. Titsworth said if that happens, the city will likely have to make street and public parking paid as well to avoid those areas being overrun by drivers looking for a free parking space.

In a final effort to get Robinson to pull the bill from consideration prior to the House floor vote, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said she tried contacting him and sent him statistics showing parking remained available during spring break, along with a proposal to designate 220 parking spaces for Manatee County residents only. She said Robinson declined to consider any additional arguments or proposals until after the current legislative session ends.