BRADENTON – The city of Bradenton plans to review its existing regulations pertaining to vendors operating along the Palma Sola Causeway.
The Palma Sola Causeway is part of the Florida Department of Transportation-designated scenic highway that stretches from 75th Street West and Manatee Avenue in west Bradenton to Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
In recent years, the causeway has become heavily populated by business operators offering personal watercraft rentals, boat rentals, horse rides and more. In recent months, Palma Sola Scenic Highway Byway Organization Vice Chair Ingrid McClellan has been emailing city, county and state officials seeking enforcement of the rules and regulations in place.
On July 24, Bradenton Police Chief Josh Cramer sent McClellan an email that said, “The Bradenton Police Department and city code enforcement have been working together with our legal teams and are working on an ordinance that should go before council in the very near future. The ordinance will fill gaps identified in our current regulations. In the interim and beyond, we will continue to enforce traffic and code violations as observed and reported.”
Some personal watercraft rentals occur near a residential dock. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Cramer’s email was written in response to a July 24 email he received from McClellan, in which she wrote, “Is Bradenton Code Enforcement or the Bradenton Police Department responsible for enforcing prohibitions of vendors and advertising in the FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) rights of way, where Manatee County Code Enforcement does not do so?”
She also wrote, “Unlawful vendors and advertisements are occurring daily on FDOT rights of way on the southeast side of Palma Sola Causeway.”
Horse rides are offered along the causeway. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
In recent months, McClellan has repeatedly shared with city, county and state officials her views that the commercial activities taking place along the causeway violate Bradenton’s sign regulations, the state of Florida’s right-of-way use regulations and the outdoor advertising prohibitions set forth in the federal Highway Beautification Act.
On July 31, she sent Cramer and Bradenton Code Enforcement Manager Volker Reiss TikTok videos of a personal watercraft rental operator soliciting business, changing oil and repairing watercraft at the causeway.
Earlier this year, McClellan sent an email to Cramer, Reiss, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells and Manatee County Code Enforcement Chief Tom Wooten that noted the Palma Sola Scenic Highway Byway Organization has been working to enhance that portion of the scenic highway since 2004. And she requested enforcement from the applicable county and city agencies.
That email referenced an FDOT encroachment brochure that lists the following prohibited uses of an FDOT-designated scenic highway: “Any use which interferes with the safety and efficiency of the road; display of advertising of any sort; solicitation, display or free distribution of any merchandise, goods, property or services.”
These are among the watercraft offered for rent. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
According to the brochure, “Regulation of activities occurring within the right of way is necessary to help prevent distractions to motorists; unsafe pedestrian movement within travel lanes; sudden stoppage or slowdown of traffic; rapid lane changing; increased vehicular accidents and motorist and pedestrian injuries and fatalities.”
“The Byway organization looks forward to the swift enforcement of our laws and regulations on Palma Sola Causeway, as we have provided the information and evidence to do so,” McClellan told The Sun on July 31.
BRADENTON – On April 8, Palma Sola Scenic Highway Byway Organization Vice Chairperson Ingrid McClellan sent a letter to several city, county and state officials alleging violations of city, county, state and federal laws and regulations regarding the commercial activities taking place along the Palma Sola Causeway, along Manatee Avenue/ State Road 64 in west Bradenton. The commercial activities include personal watercraft rentals, horseback rides and more.
In 2004, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) designated that section of SR 64 as the Palma Sola Scenic Highway. The scenic highway designation also includes SR 789/East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach.
The Palma Sola Causeway serves as the main roadway connection between Bradenton and Holmes Beach – Submitted
The Manatee County Property Appraiser website lists the “State of Florida Department of Transportation” as the owners of the causeway and right of ways located along the 8500 block of Manatee Avenue West/ SR 64.
The Property Appraiser’s Office lists the state of Florida as the causeway owner. – Submitted
When meeting with Manatee County officials last year, Holmes Beach officials were told the city of Bradenton is responsible for the enforcement of the commercial activities occurring along the causeway.
Since then, “We don’t want our beaches to look like the causeway” has become a common statement made by Holmes Beach and Anna Maria city officials when discussing the regulation of commercial activities on city-controlled public beaches on Anna Maria Island.
SCENIC HIGHWAY LETTER
The Palma Sola Scenic Highway organization’s letter includes the heading, “Rights of way uses compliance request on Palma Sola Causeway.”
The letter recipients included Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells, Bradenton Police Chief Josh Cramer, Bradenton Code Enforcement Manager Volker Reiss, Bradenton Code Enforcement Chief Tom Wooten, Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, County Commissioner Tal Siddique and FDOT representatives Trisha Hartzell, Dean Stoddart and Darryl Richard.
The Palma Sola Scenic Highway Byway Organization’s letter requests the various agencies help ensure compliance with the city of Bradenton’s sign prohibitions, the state of Florida’s use of rights-of-way prohibitions and the federal code that addresses outdoor advertising on scenic highways.
“We have observed up to 17 businesses on the one mile of Palma Sola Causeway’s rights of way, which extends 500 feet into Palma Sola Bay north and south. These businesses have violations in prohibited signs/ advertising and use of state rights of way,” the letter says.
Horseback rides are offered along the Palma Sola Causeway. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The letter alleges some causeway business operators are violating city, state and federal regulations.
“We ask for your help to enforce them,” the letter says.
Citing the city of Bradenton’s land use regulations, the letter questions the legality of the business signage placed along the causeway.
The letter also references the Florida Statute that regulates prohibited uses of the rights of way and says, “The FDOT encroachment brochure identifies the prohibited uses of the rights of way that include any use which interferes with the safety and efficiency of the road, display of advertising of any sort, solicitation including for charitable purposes, sale/display/free distribution of any merchandise, goods, property or services.
The letter says, “According to the Florida Scenic Highway Program Manual, once a highway has been designated, the policy on outdoor advertising signage must be complied with for designated Scenic Highway corridors. The policy precludes outdoor advertising on designated scenic highways/byways.”
McClellan said the only responses she received from the letter recipients came from Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer.
The causeway horseback rides have been the subject of past debate. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
In her email to McClellan, Titsworth wrote, “Thank you for this most appropriate demand letter. I appreciate the entire Scenic Highway Committee for taking action, as our many voiced concerns have fallen on deaf ears.”
BUSINESS OPERATORS’ PERSPECTIVE
On April 30, The Sun spoke with three personal watercraft rental operators at the causeway who preferred not to be named.
One operator noted the causeway is owned by the state of Florida.
Regarding their business signage, the business operators said Bradenton Code Enforcement officers regularly visit the area.
“They regulate the code which allows us to have an A-frame sign,” one operator said.
“And they told us this year we’re allowed to have the tents,” another operator said.
The personal watercraft made available to rent are staged along the Palma Sola Bay shoreline. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The business operators noted their rental operations require state-issued livery permits.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website, “Liveries need a state-issued, no-cost livery operator permit if they are renting motorboats, personal watercraft, paddlecraft, sailboats or houseboats being operated on the waters of the state. Liveries that operate in Florida without a valid livery operator permit are in violation of Florida statutes, which is a first-degree misdemeanor subject to a $1,000 fine.”
Florida law requires livery permit holders to carry insurance coverage with a minimum of $500,000 per person and $1 million per incident.
State regulations require personal watercraft rental operators to provide their clients with a pre-rental and pre-ride instruction checklist and attestation form that addresses operator responsibilities, navigation rules and aids, waterway hazards, weather awareness and operating instructions. FWC’s pre-ride checklist contains specific personal watercraft safety requirements regarding personal flotation devices, the use of a kill switch, the minimum age to legally operate a personal watercraft (14 years old) and the minimum age to rent a personal watercraft (18 years old).
Those who rent personal watercraft are required by law to receive pre-ride instructions. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
According to the FWC website, “These forms must be completed and signed by both the renter and instructor. The completed forms must be maintained by the livery for 90 days and must be made available to law enforcement upon request.
“Any person delivering pre-rental or pre-ride instructions must have successfully completed a boating safety education course approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the state of Florida. Proof of completion must be maintained at the rental/business location.”
COUNTY INSIGHTS
The Sun also sought insight from Manatee County Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker.
“The causeway is an intersection of one owner and three management clearances depending on where you sit, literally, on the causeway. The state of Florida owns and manages the entire causeway. Manatee County operates and maintains the boat ramp and the boat ramp parking lot on the south side of the causeway and the public restroom, shelters and associated parking lots on the north side of the causeway (at Palma Sola Causeway Park),” Hunsicker stated in an email to The Sun.
“Manatee is allowed to utilize this state-owned property under a formal lease agreement for the boat ramp and parking area with FDOT. The existing restroom and picnic table area are also operated and maintained at FDOT consent.
Manatee County is aware of unpermitted commercial uses of the Palma Sola Causeway Boat Ramp and are considering means to address that within the boundaries of the ramp and parking lot which we maintain under our FDOT lease,” Hunsicker wrote.
“FDOT carries continuous concerns over traffic safety, speeds and problems associated with random and uncontrolled automobile entry and exit from the causeway on to the state road and the wear and tear on the state highway road pavement edges and shoulders.
The city of Bradenton city limits encompass the entire causeway and any business or commercial use on either side of the causeway is subject to approval by the city of Bradenton,” Hunsicker wrote.
PALMA SOLA BAY – The month-long pause in horseback riding in Palma Sola Bay and along its northern shoreline ended on Oct. 6 and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) has released the results of its water quality testing.
Prior to and during the horses’ absence from the bay, SBEP sampled the water five times and received results from four of those tests by Oct. 8.
The role of the horses in the high bacterial numbers in the bay will require further evaluation, according to SBEP Executive Director Dr. David Tomasko.
“For all four times, the levels of enterococci – the state’s default “fecal indicator” bacteria – exceeded the bathing beach standard at the site where the horse ride operations occur,” Tomasko wrote in an Oct. 8 email to The Sun.
He said the results of the tests show there are sources of “fecal indicator” bacteria other than the horses.
“For the first two sampling events, the horse ride vendors were out there, and although we had detections of DNA sequences of bacteria that were from horses, the numbers were too low to be quantified. That is called a DNQ event “Detected, Not Quantifiable,” Tomasko wrote. “For the next two sampling events, the horse ride vendors were off the causeway, and we didn’t even have detections of the DNA sequences of bacteria from horses.”
Tomasko stated SBEP still has three more sampling events to work through, all with the horses now back on the causeway.
“When we have all the data together, the SBEP will have a better understanding of how to interpret the results from this study,” Tomasko wrote. “But what seems fairly clear – and which has been clear for a while now – is that there are sources of “fecal indicator” bacteria other than horses out there. We have hits for birds, but not humans.”
Tomasko said some of the “fecal bacteria” indicators may not be from fecal sources at all.
“We know that each of the three fecal indicator species used by the State of Florida can arise from decomposing vegetation, but we don’t know what role – if any – that potential source could have on what we’re finding in Palma Sola Bay,” he wrote.
Suncoast Waterkeeper has been monitoring water quality in the bay and posted the following on its website: “Our monitoring results reveal persistent exceedances of the state’s water quality standards for enterococci bacteria:
2022: 22 samples collected, 6 exceeded the FDEP threshold of 130/100 mL (no more than four should exceed);
2023: 46 samples collected, 23 exceeded (no more than eight should exceed);
2024: 43 samples collected, 20 exceeded (no more than eight should exceed); and
2025 to date: 32 samples collected, 16 exceeded (no more than six should exceed).”
Further testing showed the following results:
April 2024: Horse DNA was detected and quantified in both water and sediment; no human DNA was detected;
July 2024: Horse DNA was again quantified in water samples; human DNA was detected, but at levels below quantification; and
April 2025: Avian DNA was detected at low levels; neither horse nor human DNA was detected in the sample.
“These findings demonstrate that horses are a measurable source of bacterial pollution in Palma Sola Bay north of the causeway; however, they are not the sole contributor,” Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Abbey Tyrna wrote on the organization’s website. “The scientific literature emphasizes that microbial contamination in coastal waters frequently originates from multiple sources, including wildlife, domestic animals, and human infrastructure, and that distinguishing between these inputs and their relative contributions is inherently challenging.”
Tyrna does not support removing horses from the bay, but recommends the following:
“Install Public Signage – Post clear warning signs alerting residents and visitors that enterococci levels exceed state water quality standards, so that people can make informed decisions about their health and recreation;
Establish a Horse Vendor Permit System – Create a permit program that caps the total number of horse vendors and requires best management practices (BMPs) designed to protect water quality and seagrass meadows. Such BMPs should include ensuring horses remain in shallow water for the majority of the ride, only wading in past their hindquarters for a short duration at the beginning, and requiring the use of waterproof horse diapers. The permit should also stipulate the area where the horses can ride to protect the seagrasses.”
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