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Island mayors receive OPPAGA consolidation report

Island mayors receive OPPAGA consolidation report

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

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities appears unlikely according to a consolidation study-related letter sent to the three Island mayors last week from State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and Sen. Jim Boyd.

“The OPPAGA study confirms what we have discussed over the past year,” the letter says. “Merging or eliminating cities could negatively impact the unique and special character of the Island and could have a detrimental impact on issues like building height. The lower height of buildings on the Island must be valued and maintained at all costs. Anna Maria Island must never become a high-rise community and anything that would cause that to happen would be a nonstarter to us.”

Dated Jan. 9, the letter accompanied the completed OPPAGA (Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability) consolidation study report emailed to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short and Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie on Jan. 8. The mayors then shared the report and the letter with their respective city commissioners.

OPPAGA is a research arm of the Florida Legislature.

The issuance of Boyd and Robinson’s letter and the sharing of the completed 25-page OPPAGA study coincided with the Manatee County Legislative Delegation meeting held in Bradenton on Jan. 9. Robinson, Boyd and the other state legislators who comprise the Manatee County Legislative Delegation announced their desire for a consolidation study in 2023.

The consolidation study was requested at a time when Robinson, Boyd and former Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge were at odds with Holmes Beach officials regarding public parking for beachgoers and the county’s desire to construct a parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.

In 2023, Robinson filed legislation that resulted in the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis authorizing the county to construct a three-story parking garage at Manatee Beach despite the city’s existing prohibition on multi-level parking garages and substantial public opposition. In August, the county commission reversed course and terminated the parking garage design process.

While pursuing the consolidation study, Robinson and Boyd repeatedly expressed their desire for the three Island cities to reduce operating costs and lower property taxes by consolidating some of the similar services provided by all three cities.

The study

The 25-page OPPAGA report begins with an executive summary that says the Legislature directed OPPAGA to analyze the potential benefits of consolidating the services provided by the three Island cities and present options for the potential restructuring of the Island’s governance.

Island mayors receive OPPAGA consolidation report
The OPPAGA Anna Maria Island consolidation study report has been made public. – OPPAGA | Submitted

The study notes the Island’s permanent resident population declined 42% between 2007 and 2023, from 8,449 residents to 4,915. It also notes that 66% of the new vacation rental properties developed in Manatee County between 2000 to 2023 were developed on Anna Maria Island.

“There are some municipal services on the Island that could be streamlined through interlocal agreements, contracts or government reorganization. This streamlining of services could result in savings for Island residents,” the report says.

The report notes all three cities provide administrative, building and planning, public works, code enforcement and emergency management services; and Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach have their own police departments. Anna Maria contracts with the Manatee County Sherrif’s Office for law enforcement services. Using data provided by the cities, the report summarizes each city’s revenues, expenditures, outstanding debt and reserve funds.

The report references four government restructuring options:

  • Leaving the Anna Maria Island governmental structure as is;
  • Combining the three Island cities into one new city;
  • Including the three cities as part of unincorporated Manatee County; and
  • Including the three cities as part of the city of Bradenton.

The analytical report does not include a recommendation of any of the consolidation options, but provides considerations and potential impacts for each consolidation option.

In regard to maintaining the status quo, the report states the duplicated services and the financial impacts created by those duplications would continue and each city’s property tax rates would remain the same. Maintaining the status quo would also avoid the expense, time, effort and disruption of city governance, and Island residents would not have to change their addresses.

Regarding the one city, county and Bradenton consolidation options, the report notes each of those options may produce economies of scale and cost savings but would also result in the elimination of each city’s charter, code ordinances, land development codes and comprehensive plan. Consolidation would also eliminate the current city commissions and advisory boards and require the restructuring of existing municipal contracts.

Robinson and Boyd’s letter notes that Manatee County government and the school district have also been encouraged to become more efficient and lower their taxes and millage rates.
“We know that cutting taxes and finding efficiencies is challenging, but we believe it is possible to accomplish this with hard work and now with this OPPAGA study as a roadmap,” the letter says.

“As we head into the 2025 Legislative Session, we would like to hear from you prior to Feb. 13 on ways you all believe services can be streamlined and better coordinated,” the letter concludes.

Mayors respond

In her Jan. 9 email to The Sun, Mayor Titsworth wrote, “I appreciate the time and effort that the team put into this study. I also look forward to working with the Island mayors, the new county board members and our state leaders in identifying efficiencies to decrease taxes for our citizens. I am pleased that the threats of consolidation and or elimination of our cities has passed and I appreciate the respect our Legislature has for home rule.”

During the Jan. 10 city commission meeting, Mayor Short read aloud some key points contained in Robinson and Boyd’s letter.

“I have reviewed the report,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with some of the data that’s in there, but it’s there. I need to digest this some more. I’d like the commission to do the same.”

Short said the report contains some inaccuracies, including some inaccurate financial figures, and he intends to issue a formal response to the report.

Commission Chair Charlie Salem thanked Short, city staff and former mayor Dan Murphy for ensuring the OPPAGA team received the data and information they requested. He also credited the citizens who sent emails and letters of opposition to the state legislators opposing consolidation and reinforcing the importance for the Island cities to maintain their home rule rights.

In conclusion, Short said, “This was an Island-wide effort. This wasn’t just us. It was all three cities, as well as support from others off-Island. I take comfort in this letter, but I’m not 100% convinced that it’s completely done.”

When contacted on Jan. 10, Mayor Chappie said he was glad the state legislators shared the report with the Island mayors, which is not a legal requirement.

Chappie also questions some of the figures and facts stated in the study, but he feels the study reinforces the unique characteristics of the three Island cites and the need to maintain local governance.

Chappie feels the three cities can use the OPPAGA report to help address Boyd and Robinson’s ongoing cost-cutting and tax reduction concerns.

“This is going to be a tool to help us look at ourselves as a community and how we can better our community,” he said.

Commission receives Seafood Shack purchase update

Commission receives Seafood Shack purchase update

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Featured, Real estate | Development.

CORTEZ – The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will receive an update at its Jan. 8 meeting on the stalled Seafood Shack and Marina acquisition.

Property Acquisition Division Manager Charles Meador and Senior Real Property Specialist Tim Cristello are scheduled to update the commission at the regular meeting.

TIMELINE

On Sept. 5, 2024, the then-members of the BCC executed a contract for the purchase of the property for $13 million with seller Vandyk 1st Gulf Coast-Marina, LLC.

The anticipated use of the property is as a public boating access facility with a boat ramp, dry storage and marina.

The property consists of seven upland parcels of approximately 5.9 acres and two submerged land leases of 2.9 acres. It was appraised at $12.55 million, assuming the two expired submerged land leases will be renewed.

According to the sales contract, the closing of this transaction was to occur on or before Oct. 7, 2024.

“Property Acquisition and American Government Services, the county’s closing agent, worked on closing this transaction per terms and conditions of the contract,” according to the Jan. 8 BCC meeting agenda. “Property Acquisition completed a site visit on Sept. 10, 2024, to walk the property and talk with seller’s representatives in charge of all operations as part of the due diligence of the contract.”

At the time of the site visit the Seafood Shack property was occupied with businesses and boat slip tenants. On behalf of the seller, a Notice of Termination of Tenancy letters were sent to the tenants ordering the premises to be vacated by Sept. 30.

Hurricane Helene struck on Sept. 26 and on Sept. 30, representatives from county administration, construction services, property management, property acquisition, and sports and leisure departments, conducted a walk-thru and confirmed the Seafood Shack had sustained major hurricane damage.

“Administration directed property acquisition to move forward and close this transaction on or before Oct. 7 per the contract,” the agenda states. “On Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall and caused more damage to the Seafood Shack property.”

A closing was then rescheduled for Dec. 23, but also did not take place. According to the BCC agenda, the seller and lender were unable to close due to a financial/internal dispute.

“The seller and lender cannot mutually agree on a settlement statement amount owed to close this real estate transaction. As is, the county is not able to obtain clear title,” the BCC agenda states.

The BCC meeting begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Avenue W., Bradenton.

The meeting can be viewed live on www.mymanatee.org/mga and on Manatee Government Access (MGA) Spectrum Channel 644, Frontier Channel 30 and Comcast Channel 20 (within Manatee County).

Hurricane sand cleaned, returned to beaches

Hurricane sand cleaned, returned to beaches

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Beach, Outdoors.

BRADENTON BEACH – In a large-scale beach restoration project to put back sand pushed across Gulf Drive during recent hurricanes, tons of sand are being cleaned and returned to the beaches at the Coquina Beach processing site.

Sand is picked up daily along Gulf Drive and carried to the site by dump trucks. There, it is put through sifters to remove debris before being placed back on local beaches.

“Clean sand is being delivered to both Cortez and Coquina public beaches and shaped to mimic low-level dune formations along the landward side of the beaches there,” Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County Director of Natural Resources, wrote in a Nov.18 email.

Sand recovered from roadways is sorted, sifted, tested, and returned to the beach under Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Florida Department of Health requirements.

Sand removal from private property is the owner’s responsibility. Sand deposited on private property cannot be returned to the beach due to concerns about nails, debris, or household contaminants like oil, bleach, fertilizers, etc.

“Any dumping of sand from private properties on the beach is a direct violation of FDEP regulations. It is very important that the sand from private property not be mixed with the sand currently piled up on the roadsides. Residents with any remaining sandbags are encouraged to keep them through the end of storm season (Nov. 30),” according to the Manatee County website.

The sand being processed at the screening site is separated into two grades: beach-quality sand and construction-grade darker sand such as is found in parking lots.

As of Nov. 15, 19,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand has been sifted and returned to Anna Maria Island beaches. The county website estimates that amount to be enough to fill six Olympic-size swimming pools.

Construction-grade sand is being processed differently.

“Last week’s figures showed 27,000 cubic yards was transported to the Hidden Harbor staging site along Ft. Hamer Road in the eastern part of the county for future use in road building and infrastructure projects,” Manatee County spokesperson Bill Logan wrote in a Nov. 18 email to The Sun.

According to Logan, “With fill dirt costing between $5 to 15 per cubic yard, the county has already realized average savings of over a quarter million dollars. By the time all the debris sand is repurposed, the county will save well over a million dollars. That does not even calculate the cost of taking sand that could be repurposed to a landfill – which would be substantial.”

Piles of sand remain to be processed. Logan said it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how much remains as FDOT and the three Island cities are still bringing sand to the processing site.

He said the cost of the project has not yet been determined, but Manatee County will be reimbursed from FEMA debris funds.

“The FEMA deadline for total reimbursement is Jan. 11 (2025). Every effort is being made to wrap up sand screening operations by this date,” Logan stated.

Logan stated that each day tons of sand is screened and re-applied or shipped to the staging site at Hidden Harbor.

“While the sand screening is only a part of the overall debris effort, you can always follow along on the overall progress at mymanatee.org/debris. As of today, there has been more than 1.5 million cubic yards of debris collected county-wide,” Logan wrote.

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

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

CORTEZ – Many residents in local mobile home parks received substantial damage assessments from Manatee County following water intrusion from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge. Those residents attended a Nov. 6 meeting with Manatee County, FEMA and Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) officials for answers about the next steps in the recovery process.

More than 100 Cortez mobile homeowners attended the informational meeting held at the Bridge Church to hear a presentation by officials outlining FEMA guidelines, including the 50% rule; county ordinances and its participation in, and adherence to, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as timeframes for inspections and disaster assistance contacts.

“This past month has been difficult for everybody,” Manatee County Building Official and Floodplain Manager Bill Palmer said in opening remarks. “A lot of people lost their homes and a lot of houses were abandoned. Everybody wants to repair their homes and get back as quick as possible and get their lives back as normal as possible.”

Discussion on regulations

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so, when you rebuild or do repairs to homes, we must have guidelines on how you can rebuild. There are regulations so we want to make sure you have all the knowledge to move forward and be able to rebuild or decide which direction you want to go in,” Palmer said.

Palmer said there has been some misinformation circulated about the process.

“I’ve seen things that say we’re going to go in and condemn all the mobile home parks,” he said. “That’s just not true. We’re not going to do that.”

Manatee County Floodplain Manager Cheryl Bagby explained floodplain regulations.

“There are federal, state and local regulations that state if a home is damaged 50% of the value of the structure, or if it is improved 50% value of the structure, then the entire structure must be brought to current floodplain compliance,” she said. “This is commonly known as the FEMA 50% rule. What that means is if you sustain damage and the cost to bring your home back meets or exceeds 50% of the value of the structure, then the entire structure has to come up to current flood compliance, which includes elevating the structure.”

Bagby said the county’s disaster assessment team has gone out to the communities for an initial damage assessment.

“A lot of times they were unable to get inside. They took a look at the buildings and they did a data collection of how much observed damage there was to the building. They took that data and brought it back to us and we’re going to calculate that to see how substantially damaged that is,” she said.

She said Sunny Shores, Paradise Bay and Cortez Park are all located in a floodplain and all are subject to the 50% rule.

Bagby said the county receives the mobile home’s value from the Manatee County Property Appraiser.

“If you go on the property appraiser website, type in your address, it is currently labeled FEMA market value,” she said. “It’s not a value from FEMA, it’s a value that has been calculated for the structure. If you meet or exceed 50% of that the entire structure has to come into compliance.”

Bagby said homeowners have the right to hire a private appraiser to assess the pre-damage value of the home.

“We will take the higher of the two,” she said.  “It should be reproduction value minus physical deterioration.”

Renovation, permits

Bagby said homeowners may remove damaged building materials but an application is required to make repairs.

“Even if you’re in a mobile home, there’s still an application to build back,” she said. “Take out that drywall, take out those contaminated materials, that’s okay. But before you build back you have to submit an application so we know whether or not you need to elevate your home. Don’t go spending money, because you might have something that ultimately has to be elevated and cost you a lot more.”

Homeowners wishing to do repairs to the mobile home must apply to the county for a storm mobile home review.

“You’ll need to submit paperwork with costs,” Bagby said. “If you’re under the 50% we’re going to sign off, say go ahead, you’re approved for repairs. If you’re over 50% we’ll tell you what your options are from there.”

She noted that because mobile homes are not subject to the Florida Building Code, people may think they don’t need permits to make repairs.

“It is, however, subject to floodplain regulations,” Bagby said. “Therefore that 50% rule still applies.”

For most storm damage repairs, permit fees are being waived.

“When you apply you need a contract or a cost breakdown. If you’re doing it yourself we need the material cost so we can get an accurate assessment of what this is going to cost,” Bagby said. “We need documentation validating the values. Labor is counted. For homeowners, it’s $30 an hour for labor. You have to assign a value to donated materials.”

She said with the 50% rule there is a one-year cumulative value. If any permits were pulled within and closed within the last year, or are older and still open, those values count toward the 50% value of the structure.

“The whole point of elevating is so you don’t have to go through this again, so you are protected against these storms because they are happening stronger and more frequently,” Bagby said.

FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) representatives attended the meeting via Zoom.

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program,” Tammy Hanson with FEMA Flood Plain Management said. “When the community joined the program, they agreed to adopt and enforce floodplain management requirements. What that allows is the ability for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.”

One of the things she said is misunderstood is that FEMA or the state is coming in to do assessments. That is not the case.

“That is not how the program works,” Hanson said. “There are federal, state and local requirements. It’s through the enforcement of local regulations where the determinations of damage assessment are made.”

 Timeframe for inspections

“Our team is very short-staffed right now,” Bagby said. “We have a lot of applications coming in, plus we’re out in the community doing this disaster recovery work. Make sure any application you do submit, have it clearly state hurricane or storm damage so that it gets prioritized. The turnaround time for storm damage is a few days.”

Disaster assistance: FEMA and SBA

“The individual and household programs (IHP) provide assistance to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured, or underinsured necessary expenses that are a result of the disaster,” FEMA representative Millie Diaz said. “The IHP is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate all those losses.”

IHP has two specific provisions, one is for housing assistance and the other is for needs assistance,

“We also have displacement assistance for those who cannot return to their house and childcare assistance,” Diaz said.

Deadlines for assistance applications are Nov. 12 for Hurricane Debby, Nov. 27 for Hurricane Helene and Dec. 11 for Hurricane Milton.

Here are some helpful contact numbers:

FEMA disaster assistance – 800-621-3362

FEMA community services program – 833-514-2940

Disaster unemployment assistance – 800-385-3920 or www.Floridajobs.org

Crisis counseling – 800-985-5990

Small Business Administration – www.lending.sba.gov or 800-659-2955

A second meeting

To assist in answering questions about individual circumstances, a second meeting is being planned for Wednesday, Nov. 13 to include the following break-out areas:

FEMA:

  • DSA: Disaster Survivor Assistance
  • Individual Assistance
  • SBA: Small Business
  • Hazard Mitigation/Floodplain Management
  • NFIP (insurance)

Manatee County:

  • Zoning, 1 person
  • Floodplain Management
  • Building Official
  • Code Enforcement

Details about a time and location for the Nov. 13 meeting are to be determined.

Mounds of debris remain as hurricane approaches

Mounds of debris remain as hurricane approaches

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

CORTEZ — Hurricane Milton is expected to bring high winds and a storm surge to the area late Wednesday night, and time was running short on Tuesday to remove household debris left out following Hurricane Helene.

On Monday, a Manatee County clean-up crew was in Cortez using a claw lift to put roadside household debris into the back of a dump truck.

Some of the roads there were cleared of debris, but others were not and, as of Tuesday afternoon, multiple piles of discarded items remained on side streets in Cortez and along the roads in Sunny Shores.

Manatee County spokesperson Bill Logan responded to an email from The Sun Tuesday afternoon, saying county clean-up crews will attend to Cortez Village and Sunny Shores.

“All haulers (including those who would normally be on trash/recycling routes) are working to clear the debris as they are able to get to it,” he wrote.

Homes in Cortez and Sunny Shores were inundated with more than three feet of water from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and residents fear that floating debris during the storm surge from Hurricane Milton may cause further damage to their homes.

One Sunny Shores resident Tuesday said she hopes to see county cleanup crews.

“That would really help us if they did,” she said.

County to purchase Seafood Shack for $13 million

County to purchase Seafood Shack for $13 million

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Featured, Real estate | Development.

CORTEZ – Ending speculation about the identity of the new owner of the Seafood Shack Restaurant and Marina, the Manatee Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved its $13 million purchase at a Sept. 5 land use meeting.

Prior to the vote, Manatee County Property Acquistion Division Manager Charles Meador spoke about the proposed use for the property, which consists of seven upland parcels of approximately 5.9 acres and two submerged land leases of 2.9 acres. He said the property will provide a public boating access facility to include a boat ramp, dry storage facility and marina.

“If the property is acquired by the county and developed as a private boat ramp facility, the site has the potential to increase the number of available boat trailer parking spaces up to 25% countywide,” he said.

Sherri Swanson, Manatee County Ecological Resources Division Manager, said the new facility will help with the current shortage of county boat ramps.

“The county currently operates nine saltwater access public boat ramps providing 17 launch lanes and approximately 234 trailer parking spaces. Considering Manatee County’s population of over 400,000 residents as of 2023 and considering the Parks and Recreation Open Space Master Plan and the adoptive level of service of one boat ramp per 7,500 residents, we should be offering approximately 59 boat ramp lanes,” Swanson said. “Which means we have a deficiency of 42 lanes.”

She said the new facility would provide up to 65 additional trailer parking spaces and up to 100 marine slips.

Commissioner Amanda Ballard asked about the cost to get the public boating access facility running.

“It depends on the board’s direction,” Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop said. “The current marina is in poor shape. If we want to extend the marina out and add more slips, there’s a lot of options on the table so we have to go through the process.”

Bishop said there is about $20-$21 million available in the CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) fund.

“Like Charlie explained, there’s $20.8 million that was originally in the CIP 24-28 designated for the Peninsula Bay program. Unfortunately, that project is not feasible so they’re going to utilize this,” Manatee County Budget Office Chief Financial Officer Sheila McLean said. “Fortunately, we have this opportunity to take those funds. We’re using our own cash reserves and some infrastructure sales tax.”

“The Peninsula Bay project became unfeasible, ballooned to about $30 million. We have $21 million in the bank for it which wasn’t going to cut it,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “This opportunity came up. We can achieve the same objective faster and cheaper by doing this.”

PUBLIC COMMENT

James Morganroth, who operates a boat business at the Seafood Shack Marina, was the sole speaker during the public comment portion of the meeting.

“I don’t know if the county is in the business of operating any marinas currently or any restaurants, those things are already operating on that property,” he said. “I’m not opposed to the county owning this property. I want the board, and anybody involved, to consider any of the current businesses that are operating out of the marina there. And any of the current employees that are working, whether Seafood Shack, Annie’s, Cortez Watersports, any of the other boat businesses, I want that to be a consideration if that property is approved for purchase.”

Van Ostenbridge addressed Morganroth’s concerns.

“I assume the board will act as a landlord and essentially create a revenue source by leasing slips and continue to lease space to those businesses that are already there,” he said. “We’re not looking to put anybody out of work.”

Bruce Shearer, co-owner of one of the businesses on the property, Annie’s Bait and Tackle, hopes that to be case.

“I’m not ready to retire,” Shearer said. “So, I hope we can be here a while longer.”

Shearer said he heard about the purchase “through the grapevine,” but said no one has spoken to him yet about the county’s plans for Annie’s.

TIMELINE

The Seafood Shack, 4110 127th St. W. in Cortez, was built in 1972 and for many years was an iconic dining spot on the Intracoastal Waterway.

The property was listed for sale by Elliot Rose and David Neff of Coldwell Banker Commercial Property in April 2023 and was recently reported as “under contract.”

In May 2024, the county had the property appraised by Colliers Valuation and Advisory Services. The appraised value was $12,550,000 for the property with all improvements. That appraisal assumed that two expired submerged land leases will be renewed. An agreement was then negotiated with the seller, Vandyk Properties, at $13 million.

While the submerged land leases are expired, the seller has temporary use agreements (TUA’s) in place. The county’s property acquisition division reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for clarification regarding the leases. Officials were told by FDEP that once the county owns the land, the county and the agency can work together to finalize a long-term submerged lands lease.

On July 15, an environmental site assessment was completed by the county’s consultant, Tierra Inc., and showed no evidence of recognized environmental conditions.

According to the sales contract, the closing will take place in October.

UNANIMOUS APPROVAL

Van Ostenbridge made two motions, both seconded by Commissioner Jason Bearden.

The first was for the adoption of a budget resolution amending the annual budget from Manatee County for fiscal year 2024. The amendment adjusts the FY24-28 CIP, appropriating $13,100,000 for property acquisition costs. The motion passed 6-0.

The second was the execution of a contract for sale and purchase from Vandyk Properties of Seafood Shack Properties for the purpose of boat ramp expansion in the amount of $13,000,000. The motion also passed 6-0.

“The citizens and the fishermen will be very happy, we have more boat ramps coming out with parking,” BOCC Chair Mike Rahn said after the vote.

“We’ve been having briefings for quite a while on this,” Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse told The Sun after the meeting. “We had to keep this under wraps since there were others who were interested in the property.”

Kruse noted that the property is zoned ROR (retail/office/residential), which is the highest density allowed in Manatee County.

“This will keep development low around Cortez and will help the area restaurants,” he said. “This is the most ready-made boat ramp you’ll ever see. Everything is already there.”

Letter to the Editor: Open letter to the governor

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Letter to the Editor, Opinion.

Dear Gov. DeSantis,

I am a lifelong Republican and a 20+ year Manatee County, Florida resident. I have always supported you and your policies – until recently.

It greatly troubled me when you appointed totally unqualified and inexperienced James Satcher to Manatee County Supervisor of Elections (instead of Scott Farrington, who is both highly qualified and experienced and who was whole-heartedly recommended by former SOE Mike Bennett upon his retirement). But now, I am frankly horrified that you have endorsed Kevin Van Ostenbridge for Manatee County BOCC District 7 At Large.

It appears that you have become very badly compromised and are now merely a puppet who is controlled by the “political consultant” Anthony Pedicini and his SIMwins organization of Tampa, Bill Galvano and Real Estate Developers Pat Neal and Carlos Beruff.

I’ve lost all respect for you and will no longer be able to support you for any elected office. I have spoken with many other residents of Manatee County and they all agree with me and feel the same.

I pray that the voters will awaken and see through and understand Pedicini’s lies and deception and your foolish weakness before they vote in the Aug. 20 primary. I also pray that you will repent and redeem yourself before you cause irreparable damage to your political future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Janet E. Reardon

Bradenton

Officers issuing citations for unregistered boats

Officers issuing citations for unregistered boats

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Boating, Outdoors.

CORTEZ – Marine law enforcement agencies have issued more than 20 citations recently for multiple unregistered and derelict vessels moored in the waters just south of the Cortez Bridge.

“The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Marine Unit is working closely with FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) to get derelict boats removed before hurricane season,” MCSO Public Information Officer Randy Warren said on May 17. “Deputies are also patrolling the area and have been writing citations for unregistered vessels.”

Warren said the MCSO Marine Unit has issued four citations in the past several days for vessels with expired registration.

“The FWC works very closely with our partners, including the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, to ensure state waters are safe for boaters and wildlife alike and derelict vessels continue to be a priority,” FWC spokesperson Bradley Johnson wrote in a May 17 email to The Sun.

Johnson said there are currently four derelict vessels in the area that are being actively investigated, with two that are likely to be removed soon.

“There have also been 18 citations written to vessel owners in this area for various “At Risk” violations over the past two months alone,” Johnson wrote.

Local boat captains have expressed concern about the moored boats crowding the harbor, as well as at least four sunken boats that are hazardous to navigation.

Brittany Bull, who owns and rents six of the boats in the area, spoke to The Sun on May 18.

“The way I’ve gotten these boats is I’ll see a boat that is sunken and get hold of the owner and see if I can obtain ownership, and now we have them floating,” Bull said. “They may not look great on the outside but the inside of the boats have been refurbished.”

Bull’s boyfriend, Brian Grimes, said the six boats are rented with a portable air conditioner, generator, bottled water and portable shower. A dinghy is provided for some of the boats to allow renters to get to shore.

“The boats are stationary, they don’t have motors, and they’re anchored out there,” Grimes said.

One of the FWC criteria for an “at-risk” vessel being classified as derelict is that it does not have an effective means of propulsion for safe navigation within 72 hours after the vessel owner or operator receives telephone or written notice, which may be provided by fax, email or other electronic means, stating that from an officer, and the vessel owner or operator is unable to provide a receipt, proof of purchase or other documentation of having ordered necessary parts for vessel repair.

“The Coast Guard has rules so they have to be moved every month to a different location and we just move them a little bit so we don’t get in trouble with the Coast Guard,” Grimes said.

Bull said the Coast Guard comes out to conduct boat safety checks.

The Coast Guard did not respond to a request for comment.

Other ‘at risk’ criteria include a vessel taking on water without an effective way to dewater; spaces meant to be enclosed remaining open to the elements; the vessel listing due to water intrusion; the vessel has broken loose or may break loose from its anchor; and the vessel is tied to an unlawful or unpermitted structure or mooring.

“We prefer to have people remove them on their own. If they don’t remove them, the state will do it eventually,” Warren said. “People might not realize there’s a process to get them physically removed.”

A derelict vessel is any vessel that is left in a wrecked, junked or substantially dismantled condition upon waters of the state, according to Florida Statute 823.11.

The derelict vessel adjudication and removal process can include multiple court hearings and court orders to remove a vessel from state waters. Each derelict vessel owner must also be afforded the opportunity for an administrative hearing by the law enforcement agency investigating the case as well as potential criminal proceedings before the vessels may be authorized for removal, according to Johnson.

Johnson wrote, “FWC makes every effort to work with the vessel owners to have them either remove the vessel from state waters themselves or return it to non-derelict status to minimize the cost to taxpayers. There is a difference between a vessel that is derelict and a vessel that is at-risk of becoming derelict. It is much less expensive to remove an at-risk vessel than it is to remove one already rendered derelict.”

Derelict vessel removals typically cost between $400-$800 per foot to remove. A 30-foot boat, barring any extraordinary circumstances, will cost between $12,000 and $24,000.

“Vessel removals can vary greatly in cost and new derelict vessel cases are constantly being added to the state’s inventory,” Johnson wrote. “On average, 600 new derelict vessels are added to the FWC’s DV database annually. Derelict vessels may be removed by owners, local government entities or the state.”

In an attempt to prevent vessels from becoming derelict on Florida’s waters, FWC initiated the Florida Vessel Turn in Program, a program in which vessel owners may apply to have their at-risk vessels removed from the waters of the state at no charge to them. Guidelines and applications are available at www.FloridaVTIP.com Vessel owners who have received a citation or written warning for a vessel in at-risk condition by law enforcement may apply for this program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Editorial: Selling access to the sand

Written by Sun staff on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.

Manatee County commissioners are on a roll when it comes to disappointing their constituents.

Despite overwhelming protests from the community, commissioners have approved $2.9 million for three pre-design criteria packages for three parking garages, one at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.

Even Commissioner George Kruse, whom Island residents were starting to rally around, voted in favor of the budget amendment.

Commissioners’ intent with these packages is to seek a public-private partnership agreement for a private developer and builder to come in with a bid package to build and run these parking facilities. The reason a private company or investor would do such a thing, as was said on the county commission dais on May 14, is so they can profit from the paid parking facility.

There goes Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge’s supposed reason for going around Holmes Beach officials to build the parking garage at the beach, which was to give more people access to the beach. Instead, by this plan, only those willing to pay for the privilege of parking on Anna Maria Island will have access to the beach.

Van Ostenbridge already stated that he has no intention of seeking a reduced or free rate for Manatee County residents. Now he and the other five members of the county commission are actively spending tax dollars to build a revenue stream for the developers – and possible campaign contributors – they select at the expense of taxpayers and Manatee County residents.

Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth is the only Anna Maria Island mayor who has taken a stand against paid parking and doesn’t allow it in her city. Holmes Beach has the only free and truly accessible beach access left on Anna Maria Island and county commissioners have gone all the way to the state Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis to make sure that it’s closed to only those willing to pay a premium to access the sand.

With the current slate of county commissioners, this is your tax dollars at work, something voters should remember at the ballot box in the Aug. 20 Republican primary, where many of our local elections are decided, and in the Nov. 5 general election.

Beach parking garage gets design funding

Beach parking garage gets design funding

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

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.

Candidate qualifying commences soon

Candidate qualifying commences soon

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The candi­date qualifying periods will soon begin for those seeking election or reelection during the 2024 election cycle.

Anna Maria provides a two-week qualifying period. Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach and Manatee County provide one-week qualifying periods. All city commission and may­oral terms on the Island are two-year terms.

Pre-qualifying

State law also provides pre-qualify­ing periods for candidates. According to Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office Chief Deputy Sharon Stief, “The pre-qualifying process is set forth in Florida Statute 99.061(8): A qualifying office may accept and hold qualifying papers submitted not earlier than 14 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying period, to be processed and filed during the qualifying period. This is not new. Municipalities that piggyback onto the general election are able to pre-qualify. When the municipality has elections in off years, that provision is not in their charter.”

Form 6

Because of a new state law that took effect on Jan.1, municipal candidates seeking election or reelection to a mayoral or city commission office must, for the first time, file a Form 6 financial disclosure form that lists the candidate’s net worth, all income sources, all debts (except credit cards) and all tangible assets valued at more than $1,000. County commission candidates were already subjected to the Form 6 filing requirements. Learn more about the Form 6 requirements at the Florida Commission on Ethics website.

Anna Maria

The two-week qualifying period in Anna Maria begins on Monday, June 3 at noon and ends on Friday, June 14 at noon. The mayor’s seat currently held by Dan Murphy and the city com­mission seats currently held by Gary McMullen and Mark Short are up for election in November.

Anna Maria City Clerk LeAnne Addy said during the May 9 city commission meeting that the pre-qualifying period begins on May 27. Qualifying packets will be accepted at that time, but Anna Maria candidates will not be considered qualified until the qualify­ing period opens on June 3.

Bradenton Beach

The one-week qualifying period in Bradenton Beach begins on Monday, June 10 at noon and ends on Friday, June 14 at noon.

The Ward 2 commission seat currently held by Marilyn Maro and the Ward 3 commission seat currently held by Ralph Cole are up for election this fall.

Maro has not attended a commis­sion meeting in person in over a year but has attended several meetings by phone.

Holmes Beach

The one-week qualifying period in Bradenton Beach begins on Monday, June 10 at noon and ends on Friday, June 14 at noon. The mayor’s seat cur­rently held by Judy Titsworth and the city commission seats currently held by Dan Diggins and Greg Kerchner are up for election.

Manatee County

The one-week qualifying period for county candidates begins on Monday, June 10 at noon and ends on Friday, June 14 at noon. County offices up for election this fall include the District 1, 3 and 5 county commission seats, the at-large District 7 county commission seat, the offices of the supervisor of elections, the county clerk, the property appraiser, the tax collector and the sheriff, the District 1 and 3 school board seats and West Manatee Fire Rescue board seats 1 and 5.

Registration, party affiliation

Preceded by early voting and mail voting, the Manatee County primary election will conclude on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The deadline to register to vote in the primary, or to change party affiliation for the party-specific primary elections, is Monday, July 22.

Preceded by early and mail voting, the general election will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The deadline to register to vote in the general election is Monday, Oct. 7 and party affiliation doesn’t matter in a general election.

To register to vote or to change one’s party affiliation before the county primary, visit the “voter information” link at www.votemanatee.com or visit www.RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov.

For additional qualifying infor­mation regarding city and county races, contact the Supervisor of Elections office or the applicable city clerk’s office.

March tourism numbers soar

March tourism numbers soar

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Featured, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – March tourism numbers are up from last year in all three Island cities, significantly so in the City of Anna Maria.

Each month, the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office reports how much income the county’s 5% tourist tax produces. The tax is collected from owners of accommodations rented for six months or less who charge the tax to their renters, who are mostly tourists. The amount of the tourist tax taken in each month is a gauge of how many people are coming to the Island in a given month, and for March, that was a big number.

While Bradenton Beach was up 1% compared to 2023 and Holmes Beach was up an impressive 19% during the same period, Anna Maria showed a staggering increase of 58% over March 2023.

The Sun reached out to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Executive Director Elliott Falcione to make sense of the significant increase.

“I’m not sure without further research, but what might have happened in the City of Anna Maria is more of the homes went into the short-term rental pool,” Falcione said. “I’d be curious if there’s any real estate transactions from homeowners that used that as their homestead then made it a short-term rental and had a management firm operate it.”

Falcione also said his department does not promote spring break, saying the Island is busy enough and doesn’t need further promotion during the busiest time of year. He says there has to be a balance between the huge influx of tourists during the busy spring season and the quality of life for the residents who live here. This attitude falls in line with other, more popular, Florida spring break destinations such as Miami and Panama City, who have essentially told spring breakers to find somewhere else to party. Miami officials went so far as to publicly “break up” with spring breakers, saying the relationship is over and they need to move on. No one in Manatee County has gone as far as that to echo that sentiment, since AMI has not been a “party” destination with the riots and violent crime Miami and Panama City have experienced. Nonetheless, the number of people coming is plenty, and the CVB sees no reason for advertising the Island as a spring break destination.

Falcione said the tourist tax is a very good thing for Island residents, because it benefits the residents without any money coming out of their pockets.

The tax is used for things such as boat ramps, piers, beach parking lots, the new water taxi, and perhaps most importantly, 20% goes to beach renourishment.

As far as how to alleviate some of the problems with traffic and congestion, Falcione says a lot of it comes down to parking. He says if there was a solution to the limited parking on the Island, traffic would flow more smoothly and residents would be able to travel during the busy spring season without spending a frustrating amount of time stuck in traffic.

While many Island residents are opposed to a proposed parking garage at Manatee Beach, Falcione says he supports it.

“The parking garage would need to be designed to not look like a parking garage, and would need to be designed to integrate into the look of the Island,” Falcione said. “Once people coming to the Island realized that they could just come to the Island on Manatee Avenue and pull right into a place to park, then what it does is get people off Gulf Drive. Right now the traffic isn’t just the demand for the beaches, it’s cars going up and down Gulf Drive searching for a parking spot and causing traffic problems.”

Falcione says he doesn’t believe the garage will bring more tourists, but rather mitigate traffic on the Island. When asked if he was worried about voicing his support for the controversial parking garage, Falcione said, “I am who I am and I speak from the heart. We all drive cars, and if I’m going from point A to point B, and I want to park that car as fast as I can and know there’s a parking spot as soon as I get on the Island, I’m going to take it. Most importantly, it gets my car off the road and I’m not a part of traffic. I’m not that smart, to me it just seems to be common sense.”

Jewfish Key could become part of county

Jewfish Key could become part of county

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners and officials from the Town of Longboat Key discussed a petition from the Jewfish Key Preservation Association to de-annex Jewfish Key from the town at a joint April 30 meeting.

If the de-annexation is successful, Jewfish Key will become part of unincorporated Manatee County.

“This is a little unusual and I just wanted to place it on your radar,” Longboat Key Town Manager Howard Tipton said to the commission at the April 30 meeting. “There is a possibility you may have an unusual enclave for county services within the Town of Longboat Key.”

“On Jan. 16, 2024, the Town of Longboat Key received a voluntary petition from the Jewfish Key Preservation Association Inc. for the contraction of the island (Jewfish Key) from the municipal boundaries of the town,” Tipton read from a prepared statement. “The homeowners association submitted the request to examine the town’s levels of municipal service and because the town has land use controls that are more restrictive than Manatee County’s. Specifically, the town has a longstanding grandfathered-in land use regulation that restricts the duration of short-term rentals of residential properties for less than 30 days.

“While there is no role for Manatee County in the statutory contraction process, this information is being shared to create awareness of the pending request and the upcoming Town Commission discussion relating to the future of Jewfish Key within the town’s boundaries or as part of unincorporated Manatee County,” Tipton read further.

“I was a little surprised by the name – the Jewfish Key Preservation Association,” County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “What is it they’re trying to preserve? It seems like a disingenuous name that’s misleading.”

Tipton said he didn’t have an answer to that question and said there has been no communication between the association and the town outside of the petition.

“It does present a challenge,” Van Ostenbridge. “The island has slowly built up over time. There’s no fire hydrant there.”

“There are no utilities that serve the Island,” Tipton said. “It is a well and septic enclave.”

Jewfish Key is the only part of the Town of Longboat Key that is without water and sewer service and any increased density would raise concerns, he said.

“I think there’s a concern for the property owner for any future commercial use which would be their lack of sewer, their lack of potable water, the fact that they’re on well and septic,” Van Ostenbridge said. “I don’t know that the county would be eager or even willing to run sewer. The expense would be exorbitant. They may want to do it at their own expense.”

Florida Statutes require the town to undertake and evaluate a feasibility study within six months of receipt of the petition. The anticipated presentation of the completed feasibility study to the Town Commission is at a public meeting on Monday, June 3 at 1 p.m., Tipton said.

Locals join hands to fight big government

Locals join hands to fight big government

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

HOLMES BEACH – A grassroots movement to bring awareness to Florida legislators’ efforts to consolidate or eliminate the three Anna Maria Island cities drew about 300 people to its first event, a peaceful protest on the sand.

The crowd gathered just north of Manatee Beach on April 13 for a Hands Across the Sand event held by Save Florida Home Rule, a group of residents, vacationers and property owners who want to stop the overreach of state government. Members of the group are vocally against the consolidation or elimination of the three Island cities as well as the construction of a parking garage at Manatee Beach.

Locals join hands to fight big government
Betty Dimmick waves a sign at the entrance to Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach directing protest participants to the meeting spot. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Joining hands, the group shouted, “Protect paradise” and “Keep your hands off our Island cities” as messages to Manatee County and Florida state lawmakers to stop governmental overreach and allow local municipalities to govern their own cities.

The parking garage bill passed the Legislature without protest in 2023. The bill allows for Manatee County commissioners to construct a garage at the beach property against city of Holmes Beach land development regulations and zoning codes. The garage bill was protested by residents, visitors, property owners and city elected officials, but those protests were ignored at the county and state levels. Resident and one of Save Florida Home Rule’s organizers, Barbara Ehren, wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again with the elimination of the cities.

“There is a group of people who are gathering together to save Anna Maria Island because we are very concerned about the move afoot in the Florida Legislature to either consolidate the cities or disband them and put them under either Bradenton or (unincorporated) Manatee County,” Ehren said. “We do not want to see that happen because we suspect, and I believe it’s more than a suspicion, that what would happen under those circumstances is we would lose our zoning and get lots of high-rises. And then lovely Anna Maria Island that everyone adores would become Miami Beach. The visitors don’t want that and those of us who live here don’t want that to happen.”

The group was joined by Holmes Beach Commissioners Pat Morton, Terry Schaefer and Carol Soustek, who all participated in the event.

Locals join hands to fight big government
Holmes Beach Commissioners Terry Schaefer, left, and Pat Morton lend their support to the community at the Hands Across the Sand event. – Kristin Swain | Sun

“This is the community,” Morton said, gesturing to the gathered residents, visitors and other concerned individuals. “I’m going to go out here to see if I can find some beach people to come and join us. This beach is for them too, it’s not just us. We’re trying to open up some people’s minds to what’s going on. A lot of people in Bradenton, over in Manatee County they think ‘Oh, it’s your problem.’ No, it’s your problem over there too. They don’t realize this is going to affect them too.”

“This is a citizens’ generated event today and that’s certainly what’s going to be most helpful in making everyone in our area, not just on our Island, aware of the threat of dissolution of our Island, our cities,” Schaefer said. “This is a first step in kind of igniting interest community-wide and getting people out physically to the beach to determine and show that there is a line of defense in supporting and maintaining our way of life and quality of life.”

Soustek joined other volunteers in helping to gather signatures on letters protesting the elimination of the three Island cities prior to the start of the event from participants. She said the letters are to be sent to state Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and Sen. Jim Boyd. The two are members of the Manatee County state legislative delegation and both support the parking garage and the state-sponsored Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability study looking at the possibility of eliminating the cities. The OPPAGA study is the first step toward a special act of the state Legislature eliminating or consolidating the three cities.

Locals join hands to fight big government
One of the event’s organizers, Barbara Ehren, thanks participants for showing up to lend their support to the peaceful protest. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The study is looking at four possibilities – consolidating the three cities into one new city, eliminating the cities and putting the Island under the jurisdiction of unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton, or leaving the cities as is. On a recent visit to Holmes Beach, Mayor Judy Titsworth said OPPAGA representatives were looking at eliminating the cities and putting them under the jurisdiction of unincorporated Manatee County, meaning that the county commissioners would decide all matters of government for the Island. The majority of county commissioners live east of I-75 and only one, at-large Commissioner George Kruse, frequently visits the Island to speak with residents and local elected officials. District Three Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge is the county’s largest supporter of the removal of the existing historic cafe building at Manatee Beach and installing a three-story parking garage there. Building the garage would also mean that beach parking in all three Island cities would largely be paid parking instead of free for the public. Currently, Holmes Beach is the only Island city that does not allow paid parking.

To keep up and get involved in the ongoing effort to preserve the Island cities, visit www.facebook.com/savefloridahomerule or email savefloridahomerule@gmail.com. The group also has T-shirts, baseball caps and other items to help raise awareness for sale at the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum at 402 Pine Ave. in Anna Maria.

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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