Story and photos contributed by Lance Roy | Special to the Sun
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Labor Day weekend on Anna Maria Island usually means umbrellas in the sand, music floating from beachside patios and parking lots packed with families hauling coolers to the shoreline.
But this Sunday, the Gulf had other plans. From sunrise onward, the skies seemed to empty without pause, with steady sheets of rain, heavy at times, falling in a rhythm as familiar as waves breaking on the shore.
The downpour softened now and then, even teasing a glimpse of blue sky, but never quite surrendered.
At Manatee Beach, in Holmes Beach, families reluctantly packed up early, darting from the café patio to their cars between bursts of rain. Some stayed put under the overhangs, turning the weather into an excuse for another round of fries or ice cream cones.
Anna Maria Island Beach Café customers took shelter from the rain. – Lance Roy | Submitted
County lifeguards kept a watchful eye with yellow flags waving at their towers as lightning offshore turned the Gulf into a look-but-don’t-touch scene.
This stretch of beach was empty at one point on Sunday. – Lance Roy | Submitted
Further south, the scene was quieter still. At Cortez Beach, in Bradenton Beach, the usual clusters of beachgoers gave way to empty chairs, collapsed tents and only a handful of determined surf fishermen. Among them, a couple recently relocated from Pennsylvania grinned through the drizzle, calling it “a blessing” to live close enough to wet a line whenever the mood struck – rain or shine.
Over at Coquina Beach, at the south end of the Island, families made the best of it, taking shelter under picnic shelters and canopy tents, with their laughter and music competing with the steady patter of raindrops.
A Bradenton Beach police officer described the day as “calm, quiet, almost too easy,” as he monitored light traffic along Gulf Drive South.
Bridge Street merchants noticed the shift too. A burst of shoppers wandered in earlier than usual, ducking away from the storms. While business owners would have preferred sunny skies to cap off ‘summer’ with a final holiday surge, most were thankful for steady support from locals and visitors alike.
For some folks, the rainy day activities included strolling and shopping on Bridge Street. – Lance Roy | Submitted
And true to the Island spirit, the gray weather couldn’t wash away the sound of live music at the Bridge Tender Inn and the Drift-In, while Island Time Bar & Grill buzzed with the sound of fans watching football and baseball games over cold drinks.
As late afternoon gave way to early evening, the rain let up, the sun came out and many beachgoers found their way to the Gulf shoreline to enjoy their rain-delayed holiday beach time.
The beach activities resumed when the sun came out. – Lance Roy | SubmittedBy day’s end, the Island skies turned sunny. – Lance Roy | Submitted
In the end, Anna Maria Island proved what locals already know: rain or shine, the Island always finds a way to charm. The skies may have been gloomy, but Anna Maria Island’s holiday spirit never really left the 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.
Natural Resources Department Director Charlie Hunsicker addressed the Holmes Beach City Commission. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
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.
Beach Rake operator Mark Taylor shared his concerns with the Holmes Beach mayor and commissioners. – Joe Hendricks Sun
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.
Beach rake operator Mark Taylor often encounters deep holes in the sand while navigating the Island beaches. – Manatee County | Submitted
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.
This county tractor and beach rake are stored near the Holmes Beach Skate Park. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
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.”
Signs placed at the public beach access points include sea turtle nesting season instructions. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
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.
MANATEE COUNTY – Whether residents want it or not, the wheels are in motion for county taxpayers to foot the bill for a three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
County commissioners voted unanimously on May 14 to approve $1.125 million for a preliminary design criteria package for the parking structure.
The item was listed as a budget amendment under the consent agenda before Commissioner George Kruse pulled it for discussion; consent agenda items are voted on without discussion. The funds for a pre-design criteria package of the parking structure, along with $625,000 for a similar design package for a parking garage at the Bradenton Area Convention Center and $1,175,000 for a garage at the Premiere Sports complex, total $2,925,000. The budget amendment states that those funds are being transferred from the 2023 Revenue Improvement Bonds Capital Projects fund.
Kruse said he pulled the item from the consent agenda because he felt that the commission needed to have more discussion before committing taxpayer funds to come up with a plan for the garages during an RFP process for designing and building the structures. He noted that while other infrastructure projects have been delayed for two years or more due to a lack of funding, commissioners are willing to push the parking garage projects forward. He said he felt the commission should have gotten more information before spending money.
“We say we’re fiscally conservative up here,” Kruse said, noting that he has a lot of questions about why his fellow commissioners are willing to spend taxpayer funds without more information.
Speaking on behalf of county staff, Manatee County Director of Property Management Cary Knight said, “My understanding of the process that was put into place is that we’re bringing on an architecture firm to do a pre-design criteria package. That pre-design criteria package then gets included with RFQ for a three-P partner (public-private partnership) to come and make proposals for how they would build the building, how they would finance it, how they would make money off of it, whether or not it would be a paid parking situation or maybe the county is a lease situation where the three-P becomes basically the bank for the county. That’s kind of the process that’s in place right now.”
“It seems like this is almost a cart before a horse,” Kruse said. He added that he feels the county staff could determine if paid parking is a viable option. He suggested looking at established paid parking in Bradenton Beach to see utilization, hourly rates and what the backlash from visitors and residents is. He said he feels he’d rather spend the money elsewhere.
Despite Kruse’s misgivings on the topic, he voted in favor of allocating the funds to design services for the three parking garages.
County Administrator Charlie Bishop said the county isn’t “an expert on building parking garages” and is relying on Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, to determine that public-private partnerships are viable at the three proposed parking garage locations.
The downtown Bradenton parking garage, which has been deemed structurally poor and needs to be replaced as soon as possible, was not on the list of proposed garages discussed at the May 14 meeting.
The beach parking garage is a pet project for Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who represents the residents of Anna Maria Island and west Bradenton, many of whom have spoken out publicly against a parking garage at the county-owned beach in Holmes Beach. Van Ostenbridge has disregarded protests from residents and visitors, along with other county commissioners, stating that the parking garage would allow for more inclusive beach access for county residents, despite the fact that he plans for the garage to have paid parking instead of the free parking currently allowed in Holmes Beach.
While Holmes Beach city leaders have staunchly defended their city against the encroachment of paid parking, which has sprung up to the north and south in Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach, Mayor Judy Titsworth has stated that if county commissioners build the garage with paid parking, the city may have to rethink its stance on paid parking.
SIDESTEPPING HOLMES BEACH
Currently both multi-level parking garages and paid parking are against the city’s land development code and ordinances. County commissioners opted to circumvent the city by going to the Manatee County state legislative delegation. The five-member delegation pushed a bill through the state Legislature in 2023 allowing the county to build the parking garage at Manatee Beach without approval or permits from the city.
During a 2023 county commission work session, Van Ostenbridge presented his ideas to his fellow board members. He said the garage would have three stories with a fourth parking level on the roof and span the entirety of the buildable space at the public beach park. The current historic concession stand, retail space, bar, restroom and shower facilities would be demolished with new facilities built into the parking garage. At the time, he estimated the parking garage could be built for about $45 million.
Van Ostenbridge said the garage would have around 900 parking spaces, about 450 more than what currently exists on the Manatee Beach property, and paid parking of at least $2 per hour would be necessary to pay for the construction of the garage and the estimated $200,000 annual maintenance costs.
During demolition and construction, the current parking spaces and facilities would be unavailable to beachgoers, meaning that the only beach on Anna Maria Island with restroom, shower and changing facilities would be Coquina Beach on the southern tip of the Island.
Island residents, visitors and elected officials alike all protested strongly prior to the bill being filed during the legislative session and continue to do so.
The latest protest action against the parking garage occurred earlier this month at a rally hosted by residents’ group Save Florida Home Rule, where several people spoke out against the building of a parking garage at Manatee Beach. None of the county commissioners attended, though a contender for Van Ostenbridge’s seat on the county commission, Diana Shoemaker, did speak and said she was committed to hearing the voices of the residents in District 3, not dismissing them as she said some others have done and continue to do.
HOLMES BEACH – The Florida heat didn’t stop a crowd from gathering at City Field on Saturday to express their opposition to the Manatee County Commission and Florida Legislature consolidating or eliminating the three Anna Maria Island cities and building a parking garage at Manatee Beach.
The rally, held on May 4 by the Save Florida Home Rule grassroots activist group, brought hundreds of people to the pavilion, including residents, visitors, property owners and other interested community members. The rallying cry for the group was “save home rule.” It was a sentiment echoed by all in attendance as Island elected officials, residents, city staff and a county commission candidate took the stage to share facts with the community on both issues and speak out against the ongoing state-mandated Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study and a planned parking garage at the public beach.
Save Florida Home Rule organizer Barbara Ehren was first to take the stage, telling onlookers about the grassroots effort to stop government overreach at the state and county levels to bypass municipal land development codes and ordinances regarding development on the Island. The rally was the second official event for the group following a Hands Across the Sand event held in April that was attended by more than 300 people.
Stepping in for Mayor Judy Titsworth was Holmes Beach Commissioner Terry Schaefer, who said he believes that the push to dissolve the cities is to get rid of land use regulations to allow for increased development on the Island. He said that city leaders are working to mount a “strong defense” against government overreach and that he’s happy to see so many community members getting involved in the effort with the hopes that the battle to hang on to the cities won’t get that far.
Commissioner Terry Schaefer stepped in for Mayor Judy Titsworth to speak on behalf of the city of Holmes Beach. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Schaefer discussed the ongoing unfounded rhetoric largely being voiced by county commissioners, primarily that the city does not have enough parking and that city leaders refuse to work with the county. He said the parking garage and OPPAGA study efforts began at a January 2023 Manatee County state legislative delegation meeting. The parking garage effort was moved through the state House and Senate in an effort to allow the county to circumvent Holmes Beach regulations that do not allow for multi-level parking garages as a land use or paid parking in the city. He said that no county staff or commissioners approached the city to seek a potential exemption for a parking garage at Manatee Beach.
City leaders are required to provide just over 500 parking spaces at beach access points, including the county-owned Manatee Beach under an interlocal agreement governing beach renourishment. Schaefer said the city provides 752 parking spaces at the beach and beach access points throughout the city with hundreds more marked spaces available within a quarter mile of the beach. Police Chief Bill Tokajer regularly counts parking spaces during high-traffic events, such as holiday weekends, and noted that even during spring break there were regularly 70-100 or more spaces available to the public.
“The turnout at a recent Hands Across the Sand and today is certainly encouraging and inspirational to all of us,” Schaefer said. He thanked the assembled community members, stating that he believes it will take not only the Island’s elected officials fighting back but also the residents and property owners to maintain their current way of life.
Holmes Beach Commissioner Dan Diggins also spoke, as well as Anna Maria residents stepping in with short statements from their city leaders, all stating they are against the consolidation of the cities.
One name that came up multiple times during the rally was that of County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
Speakers stated that Van Ostenbridge was largely the catalyst behind the effort for the parking garage, an effort that he previously told The Sun he was putting forth to make the beach accessible for all. If the parking garage is built, Van Ostenbridge said it would be paid parking. It would also make Manatee Beach and the restroom, food and beverage, and retail facilities there, along with parking, inaccessible during three or more years of construction on the parking garage. The existing facilities would be destroyed and new ones would be built in the three-story garage with additional parking on the roof. Previously, Titsworth said that she’s fighting to keep parking in Holmes Beach free for everyone, but that if a paid parking garage was constructed at Manatee Beach city leaders would have to rethink their stance on that. Holmes Beach is the only Island city that does not allow paid parking. Currently, there is no funding to build the parking garage.
County commission candidate Diana Shoemaker spoke, sending a few shots at Van Ostenbridge, whose seat on the dais she’s seeking to fill. Shoemaker will face off against either Van Ostenbridge or Tal Siddique on the November election ballot, depending on which one wins the August Republican primary.
If elected, Shoemaker vowed to work with Island residents to make sure that their voices are heard at the county level and to work to stop government overreach in the municipalities.
While Van Ostenbridge has not been directly linked to the ongoing OPPAGA study looking at options to consolidate the cities into one, dissolve the municipalities and consolidate them into either unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton, or leave them as-is, his strained relationship with the elected officials of the cities, particularly Holmes Beach, has been well-vocalized by the commissioner both on and off the dais. After a recent OPPAGA visit, Holmes Beach leaders were left with the distinct impression that the option being most strongly considered is the elimination of the three municipalities, folding them into unincorporated Manatee County and directly under the authority of the county commission.
Ending the rally, Ehren restated the motto of the Save Florida Home Rule group, “Keep your hands off our cities.”
HOLMES BEACH – A routine check on a vehicle at the 52nd Street beach access turned into an arrest for possession of marijuana, felony grand theft of a firearm and other charges for one suspect.
Officer Christopher Liotti was on routine patrol on Nov. 27 in the 100 block of 52nd Street when he saw a silver Chevrolet Malibu parked with its lights on and engine running at the public beach access. As he approached the driver’s side, the front window rolled and he noticed what he described as a substantial cloud of smoke with the unmistakable odor of marijuana.
Liotti made contact with the driver and two juvenile passengers in the back seat. Due to their age, those involved in the incident were not named, but are referred to as juvenile #1 and juvenile #2 in Liotti’s official report. The driver was ordered to exit the vehicle, handcuffed and placed into temporary custody as Liotti awaited back-up officers. A pat-down did not reveal any illegal drugs or weapons on juvenile #1, who was also cuffed and removed from the vehicle.
This was not the case for juvenile #2.
“During the pat-down of juvenile #2, a large bulge resembling the handle of a firearm was felt outside his right front pants pocket. In an attempt to conceal the item, he tensed his body and pressed against the vehicle,” Liotti wrote in his report. “Upon further inspection, a black handgun loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition was discovered in his pocket. The firearm was handed over to Officer Michael McNamee and the serial number was provided to Holmes Beach police dispatch for an NCIC/FCIC check. Positive results indicated that the firearm was reported stolen from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.”
After the three suspects were put into separate patrol vehicles, a search of the vehicle was conducted, yielding a glass pipe, 36 vape pens, a marijuana joint and a large blue container filled with what was later identified as a large quantity of marijuana where the second underage person was seated. There was also a Crown Royal bag containing marijuana, a digital scale, a marijuana grinder and four partial 12 packs of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Officers contacted the first juvenile’s parents while the second agreed to voluntarily speak to Liotti after being read his Miranda rights.
“He claimed that the firearm was not his, but rather, he was holding it for a friend. He stated that he received the gun a few days ago and offered no specific reason for possessing it, denying any purchase or trade involvement to obtain it,” Liotti wrote in his report. “He asserted carrying it merely because he liked it. He was also informed that the gun was reported as stolen and denied any involvement in the theft. Regarding the narcotics in the vehicle, juvenile #2, post-Miranda, admitted ownership, emphasizing personal use and denial of any intent to sell. He claimed ownership of the scale, indicating a personal interest in tracking marijuana quantity.”
The second juvenile suspect was charged with possession of marijuana over 20 grams and felony grand theft of a firearm. Due to his age, details of his bail and court date are not publicly available.
According to police, the first juvenile also was read his Miranda rights and acknowledged the presence of marijuana in the car but denied knowledge of the firearm. He said their purpose was solely to smoke marijuana. Juvenile #1 received a citation for the possession of marijuana less than 20 grams.
The driver, upon being read his Miranda rights, acknowledged the presence of marijuana in the car but denied knowledge of the firearm. He claimed their intent was only to smoke. The driver, who is listed in the report as under 21 years old, received a citation for the possession of multiple containers of alcohol located in the vehicle.
A field test of the suspected marijuana onsite yielded positive results.
After the evidence was gathered, the parents of both juvenile backseat passengers arrived at the scene. Juvenile #1 was released to the custody of his mother. Juvenile #2’s father was briefed in detail about the circumstances of the situation, provided with case information and given procedural information.
When weighed at the station, the marijuana found in the large blue container weighed 128.6 grams, while the marijuana in the black container weighed 11.5 grams, totaling 140.1 grams, more than a quarter of a pound. The recovered firearm was secured and placed into an evidence locker by Officer Ryan Welch.
Juvenile #2 was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. Staff at the center informed Liotti that he required medical clearance from the hospital due to marijuana consumption. After getting medical clearance from on-site doctors, he was transported back to the jail and released to the custody of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Liotti’s report also notes that the vape pens found in the vehicle were taken as possible evidence related to a burglary case being investigated by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (Case #2023015521). The details of this incident coincide with the firearm found in juvenile #2’s possession.
Attempts were made to contact Ava Clark, the owner of the recovered handgun, via phone call and text, however, these attempts were unsuccessful. Clark was instructed to contact HBPD regarding this incident.
This is in response to the Aug. 23 edition of the Anna Maria Island Sun, “Beach parking garage fight continues.”
I just want to add my voice in support of the comments made by Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer. My family has been coming to Holmes Beach since the early 1980s when my in-laws lived across the street from Manatee Beach. Our three children have such great memories of being on the beach and “jumping in the waves.” We celebrated my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday at the Beach Café, where my wife’s parents danced together to the background music that always seemed to be playing at the Beach Café every night. Sunday mornings we’d take the kids over to have breakfast with The Pancake Kings. When we were back in Chicago, and then in Minnesota, I’d often see the AMI sticker on cars while out driving, and it’d make me wish I were there. Thousands upon thousands of people all over the country can probably tell you of the great times they’ve had at Manatee Beach and the Café.
It’s part of what Anna Maria Island is all about. It’s the City Pier, where the people responsible resisted putting up railings along it when it was recently rebuilt because railings weren’t in the original design. It’s going to the restaurants that seem to have been there forever, like Hurricane Hanks, Skinny’s and the Sandbar, and coming back to them year after year. But what attracted me right away to Anna Maria Island, and especially Holmes Beach, was that Holmes Beach has somehow managed to hold on to having the look and feel of being a town. It’s not what most of the other islands along the Sun Coast have become. That’s what draws people to come here and to want to live here. Manatee Beach, the Beach Café, the Pancake Kings, they’ve all been an integral part of the Island for as far back as most people can remember.
Take that away by putting in a three-story concrete structure right where people have been parking for years, well, it’s paving paradise to put up a parking lot. Once you lose paradise, you can’t get it back.
MANATEE COUNTY – In the aftermath of a Manatee County Commission work session discussing the building of a parking garage at Manatee Beach, city and county officials continue to make their thoughts known on the hotly debated project.
During the Aug. 14 work session, county Commissioner Jason Bearden said that the beach parking garage should be “the top priority for the county.” This would rank the proposed three-story parking structure at the county-owned beach in Holmes
Beach, with an estimated 900 parking spaces at a cost of $30-50 million, higher than parking garages at the downtown Bradenton county administration building, among others.
Manatee County commissioners stated the garage would provide beach access for everyone in the county, which has almost half a million residents. Anna Maria Island is a 7-mile-long barrier island that is 1 mile wide at the widest point. According to Holmes Beach police, who patrol the Manatee Beach parking lot, the lot has more than 400 parking spaces with hundreds more located within a quarter mile of the public beach access, the only one in the city with restroom, shower and concession facilities.
The current downtown garage has an estimated lifespan of less than two years due to structural issues. A presentation on the plans for that garage estimates that it will cost about $100 million to construct and, once complete, would potentially have two stories of office space for county staff and parking for both the administration building and the downtown business and entertainment district at large.
Bearden’s comments were echoed by Commissioners James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge.
Commissioner George Kruse stated that while he’s not in opposition to putting a garage at the site, he doesn’t feel that it’s the project that’s most needed in the county right now. He was the sole member of the county commission who opted not to move the project forward into the design phase at this time.
After the meeting, Kruse released a statement reiterating his position on the proposed beach parking garage. He said that while the county has heard many reasons from residents why the garage should not be built, personally, he has two reasons why the project should slow down, not speed up. The first reason, Kruse said, is the cost of the parking garage versus other needs in the county that could better serve a larger number of people. Some of his examples include failing infrastructure across the county, the planned Fort Hamer Bridge, which he said would help more than 21,000 people a day in their commutes and cost approximately $60 million, and the planned downtown parking garage, all of which are currently awaiting funding.
Kruse went on to say that these projects could better enhance the quality of life for more county residents than a few hundred parking spaces at the beach.
During the county presentation, staff said there are approximately 300 surface parking spaces at the county beach available. If the garage is built, it will remove those spaces, along with the concession stand, retail stores, restrooms, bar and showers, for a minimum of 18-24 months. The new facilities would be incorporated into the bottom level of the garage, providing about 900 parking spaces on the property for beachgoers.
While the county presentation listed Manatee Beach as having about 300 parking spaces, Holmes Beach officials state that the existing parking area has 406 spaces. When first proposed, Van Ostenbridge said the beach garage would have 1,500 or more parking spaces. County staff said it would have a maximum of 900 spaces, increasing parking at the public beach by 496 spaces according to the city or 600 according to the county.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, whose officers patrol the beach property, also issued a statement following the county work session. In his statement, Tokajer said that even during heavy beach days, such as over spring break, there were regularly 100-300 parking spaces available in the city for beachgoers that went unused. He also noted that if the garage is approved, lanes need to be installed along the sand for first responders and law enforcement personnel to be able to respond to an emergency situation.
“Approving this garage will truly put you on the wrong side of history,” he said. “You will be ruining the character of the Island, the experience that past guests have had and future guests expect. Destroying a beautiful landmark with open space, a natural environment filled with trees and nature, replacing this historic site with a massive concrete public safety nightmare.”
In addition to concerns about being able to access beachgoers in an emergency, Tokajer has also expressed concerns about patrolling the garage structure itself and traffic and safety concerns due to the congestion caused by a larger number of people trying to get in and out of the garage at the same time.
BRADENTON – More than 50 concerned citizens and city officials gathered on Friday to protest Manatee County’s plans to build a 1,500-space, three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
The protesters made their voices heard along Manatee Avenue in front of the county administration building in downtown Bradenton.
The scheduled protest coincidentally occurred a few hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 947. Introduced by State Rep. Will Robinson (R-Bradenton), supported by Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) and unanimously approved by the Florida House and the Florida Senate, HB 947 allows Manatee County to build a parking garage on the county-owned Manatee Beach property in Holmes Beach despite the city’s prohibitions on the construction of a parking garage.
Manatee Beach in 1955. – Manatee County Historical Records Library | Submitted
The parking garage must still comply with the height restrictions contained in Holmes Beach’s city charter, which will limit it to three stories with parking on the roof. To make room for the garage, which is expected to fill the entire existing parking lot, the vintage concession stand and other buildings at the beach will be demolished.
The estimated $45 million construction process is expected to take two years.
Protesters speak
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and city commissioners Dan Diggins and Carol Soustek participated in Friday’s protest.
“I’m glad the bill was either signed or vetoed because I didn’t want it to just go unnoticed,” Titsworth said. “Now people know what DeSantis believes in – the loss of home rule and big government overreach. That completely circumvents our ability to govern and people don’t have a voice anymore. It’s wrong.
“The parking garage is unfunded, so the county’s going to have to find the money. I hope they don’t dip into reserves because we need those reserves, especially with the increased magnitude of the hurricanes coming our way. And there’s a lot of infrastructure in the county that needs funding. We’re dealing with a county water pipe issue right now. I hope they put the emphasis on things like that instead.”
Holmes Beach Commissioner Dan Diggins, left, and Mayor Judy Titsworth were among the many protestors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Titsworth said the fight is not over.
“We have legal recourse and a couple other things we’re working on that I think could make an impact,” she said. “The citizens have to take their stand and tell the people they elected how disappointed they are.”
Titsworth said the city will have no input or oversight of the construction of the parking garage.
“They made sure we didn’t have a seat at the table. I’ve never seen such hostile local bill,” she said.
Diggins said, “I think it’s heavy-handed government at its worst. This bill was passed to solve an undefined problem. They never brought us a plan to say this is what we’d like to do with the studies about drainage, traffic and beach carrying capacity. If those things were done, we’d be open to consider it. This whole thing was done bass-ackwards.
“It was basically done because some county commissioner got their feelings hurt,” Diggins said. “We passed an ordinance that banned a parking garage. It had nothing to do with the county’s plans and that set this whole thing in motion. Once (Manatee County Commissioner) Kevin Van Ostenbridge saw that, he threatened us with retribution; and apparently, this is part of that retribution.”
Diggins and Titsworth were asked if the county ever considered buying the nearby vacant Bank of America property and building a parking garage there instead.
“I brought that up in front of Kevin and he said, ‘Why would I do that when we already own the county beach?’ He didn’t want to do it,” Titsworth said.
“I talked to Kevin before I was a commissioner and I brought up that suggestion. He said why would we do that? We already own the county beach,” Diggins echoed.
Soustek said, “There’s a lot of people here that are very concerned. We appreciate everyone who takes a stand against big government trying to take away home rule rights from the cities. It’s not the solution. It’s just another problem. There are other solutions. There are studies that were done in the past and they recommend off-Island mass transportation to the Island. That would help with the traffic. I think they should have taken a lot more time to look into the matter before they pushed it through.”
Holmes Beach resident and Island business owner Morgan Bryant helped organize the protest.
Carla Ballew, Talha Siddique and Morgan Bryant participated in Friday’s protest. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I want to preserve Anna Maria Island. We don’t need a 1,500-space parking garage. It’s sad that the first thing people are going to see when they drive over the bridge is a giant parking garage,” she said.
“The biggest thing here is big government overreach and circumventing our home rule and our city’s ability to preserve itself. I was upset driving over here when I heard the news. I don’t know that this protest will change anything, but at least our voices will be heard. I hope the city and the county can find a better solution. People need to be made aware of the parking spaces we have throughout Holmes Beach and the Island. I grew up in east Bradenton. I understand why people get upset when they can’t find parking spaces, but there are parking spaces,” Bryant said.
Manatee County has the green light to make the parking lot east of Manatee Beach into a three-story parking garage from end to end. – Troy Morgan/PhotosFromTheAir.com | Submitted
“Some of us are also concerned that this will open up the door to a higher structure and before you know it, we’ll have a whole bunch of high-rises on the Island,” former Island resident Carla Ballew said. “We’re trying to keep the jewel that it was, which it’s not anymore, but we’re still trying to preserve some of that quaintness that used to be Anna Maria Island.”
“The county has completely mishandled this entire situation from start to finish. This is an absolute misuse and waste of our tax dollars,” Speak Out Manatee founder Talha Siddique said. “The county has closed off far more beach parking than the city of Holmes Beach has and that’s almost $50 million that could go to schools, teachers, our police and firefighters and our crumbling infrastructure. Our elected officials want to put our money towards something we don’t want. At its core this is a local issue. Our county commission didn’t want to work out a deal with the city. That’s why we need to speak out and we need to vote in 2024. If these county commissioners aren’t going to vote in accordance with what we want them to do, we have an opportunity to take anybody out of office who doesn’t want to listen to us.”
Longtime Island resident Tom Aposporos said, “The governor signed the bill and it surprises me because I understood he was a believer in home rule. This is the antithesis of home rule. Can you imagine a parking garage staring you right in the face as you’re driving onto that bucolic Island? And making traffic worse, not better. How can anyone who has an ounce of decency think that’s a good idea?”
Regarding Robinson and Boyd’s legislative efforts, Aposporos said, “I’m surprised. I’ve never had a reason to disrespect either one of them. I do not understand this at all. I think there has been political intrigue between the local governments and those gentlemen as state officials, but somehow I think that can be worked out. It doesn’t have to become this draconian decision to build a multi-story parking garage in the middle of a beautiful place. It will not accomplish what they’re saying it will accomplish and I hope that all comes out in the courts.”
Charlene Smock, left, and Brandi Brady question State Rep. Will Robinson Jr.’s legislative efforts. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Charlene Smock and Brandi Brady were among those holding blue and red signs that said, “Danger Will Robinson.” Smock lives in Palma Sola and Brady’s family has owned and operated the West Coast Surf Shop next to Manatee Beach for more than five decades.
Regarding DeSantis signing the bill, Brady said, “We just found out and we’re devastated. You’re going to fill that big concrete building on the beach with a lot more people coming to the Island and leaving the Island. All the tourists that come into our shop love the Island the way it is and everybody we’ve talked to is against the garage. That might be great for our business, but no. We have enough business. Everybody has enough business. The traffic’s going to be even worse,” Brady said.
Smock said, “Think about emptying that parking garage with 1,500 cars all trying to come out at once during bad weather.”
Smock suggested the county finish its Coquina Beach parking improvements so those temporarily unavailable parking spaces are available again.
HOLMES BEACH – A new effort is rising to fight against a Manatee County and state-led effort to build a parking garage at Manatee Beach.
The effort is being led by a group of concerned city and county residents who hope to convince state legislators to abandon House Bill 947, the local bill backed by Rep. Will Robinson Jr. to circumvent the city’s building regulations and land development code to allow a 1,500-plus space parking garage to be built at the county-owned property located in Holmes Beach. The bill passed votes in both the Florida House and Senate without opposition.
As of press time for The Sun it had not been presented to Gov. Ron DeSantis for consideration. Legislators have until June 30 to present the bill. If the bill doesn’t get presented, it dies along with Manatee County commissioners’ immediate plans for the garage. If it is presented and DeSantis signs or ignores it, the bill becomes law upon signing or on July 1, whichever happens first. If he vetoes it, the bill goes back to the House for consideration during the next regular session.
The first part of the effort, spearheaded by Performance Analysis Expert Allan Levy along with a group of residents, is to sign petitions speaking out against the garage and to write DeSantis encouraging him to veto the bill if it comes to him for consideration.
If the bill becomes law, the second part of the effort is to focus on engaging Manatee County commissioners, who eventually would have to approve a budget, construction plans, building permits and a contractor for the project.
Another part, Levy said, is to make sure that all of the studies required for parking garage development are done in accordance with the law. Of particular note is a traffic congestion study which is required for any parking garage construction in Manatee County.
After observing the congestion created in Holmes Beach near Manatee Beach without the assistance of a large, three-story plus roof parking garage, Levy said his professional experience tells him that the structure would greatly increase congestion for beachgoers, not relieve it.
In fact, he said he believes his analysis will show the parking garage would create a condensed wall of traffic that would impede emergency personnel when responding to an emergency situation.
If emergency personnel couldn’t get to the site of an accident, fire, medical emergency or to medical care inland, Levy fears it could lead to dramatic increases in deaths.
He also believes the backup of traffic from the parking garage could cause driver delays of two hours or more to get back to the mainland.
Before retiring to the Anna Maria Island area, Levy used his skills for 30 years working with Fortune 50 companies to help them make sound, rational decisions. He’s using those same skills to analyze the problem of the parking garage to see what impact it will have on the area.
The group is hoping to join forces with Holmes Beach city leaders to fight against the parking garage, though no plans have been confirmed at press time for The Sun.
To sign one of the two petitions against the parking garage or learn more about the Paradise Lost effort, visit https://paradise-lost-109036.weebly.com/.
HOLMES BEACH – Florida House Bill 947 has just one more stoplight to pass before it becomes law, being signed into law – or not – by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
If the bill is signed, Manatee County has the green light to build a three-story, 1500-plus space parking garage spanning the width and breadth of the county-owned parking lot at Manatee Beach. All existing facilities at the beach, including the concession stand, retail and restrooms, would be demolished, with new facilities located in the parking garage.
Some locals and visitors are not happy about what would be the end of an era on Anna Maria Island.
The concession building has been at the public beach for decades, with the roof once functioning as a community dance floor. And while some people don’t mind the potential changes, others don’t want to see the current parking area and concession building demolished.
Carolyn Brown shares a vintage postcard photo of the concession building at Manatee Beach along with a plea for lawmakers, “Please don’t destroy this gem.” – Submitted | Carolyn Brown
The place is important to former Holmes Beach mayor, former county commissioner and long-time Holmes Beach resident Carol Whitmore.
“I have fond memories of the concession area since 1969,” she said. “That was the beach of choice for the islanders to gather. I used to go in the cold months and lay where the patio is currently behind the wall so I was protected from the cold weather. When they had steps leading to the rest, but it was cut off, my daughter and I used to sit at the top being protected by the cold weather to get sun. At one point I lived on top of West Coast Surf Shop with my daughter and I will never forget the public beach and the concession stand area.”
“I have a lot of memories of the public beach,” Holmes Beach resident and charter fishing Capt. Scott Moore said. “Years ago, we actually used to be able to dance on top of the concession building. There were stairs going up to the top and you could see all over and see the sunsets. My biggest memories are of the fishing pier that was in front of the public beach. We miss that. It also made for great surfing. A lot of people would like to have it back so they could fish off it. I know people don’t like changes, but I don’t care about the parking garage. Give my pier back.”
The owners of the West Coast Surf Shop, Florida’s oldest surf shop at the edge of the parking lot where the proposed parking garage would be built, are not happy about the prospect of a three-story structure at the beach.
Ronee and Jim Brady have owned the surf shop at 3902 Gulf Drive for 59 years.
“We don’t need any more concrete,” Ronee said, adding, “We have miles of parking at Coquina Beach that’s been under construction for two years. What about that parking?”
Jim expressed concern about the additional traffic and infrastructure.
“We don’t have the infrastructure for more cars,” he said. “The beach holds 500 cars, at the intersection going to the beach there are 35,000 to 40,000 cars a day and it’s congested. At another 1,000 cars with three people per car, there just isn’t enough room.”
Ronee recalls the dances on the concession roof in the 1960s and 70s.
“They used to have steps going up to the top and they had dances up there,” she said. “That building has a lot of history and that’s a shame to lose it.”
A crowd gathers well before sunset on May 11 to listen to live music, eat dinner and enjoy the view at the Anna Maria Island Beach Café at Manatee Beach. The beach café building, along with restrooms and a retail shop, is planned to be demolished as part of a plan to build a parking garage at the site. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Tanner Enoch, whose family has owned the Manatee Beach concession for the past 12 years, is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We have a good partnership with Manatee County. We work with the county and we appreciate their ongoing effort to make improvements,” Enoch said. “Right now, my understanding is they’re seeing if they’re able to do this. I’m not super concerned.”
Enoch said his family’s beach concessions at Manatee and Coquina Beaches employ around 70 people.
“We’re happy with what we have here and we hope it doesn’t change anytime soon,” he said.
While too young to see it personally, Enoch said he has seen old pictures of the beach concession building when it had a rooftop dance floor.
More than 200 people took to The Sun’s Facebook page to have their voices heard.
“We’ve been vacationing there for years and plan to buy a home eventually,” Kensy Carter said. “If the parking garage happens, we will have to find a new spot. I can’t imagine how crowded the beaches would be. The quaint vibe we love so much would be ruined.”
“Ever since moving to the Island in 1999, we have enjoyed eating at the Manatee Beach café,” Suzanne Lansing Moderhak said. “Our kids/grands call it ‘pancakes on the beach.’ We have met our Canadian friends every Wednesday night for years during season for dinner to eat and listen to the music. We are very disappointed in the decision to tear it down for 2 years while an unnecessary parking garage is built.”
“This cafe and beach area is an iconic part of AMI, with decades of memories for so many!” Laura Lynch said, adding that she feels having a concrete parking garage as the first impression of Anna Maria Island for visitors is “a travesty,” a sentiment echoed by many others, including Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, who led opposition to the garage.
Multi-level parking garages are not an allowable use within the city of Holmes Beach, where Manatee Beach is located, unless commissioners approve a special exception.
Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge took his plan to build a parking garage at the county-owned beach to the local state legislative delegation when he concluded that Holmes Beach commissioners would not approve the use. Legislators gave his plan their unanimous approval, translating the request into a bill that passed both the state House and Senate. DeSantis can choose to sign, veto or ignore the bill, which would put it into law automatically.
If the bill becomes law, Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse said he estimates it would take about a year to get shovels in the ground to start construction of the parking garage if it’s approved by a majority of county commissioners.
Estimated to cost around $45 million with at least a two-year construction time, the garage would have to have paid parking to pay for construction and upkeep, estimated at $2 per hour per vehicle, Van Ostenbridge said.
TALLAHASSEE – A bill in the Florida House of Representatives to circumvent Holmes Beach ordinances and build a three-story, 1,500-plus space parking garage has passed its first roadblock on the way to becoming a reality.
HB 947, proposed by Manatee County Rep. Will Robinson Jr., passed the Federal Affairs and Special Districts subcommittee with a unanimous vote on March 15 despite Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, City Attorney Erica Augello and other city staff members making a trip to the Florida Capitol to speak in person during the meeting.
After the subcommittee meeting, Titsworth said she was disappointed but not surprised at the outcome.
“We knew ahead of time that they had the vote,” Titsworth said in a statement to The Sun. “We still went so we could at least and on record state our position. The staff did great. This is Florida government at its finest, unfortunately, and an exercise on what to expect when a city takes a stance on quality of life issues. We will continue to fight for home rule and to save our public beach.”
During a March 14 city commission meeting, Augello and Titsworth both spoke about the hearing. The required economic impact statement filed with the bill and signed by Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione states that the proposed garage with a minimum of 1,500 parking spaces is forecast to bring in $4,698,900 in the first fiscal year after its completion and $4,823,300 in the second fiscal year. The garage is expected to cost $45 million to build with $400,000 in annual maintenance afterwards. Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said the garage’s parking spaces would have to be paid parking, around $2 per hour, to help pay for the construction and maintenance. The reasons for building the garage include providing additional public parking spaces for beachgoers and giving visitors more places to park to visit local businesses.
During the March 14 meeting, Titsworth said that she doesn’t think the ultimate goal of Manatee County commissioners, who first proposed the garage, is to provide beach parking for locals but to provide parking for businesses in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria.
“It could turn into a bus depot to get other people to other parts of the Island,” Titsworth said of the garage. While Holmes Beach city leaders require businesses to absorb their own parking onsite or at an adjacent site, that isn’t the case in Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach, where businesses often have limited dedicated parking.
The bill becomes effective if it passes three committees in the House along with a floor vote and passes the same process in the Senate and is signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. If that happens, Manatee County commissioners can skip all city approvals and permits to issue their own permits for the construction of the parking garage on the county-owned property at Manatee Beach, located in the city at 4000 Gulf Drive. Van Ostenbridge previously said the new garage would include new bathroom, concession and retail facilities at the public beach. The garage is planned to cover the majority of the county-owned parcel, from the setback on the south next to West Coast Surf Shop to Gulf Drive. According to the bill, the garage is anticipated to not break the city’s three-story height restriction except for the elevator shaft going to the top floor of parking.
City leaders passed an ordinance in 2022 specifying that parking garages are not an allowable land use in the city. The ordinance was a clarification as parking garages historically have not been a use in Holmes Beach except by special exception.
Van Ostenbridge, who said he’d planned to propose a parking garage on the county-owned parcel before city commissioners passed the ordinance, said he felt like city leaders “kept moving the goalpost” so he broached the issue with the Manatee County legislative delegation, who voiced their support of the project during a January meeting. The proposed bill was born from there.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that he patrolled the city over a busy spring break weekend March 10-12 and found that parking wasn’t completely gone despite more than 35,000 cars coming into Holmes Beach each day.
On Saturday, Tokajer said the public beach parking lot was filled by 11 a.m. with 79 public parking spaces empty citywide at noon and 52 available at 3 p.m. On Sunday, he said the beach lot filled at 10:30 a.m. but there were still 88 spaces near the beach open at 11:50 a.m. He said those numbers didn’t include any of the available spaces in city lots or open church lots that welcome visitor parking.
Titsworth said that Robinson and Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse both took her up on an invitation to view the city’s available parking first-hand and that both were impressed with the amount of available parking. By the time Robinson toured the city, the bill had already been submitted for consideration. Kruse was noted during the March 15 hearing as lending his support to the proposed parking garage bill despite not appearing in person in Tallahassee.
Since the first approval, the parking garage bill has moved to the Regulatory Reform and Economic Development subcommittee. If it passes there, it goes to the State Affairs Committee before a House floor vote.
MANATEE COUNTY – Members of the local state legislative delegation are making plans to permanently change the face of Anna Maria Island, beginning with a parking garage and potentially ending with the dissolution of the three Island cities.
A citizens’ action group, Save AMI Cities, has already sprung up on Facebook with the intent of making voter and stakeholder voices heard by state legislators.
During a Jan. 12 legislative delegation meeting, Rep. Will Robinson Jr. brought up beach access and parking issues in Holmes Beach. Robinson, a Republican, proposed introducing a bill during the upcoming state legislative session to pre-empt Holmes Beach city leaders’ decision to ban parking garages. His plan would allow a four-story parking garage on the Manatee County-owned parcel at Manatee Beach, one story higher than the city’s limit. His fellow Republican members of the delegation, Rep. Tommy Gregory, Rep. Mike Beltran, Sen. Jim Boyd and Sen. Joe Gruters, voted unanimously in favor of the proposal and putting the bill forth for consideration at the state level.
Rep. Will Robinson Jr.
If the proposed bill makes it through all of the levels of state government, including committees and the Senate, and gains the approval of Gov. Ron DeSantis, it would allow Manatee County commissioners to subvert local government regulations and issue their own building permits for construction on county-owned property, regardless of the city the property is located in.
“I thought it was incumbent for the Legislature to step in and pre-empt that authority to allow a four-story parking garage if the county commission so votes and funds that parking garage to be built,” Robinson said. “It is fundamental for anyone to be able to visit our public beach and, in my view, parking spaces have been strategically taken away over the last few years under the guise of COVID to not allow folks to access the beach. Folks are getting frustrated – they can’t park, they can’t access the beach, they’re turning around and they’re going back home. And, to me, there’s nothing more important than to allow a person, a taxpayer, who pays for that beach, by the way, to visit that beach.”
Currently, the majority of beach renourishment funding comes from state-funded renourishment programs and the county resort tax, paid by visitors, not local tax dollars.
Parking problems
Public beach parking in Holmes Beach has been a point of contention between city and county leaders for more than two years. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to local beaches was restricted by the state to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In Holmes Beach, city leaders closed public beach parking during the lockdown. When the beaches were allowed to be reopened, city leaders took the opportunity to create a long-planned permit parking area on some residential streets near the beach. The plan was to not only give city residents who don’t live near the beach a place to park but to also reduce traffic, trash and beachgoers relieving themselves on residential streets. Permits are available to city residents only and permit parking takes up approximately 642 spaces located solely on the sides of city streets. Other streets were labeled as no parking zones at the request of residents or due to the narrowness of the roads, eliminating about 300 parking spots. The city still has more than 1,200 public parking spots, including the parking available at Manatee Beach, within a quarter mile of the beach and more along other residential streets further away from beach access points.
During city commission meetings, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer has reported counting more than 40,000 vehicles coming and going on Manatee Avenue, just one of three Island access points, on an average busy beach day. That number can jump higher over holiday weekends.
City leaders have met with state and county representatives to discuss parking problems in Holmes Beach with few resolutions found. The city’s website features a parking map to show where vehicle and low-speed vehicle/golf cart parking is located near the beach. Plans to create an interactive parking app also are underway.
When Holmes Beach commissioners met to discuss banning parking garages last year, Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge stepped up during public comment to issue a warning if they moved forward with the ban. Van Ostenbridge said he had plans to present a proposal to build a multi-level parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach. Commissioners chose to move forward with the ban. The city of Bradenton Beach, where the county owns property including Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach along with two boat ramps, also has a ban on multi-level parking garages.
Holmes Beach’s three-story height limitation on structures is written into the city’s charter, meaning it would take a charter amendment being approved by a majority of voters or the dissolution of the city to remove the restriction. Abolishing it would pave the way for high-rise development.
Robinson said that he feels “very confident” in the proposed parking legislation and that he feels it will pass during the state legislative session beginning Monday, April 10.
Dissolving Island cities?
The state legislative group decided last week to look into the possibility of engaging The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to study how feasible it would be to dissolve the three city governments on the Island. If that were to happen, Robinson said it would remove the city governments in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, replacing them with Manatee County commissioners and administration.
He said it could be a good tax break for residents who would no longer have to pay city taxes.
In Florida, the Legislature can dissolve a municipality if either the residents of the municipality vote for dissolution or by special act. In the event of a special act by the state, a bill would have to be introduced during a legislative session, pass votes by state representatives and senators and be signed by the governor before it’s effective. The requirements for a special act involving the dissolution of a municipality state that the city in question must not be substantially surrounded by other municipalities; the county or an adjacent municipality must be willing to take on the governing of the area and arrangements have to be made to provide compensation for employees of the city.
The closest adjacent municipality to any of the three Island cities is Longboat Key, where leaders are working diligently to have the entire town under Sarasota County jurisdiction, leaving only Manatee County leaders to take over Anna Maria Island if its three cities were dissolved. If that happened, all infrastructure, building and zoning regulations and governing would fall under the same leadership as unincorporated Manatee County – the board of county commissioners currently led by Van Ostenbridge as its chair. Instead of being represented by their fellow Island residents, Islanders would be represented by commissioners elected by residents from all over the county.
Local elected officials’ reactions
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth issued a statement in reply to the legislative delegation discussions.
Mayor Judy Titsworth
“I am disappointed at the position that Will has taken regarding pre-empting city ordinances to construct a parking garage in a coastal community when the city currently and historically has always exceeded the number of parking spaces required for state-funded beach renourishment and interlocal agreements with the county,” Titsworth said. “As a mayor in his district, I would have appreciated Mr. Robinson to have, in the very least, given notice prior to getting out of his lane in making such a bold move. At this point in time, I shouldn’t be surprised about anything that comes from this district. I do not feel Mr. Robinson needed the support of the local delegation to move on this bill but next time he moves on a bill that will affect the lives of our city residents, I hope that he would first reach out to the representatives of the city so he can become better informed. A four-story parking garage at the entrance to our city is not in keeping with the historical character of our quaint city. For this to happen, the potential gutting of our height restrictions would also be in play. These restrictions are in our city charter. This undoubtedly is what led to the next proposal by the representative which is the consideration of the consolidation and/or dissolution of the three Island cities.”
“I believe that is probably the biggest overstep and attack on home rule yet,” she continued. “Holmes Beach has been incorporated for over 70 years. We are a vibrant and prosperous city. Our population continues to grow. Our city is responsible for the majority of the contributions to the tourist development tax in the county and has contributed over $30 million since its inception. We continue to improve roads, sidewalks and storm infrastructure and continue to make public safety a number one goal. We have a very strong commission and numerous appointed boards. All board positions are readily filled by residents who desire to give their time to civic duty. The city of Holmes Beach is proud of not only retaining its residents but providing a tourism experience that is a top vacation destination. Property values continue to soar and our city has investors from all over the world. For a representative to single out Anna Maria Island to study dissolving our city chartered governments is a wake-up for all cities of this state. Because of this, I do not believe this will receive the legislative act that this representative is seeking.”
In a Jan. 13 discussion with The Sun, she said she feels that any action to dissolve the cities would be the equivalent of a “hostile takeover” by the county commission. “What happened to the will of the people?” she asked, noting that it was supposed to be a politician’s job to work in the best interests of the voters.
Addressing Robinson’s comment concerning taxes, she said there is currently a difference of $17 million between taxes paid by homesteaded residents and those without a homestead exemption in Holmes Beach. If the Island cities were dissolved and development were allowed to go unchecked, Titsworth said she feels that residents would leave, potentially allowing more properties to be acquired by short-term rental investors.
“This is a much bigger issue,” she said. “This is about more than parking.”
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie echoed Titsworth’s statement, telling The Sun that while he doesn’t agree with how leaders in the neighboring city amended their parking restrictions, he too feels that the attempts by the state to subvert local government ordinances and dissolve the three cities have to do with more than just the loss of a few hundred parking spaces.
When contacted by The Sun, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said he does not support the state legislative delegation’s actions and does not think dissolution is a good idea. He added that he does, however, feel that there are opportunities for the three cities to share resources and work together better that are currently being missed.
HOLMES BEACH – Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge wants a new parking garage to be built on Manatee Beach’s sand parking lot, but the mayor of Holmes Beach so far appears unlikely to sign off on the project.
During a Manatee County Commission meeting last week and in a letter to Holmes Beach city officials, Van Ostenbridge said he would like to look at the possibility of building a parking garage on the county-owned property at the beach at the end of Manatee Avenue to provide more public parking for beachgoers. The garage would potentially be built in the primary parking area in front of the snack bar building at the entrance to the beach on Gulf Drive.
Van Ostenbridge also stated he wants Holmes Beach city leaders to dismantle their permit parking program for residents, opening up more street parking in residential areas for public use. He also has demanded that public beach parking be allowed at the Island Branch Library and Anna Maria Elementary School when those facilities are not otherwise in use. Providing public parking at the school requires permission from the School District of Manatee County and either a special permit or site plan amendment approval from the city of Holmes Beach. Public parking at the county library branch would require an amendment to the lease between the city and county for the land under the building.
If city leaders refuse, Van Ostenbridge said he’d consider refusing to provide beach renourishment funds for the Holmes Beach coastline. However, Manatee County commissioners have limited control over the disbursement of beach renourishment funds, which come primarily from federal and state resources – including the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection – and a portion of Manatee County Tourist Development Tax collections.
Though Van Ostenbridge has repeatedly said he would pull beach renourishment funds from the city to try to force Holmes Beach leaders’ hands regarding parking, it could be a double-edged sword for Manatee County, opponents say. Any reduction in beach renourishment could shrink the county’s beaches on Anna Maria Island due to rising sea levels and erosion, potentially reducing tourism to the area and damaging businesses throughout the county. Anna Maria Island generates the majority of tourism funds for Manatee County.
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said a parking garage is not an approved land use in the city and would potentially require the approval of an ordinance to allow the use or a special exception from city commissioners. The parking garage also would have to meet city requirements concerning maximum height (three stories), setbacks, stormwater retention and drainage and other building codes.
Titsworth has said while she’s happy to have conversations with county leaders about parking, she doesn’t feel that Holmes Beach and its residents should bear the majority of the responsibility for providing beach parking for the entire county and its visitors.
While the mayor has mentioned the possibility of the county building a parking garage in past talks concerning beach parking, she suggested building that garage off of 75th Street in Bradenton and using public transportation to get beachgoers to and from Manatee Beach.
Parking program scrutinized
Van Ostenbridge is among those who led the charge against the city of Holmes Beach regarding the public parking available for beachgoers in the Anna Maria Island city. The disagreement between county commissioners and Holmes Beach city leaders has gone on for months, stemming from a decision on the part of city leaders to enact a residential permit-only parking program on some residential streets located next to beach access points following a COVID-19-related shutdown of beach accesses in early 2020.
The permit parking program was planned for several years before becoming a reality and was designed to help lessen the negative impacts of large numbers of beachgoers in residential areas. Some issues that residents reported include people trespassing on their property, damaging property and landscaping, using exterior water hoses and pools without permission and leaving trash and other debris on lawns.
Despite Van Ostenbridge’s claims that city leaders have reduced the number of public parking spots by about 2,000 spaces, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, who helped implement the parking permit program, said that claim is false.
Tokajer has stated that before the COVID-19 parking closures, which have been lifted, the city had about 2,400 parking spaces, including those at beach access points, public parking areas and along the side of streets within a quarter of a mile of the beach. Now there are 1,261 parking spots that do not require a parking permit and 642 on-street parking spots that require a permit but become available to the public daily after 5 p.m. About 497 on-street parking spots were removed by city leaders in residential areas as a part of the parking changes.
Under an agreement with the county, the city provides many more spaces than the 500 or so that are required to receive beach renourishment funding, according to city officials.
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.
The Bridge Street Bazaar in Bradenton Beach reopened with new plexiglass shields to protect the employees. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
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 Ugly Grouper in Holmes Beach was open for lunch on Monday. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
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.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Manatee County’s public beaches on Anna Maria Island are closed until further notice as of Friday, March 20.
Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Bean Point in Anna Maria March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Anna Maria beach March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Bradenton Beach March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Anna Maria Island beaches March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach March 21-22. - Troy Morgan | PhotosFromTheAir.com
The beach closures are a precautionary measure being taken because of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
On Thursday, March 19, Manatee County issued a press release that said, “County and municipal officials today announced that the beaches of Anna Maria Island will close tomorrow, March 20, at 6 a.m.”
“Resort guests, those who live on the Island and those who can find a legal public parking space outside of those areas that are closed will still have access to the beach at this time. We still want you to keep the six-foot distance and no groups larger than 10.” – Lt. John Cosby, BBPD
The press release also said, “Manatee County lifeguards will remain on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to ensure the safety of those who disregard the closure. A double red flag indicating no swimming will fly from lifeguard stands.”
The gates at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach remain locked. – Joe Hendricks
The county-owned parking lots at Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach closed Friday morning as announced. So did the parking lot at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach. The gates at Coquina Beach and Manatee Beach are locked and signs affixed to the gates say, “Beach closed.”
The ungated Cortez Beach parking areas along Gulf Drive South are closed and blocked by barricades, plastic tape and “Beach closed” signs.
The Cortez Beach parking lots in Bradenton Beach are closed. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Intended enforcement
Thursday afternoon, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer issued a press release in response to the county’s announcement.
“The Holmes Beach Police Department and Code Compliance Department are enforcing this policy by eliminating public parking. We will continue to proactively patrol the beach to be sure our residents and guests are following the guidance of social distancing. Many additional parking areas will be changed to no parking zones. The enforcement guidelines will change based on the daily observations,” according to Tokajer’s press release.
These Bradenton Beach police officers were stationed at the main Coquina Beach entrance Friday morning. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Lt. John Cosby, of the Bradenton Beach Police Department, said, “Resort guests, those who live on the Island and those who can find a legal public parking space outside of those areas that are closed will still have access to the beach at this time. We still want you to keep the six-foot distance and no groups larger than 10.”
Cosby and Tokajer said they had no plans to close the street-end beach accesses.
The beach accesses in Holmes Beach remain open. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
On Friday morning, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy issued an email addressing the city of Anna Maria’s beach closures.
“Although our beaches remain closed to the general public, they are open to residents and their guests while practicing safe social distancing. There are sheriff deputies as well as city and county code enforcement officers posted at many beach access points to enforce and clarify this position,” according to Murphy’s email.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells addressed the beach closures during a county press conference Friday afternoon.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said law enforcement does not want to arrest people who enter the closed beaches. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“First and foremost, I want to assure the citizens of Manatee County that we are not out on the beaches trying to arrest people who do show up there and maybe have not received the message. We are asking for voluntary compliance. We are not there trying to incarcerate people for walking on the beach. That is not the goal,” Wells said.
When asked for further clarification on the extent of the beach closures, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nick Azzara said, “In the announcement we sent yesterday, when we closed the beaches, we tried to make clear that this was largely a self-policing exercise and that we were relying on our residents and visitors to make a good faith effort in heeding those warnings. We’re asking people to avoid the beaches.”
Manatee County Public Safety Director Jake Saur said there were no plans to close the county boat ramps.
The parking lots at the Coquina boat ramps are supposed to be used by boaters only. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Tour of the beaches
The Sun made a tour of the Island beaches on Friday.
At Coquina Beach late Friday morning, two officers and two vehicles from the Bradenton Beach Police Department were stationed at the main entrance where the gate was open so the free Island trolley could continue making its regular stops.
The beach concession stand was closed and there were only two people walking the shoreline of the otherwise empty beach.
Across the street, the North and South Coquina boat ramps were open to boaters. Manatee Beach Patrol personnel were stationed at the entrances to both boat ramp parking lots and they turned away those who sought to park there for non-boating purposes.
To the north along Cortez Beach, there were people on the beach, but not in large numbers.
The beach between the Moose Lodge and the BeachHouse restaurant in Bradenton Beach had a moderate number of beachgoers. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Slightly north of that, there were people on the beach between the Moose Lodge and the BeachHouse restaurant, some in the water.
At approximately 3:45 p.m., there were fewer than a dozen people at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach and the central part of the beach was empty. The beach areas south of Manatee Beach were much busier.
The central section of Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach was empty Friday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Because of the executive order that Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Friday afternoon limiting Florida restaurants to takeout service only, the tiki bar was already closed. The AMI Beach Café and gift shop closed later that day and remains closed until further notice.
Two blocks north of Manatee Beach, the 45th Street beach access was open as usual. There were people on the beach, but not in large numbers. The beach areas north of the 45th Street beach access were much busier.
The beach north of the 45th Street beach access in Holmes Beach was very busy Friday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Those entering the city of Anna Maria at the north end of the Island are now greeted by a digital sign that says, “Beaches closed.” A similar sign stands near the new City Pier.
The Bayfront Park parking lot is closed and blocked by “Beach closed” signs and plastic tape.
There are two new mounted “Beach closed” signs at the entrance to the North Bay Boulevard beach access that leads to Bean Point.
“Beach closed” signs are now posted at beach accesses in Anna Maria.- Joe Hendricks | Sun
Murphy told The Sun he plans to add additional signs that say, “Residents only.” He said city residents may be asked to provide identification and rental guests may be asked to show proof of rental when accessing Anna Maria’s beaches.
Vacationing Wisconsin residents Mary and Ralph Cornell were parking their bikes by the dune walkover before taking a walk on the Bean Point beach.
Wisconsin residents Ralph and Mary Cornell want to continue visiting the beaches while vacationing in Anna Maria. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Regarding the beach closings, Mary Cornell said, “I think it’s the wise thing to do. They’re just trying to keep the number of people down, but it allows the local residents and people like us who stay for a long period of time to walk the beach. We don’t gather in big groups. We just want to be able to see the beach and the sunsets. You have great sunsets here and we really don’t want to miss those.”
There were about 20 people on that stretch of the Bean Point beach, including a few families.
These folks enjoyed the beach at Bean Point Friday late Friday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Just after sunset, there were still many cars parked at the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue despite the presence of several “Beach closed” signs.
At 10:30 Saturday morning, an occupied police car from the Bradenton Police Department was parked at the east end of the non-barricaded causeway parking area. There was no one on the beach and no other cars parked on either side of the causeway.
The Bradenton Police Department patrolled the causeway beaches on Saturday. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
When contacted Saturday afternoon, Lt. Cosby said everything was going fine and they had not had any problems.
