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Tag: Rep. Will Robinson Jr.

OPPAGA visit concerns city leaders

OPPAGA visit concerns city leaders

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

HOLMES BEACH – The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability study being conducted on the three Anna Maria Island cities is starting to rattle local city leaders.

During a March 26 commission meeting, Mayor Judy Titsworth said she had participated in a conference call with OPPAGA representatives, who recently visited the Island to observe the city’s public works department.

She said that afterwards, she hoped the state representatives were considering public works as a possible department to consolidate across all three Island cities to save money. In talking with Public Works Supervisor Sage Kamiya after the visit, Titsworth said she learned that wasn’t the case. Instead, she said OPPAGA representatives were looking at public works as the only department that would need to remain on the Island if all three cities were eliminated and daily government operations were moved to the city of Bradenton or Manatee County.

“So that’s unfortunate,” she said. “I’m still hopeful because that is such an overreach. That is going to affect people so much. Their everyday lives are going to change so drastically if we don’t have their cities out here and they have to go to the county for everything. Your tax bill, you’re not assured that any of that is coming out here. I think you’re going to get more resistance from the residents and our visitors who love this Island with that type of an option. Unfortunately, I’m almost certain that’s the only one they’re looking at right now.”

Titsworth said that she’s still trying to get dialogue reopened between the city and state Rep. Will Robinson Jr. but hasn’t yet been successful.

Robinson is one of the five state legislative delegation members from Manatee County who ordered the OPPAGA study without the input of the three Island municipal governments.

While the three Island mayors said previously that they would support the OPPAGA study with the goal of looking at ways to save taxpayer money across the three cities, they all said they do not support consolida­tion or elimination of the cities.

The four possibilities being studied by OPPAGA representatives include consolidation of the three cities into one new city, elimination of the city governments and annexation of Anna Maria Island into the city of Bradenton or Manatee County or leaving the Island governments intact.

Titsworth said she believes that the OPPAGA study is focusing on elimination of the cities and an­nexation into Manatee County to get development rights for the Island. Currently, development on Anna Maria Island is controlled by city regulations. Those regulations would vanish if the city governments are eliminated.

Once the study is complete, City Attorney Erica Augello said that consolidation or elimination of the cities could be forced at the state level as a special act of the Legislature. The OPPAGA study would be submitted with a bill by the begin­ning of September and then would go through three committees in the House, voted on in the House floor and, if it passes, be put on the con-sent agenda for the Senate unless someone in the Senate pulls the bill for discussion. If the bill passes those hurdles, it would go to Gov. Ron DeSantis for approval or veto.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said it’s not just the current residents who are being affected by the ongoing study. She said she’s also spoken with potential residents who are holding off on purchasing property on the Island because of the uncertainty of the outcome of the OPPAGA study.

Titsworth said that staff members in all three cities also are working with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over their heads about the future of their jobs. She said the only thing they can do is persevere.

Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he was told that Sen. Jim Boyd, one of the members of the Manatee County state delegation, would meet with him and Titsworth at the end of the legislative session, which ended two weeks ago. Schaefer said he’s los­ing patience and is drafting a letter to Boyd to try again to set up a meeting to discuss consolidation.

TOWN HALL MEETING POSTPONED

Holmes Beach leaders planned to host a town hall workshop on Tuesday, April 9, but the workshop has been postponed indefinitely and may or may not take place at a future date.

BRADENTON BEACH

Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie confirmed that OPAGGA representatives recently visited the city’s Department of Public Works, headed by Tom Woodard, which is responsible for the maintenance and repair of city-owned streets, sidewalks and traffic signs, street striping, stormwater drains and systems, maintenance of city facilities and parks and street sweeping.

When asked about his thoughts on the OPAGGA study, Chappie said, “We’re going through the process.”

ANNA MARIA

OPPAGA representatives were unable to meet recently with Anna Maria Public Works Manager Roosevelt Jones, who was on bereavement leave, according to Mayor Dan Murphy, who said that Jones is expected to participate in a phone meeting with OPPAGA representatives this week.

 Leslie Lake and Joe Hendricks contributed to this report.

Protestors oppose beach parking garage

Protestors oppose beach parking garage

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

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.”

Protestors oppose beach parking garage
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.

Protestors oppose beach parking garage
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.

Protestors oppose beach parking garage
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.”

Protestors oppose beach parking garage
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.

Parking garage bill speeds through committees

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

TALLAHASSEE – A bill proposing to build a three-story, 1,500-plus-space parking garage in Holmes Beach is speeding toward approval.

House Bill 947, proposed by Manatee County Rep. Will Robinson Jr., passed the Regulatory Reform and Economic Development Subcommittee on March 22 with the unanimous approval of all members present at the Florida House of Representatives with a change to line 15, submitted by Robinson, addressing the enforcement of the bill. The line states that the parking garage can be constructed within the “territorial boundaries of the city of Holmes Beach, without obtaining any permit, approval, consent, or letter of no objection from the city of Holmes Beach.”

The bill is now in the State Affairs Committee for consideration before moving to the House floor for a vote. If the bill passes those two votes, it moves on to the Florida Senate for consideration. If approved there, it would go to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk on July 1 to be vetoed or signed into law.

Though not in Tallahassee this week, Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse appeared before the Local Administration, Federal Affairs and Special Districts Subcommittee on March 15 to voice his support for the bill.

In a talk with The Sun, Kruse said he was in the state capitol for another matter, but the trip coincided with the first committee hearing on the parking garage bill and he wanted to lend support to Robinson.

The hearing was also attended by Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth along with several members of city staff. Titsworth, along with many Island residents and property owners, opposes the construction of a parking garage at Manatee Beach, which is owned by Manatee County but located in Holmes Beach. City leaders passed an ordinance in 2022 banning the construction of multi-level parking garages in the city except by special exception. Though parking garages were previously not an allowable land use in the city without a special exception, the passage of the ordinance bolstered the prohibition after county commissioners began discussing the possibility of building a parking garage in the city as an answer to beachgoer parking constraints.

Kruse said that while he understands that a special exception hearing before city commissioners could have been undertaken by the county, he thinks it would have been a waste of time, effort and taxpayer money due to city commissioners’ passage of the parking garage ban, resulting in county commissioners pushing the matter to the state level.

As of press time for The Sun, Kruse is the only Manatee County commissioner to have taken Titsworth up on her offer to tour the city’s available beach parking. Kruse said he embarked on the parking tour following a town hall meeting he held at the Island Branch Library, and said he spent more than two hours touring city streets and talking with the mayor about parking.

“We looked at probably 100% of the parking spaces,” Kruse said. “I said it when I was up in Tallahassee, I 100% gave Holmes Beach credit. What they’re working on right now is great. What they’re working on is going to be much more hospitable, much more welcoming to residents of Manatee County, staycationers and tourists.”

Holmes Beach city leaders are working to remove sign pollution, placing green numbered parking spot indicators near beach access points and working on an interactive app, with the installation of parking sensors, that can alert visitors to where available parking is located in real-time. The city also provides a map on its website that identifies public parking areas.

“I think everything that Holmes Beach is doing is amazing. It’s great. It’s going to make a world of difference,” Kruse said, adding that he feels that the bill at the state level may be pushing city leaders to work to resolve parking issues.

And though he said the city is addressing parking in as much as they have the capacity to do so, he doesn’t feel the solutions or even the proposed parking garage will fix all of the parking and traffic issues on Anna Maria Island. Even with the loss of the 400-plus parking spaces currently available at Manatee Beach, the parking garage would net 1,000 or more parking spaces, which Kruse said could potentially help provide more spaces for Manatee County residents and visitors.

“I do not think putting a parking garage there is going to fix our parking problem,” he said. “I support the concept of the parking garage. I support Rep. Robinson’s bill.”

“At the end of the day this is a large project in a large CIP within the county that has hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars of projects,” Kruse said. “So, I need numbers first. I need financials first. I’m a realist and I’m somebody who assesses everything with facts. So, I, at the end of the day, need to see where is $30-45 million coming from? What is the timeline for completion? What are we going to do with 400-plus parking spots in the interim during construction? That’s information I don’t have yet because the bill hasn’t passed yet, so we haven’t gone through it. We get to our CIP discussions in the summer when we go through budget, so this hasn’t come up specifically. I support the concept of allowing the county a very reasonable height and reasonable footprint to build additional parking for citizens of the county. Is it 100% guaranteed it’s going to get built? Probably. I know my board. ButamI100%soldonit?Ineedtosee where those numbers are coming from. Is that the best use of $45 million? And maybe it is. I support the concept. I support the idea of giving us the option. And I think that’s the heart and soul of it.”

Kruse added that he feels there could be better answers to the parking and traffic congestion issues on the Island, primarily the installation of a third lane on the Anna Maria Island Bridge along Manatee Avenue to allow for a dedicated first responder and transit lane. With a dedicated transit lane, he said he feels people would be more likely to ride a shuttle service to the beach with their gear if it allowed them to bypass traffic. The reconstruction of the Anna Maria Island Bridge is on the Florida Department of Transportation’s project priorities list but is unfunded.

AMI fights back against state representatives

AMI fights back against state representatives

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

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As state representatives discuss bypassing Holmes Beach codes to build a parking garage and dissolving the three Island cities, locals aren’t taking it lying down.

Residents, property owners, business owners, visitors and others who love the Island just the way it is have banded together to get the word out and reach out to Manatee County’s state legislative delegation members in an effort to have their voices heard in Tallahassee.

Led by Holmes Beach resident Laurel Nevans, 950 people had joined Save AMI Cities as of Jan. 23. The Facebook group is dedicated to making the people’s voices heard at the local and state level on both issues.

The battle is focused on a parking garage. Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge wants to build one at Manatee Beach, a property owned by the county but located in Holmes Beach. Before those plans got off the ground, city commissioners voted to not allow multi-level parking structures in their city, a stance echoed by city leaders in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria. Van Ostenbridge warned city leaders at a public meeting that there would be consequences to their actions.

Now the fight has escalated to the state level with Rep. Will Robinson Jr. initiating a bill to not only override the city’s decision to disallow parking garages but also to break the city’s three-story building height restriction, which is in the city charter. Robinson said he wants to see a four-story parking garage built at Manatee Beach. A four-story garage also would violate the three-story height limitation for unincorporated Manatee County, which is what the Island would likely be merged into if all three Island cities were dissolved by the Legislature.

AMI fights back against state representatives
A cool morning leaves the beach in Holmes Beach nearly vacant, even at the height of snowbird season. – Submitted | Beverly Battle

That possibility arose from state legislative delegation discussions earlier this month to consider hiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to study the feasibility of dissolving the Island’s three cities.

Protestors speak out

Members of Save AMI Cities are writing letters to state representatives and looking at other ways to make sure their opinions on the proposed measures are heard.

The Sun reached out to those members to see what they have to say about the two proposals.

“This ‘taking’ of our local cities diminishes our votes and our ability to get those little things done in our communities,” Binky Rogers said. “We have owned in Bradenton Beach for 35 years and lived here permanently for 14 years. I feel that our mayor and city commission have our best interests at heart, and they are very approachable. The ‘bully’ county commissioners will not worry too much about our small Island except, of course, bringing in more tax dollars from all the high rises that’ll appear. All I can say at this point is think hard about who you vote for. We can’t just ‘pave over paradise and put up a parking lot.’ ”

“I recognize the value of tourism to our little island, but it’s the vibrant, quaint, simple life that we fell in love with and that is slowly being destroyed by developers,” Holmes Beach resident and local Realtor Kelly Gitt said. “I am strongly against the proposal of a parking garage and an advocate of slower speed limits, safe sidewalks/bike lanes and paying a toll to come out to the island. I don’t believe the parking garage has anything to do with protecting our beaches or the slower pace of life we love and appreciate here.”

AMI fights back against state representatives
Anna Maria Island residents and business owner Bob Casey, pictured here with his wife, Connie, questions the motives behind two proposals by state representatives. – Submitted | Bob Casey

“I’m a homeowner and small business owner here on AMI,” Bob Casey said. “A parking garage is not the solution and I think the county commissioners know this. How about finishing the parking lot at Coquina? I could be wrong, but I think they have ulterior motives. If they can overrule our three-story building limit it will be like ringing the dinner bell to all the developers. Then AMI will lose its old-school charm that locals and visitors alike enjoy. Our local governments are not perfect (who is?) but they live among us and have our best interests at heart.”

“The tourist board advertises Anna Maria as ‘a taste of Old Florida,’ then does everything it can to destroy that,” resident Janis Ian said.

“It begs the question of what the motivation is for the county commissioners and legislators to try and control AMI,” part-time Island resident Barbara Trinklein Rinckey said.

Chris Arendt referenced an Urban Land Institute study that notes that additional parking on the Island will not solve issues related to reaching maximum capacity for people and vehicles on the seven-mile Island. Arendt called both proposals by the legislative delegation “sham proposals.”

“It’s intimidation, plain and simple,” Arendt said. “Fact is every single Island conservative I know, and that’s many, are vehemently opposed to both the proposals. That should tell you all you need to know.”

“This is outright intimidation to control our Island towns,” Barbara Quinn said. “A garage won’t help the massive traffic caused by overdevelopment.”

“The Manatee County commission wants to keep their thumb on the cash cow that is AMI,” Laura Siemon Seubert said. “And a certain county commission member didn’t get his way, he essentially ran to ‘daddy’ to step in and make the other kids play with him. The county doesn’t care if we turn into another Panama City Beach or Fort Lauderdale. They only see the dollar signs with each bed tax. The ironic thing is a parking garage won’t help the bottom line. The day trippers that will use the parking garage aren’t spending the night. There is no financial gain from a parking garage. And as far as the three cities becoming one? All the charm and uniqueness of the Island will disappear.”

“I thought we lived in the United States?” Bradenton Beach resident Chris Johnson questioned. “Have any of the commissioners talked to the Islanders to see how we feel on the Island? This Island has been in my family’s blood for four generations, and we have protected the Island for years. The beaches are beautiful but there is more to this Island than beaches.”

City asks governor to veto proposed legislation

City asks governor to veto proposed legislation

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

ANNA MARIA – The mayor and city commission are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto Senate Bill 620, also referred to as the Local Business Protection Act.

The commission took this action when adopting City Resolution 22-777 on April 14. As of April 18, DeSantis had not yet signed SB 620 into law, nor had he vetoed the proposed legislation.

If signed into law, the Local Business Protection Act would authorize certain businesses to claim business damages from a county or municipality that enacts or amends certain ordinances or charter provisions that results in lost revenues.

The proposed state law was sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson and supported by the majority of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. Representing Manatee County, Sen. Jim Boyd and Rep. Will Robinson Jr. both voted in support of the legislation.

Senate Bill 620 proposes: “A private, for-profit business may claim business damages from a county or municipality if the county or municipality enacts or amends an ordinance or a charter provision that has or will cause a reduction of at least 15 percent of the business’ profit as applied on a per location basis of a business operated within the jurisdiction; and the business has engaged in lawful business in the jurisdiction for the three years preceding the enactment of or amendment to the ordinance or charter.”

According to the adopted city resolution first suggested by Commissioner Robert Kingan, “Senate Bill 620 allows businesses to threaten local governments with lawsuits paid for by taxpayers. Senate Bill 620 will lead to a number of financially motivated and malicious lawsuits, costing local governments millions annually because local governments will be forced to increase taxes or reduce services to cover legal fees. Senate Bill 620 would hinder the governing body at the local level and would overall be detrimental to communities. Senate Bill 620 can provide national companies with the ability to exploit the bill for their advantage against local ordinances.”

In closing, the city resolution says, “The city of Anna Maria hereby urges the Honorable Governor Ron DeSantis to veto Senate Bill 620.”

The city’s ongoing opposition efforts also include a request for concerned citizens to email DeSantis using form letters provided on the “Take Action” page at the Home Rule Florida website.