Anna Maria Island resorts report holiday bookings are full. Visitors will find big changes
With memories still fresh of a state-mandated ban on short-term rentals in Manatee County this past spring, local short-term resort rental operators are fully aware of the COVID-19 pandemic threat.
The pandemic continues to run rampant through much of the United States.
That said, they are thankful for the full bookings on Anna Maria Island for the long Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the fact that Manatee County beaches remain open. They believe that by following Centers for Disease Control protocols, they can minimize the risk of spreading the disease.
“We don’t rush the housekeepers at all,” Eric Cairns, manager of Cedar Cove Resort and Cottages in Holmes Beach, said of extra steps and extra time being taken to keep rooms clean.
“Once we explain that to guests, they say it is no problem,” Cairns said.
Cedar Cove has been booked for the July Fourth holiday for quite some time, and the volume of guests looking for a reservation is attributable in large part to the pandemic, he said.
“I have been doing this for 21 years and I have never seen such a surge in reservations. People are booking because they are confined in their homes. They want life to go back to normal,” he said.
The majority of those booking on Anna Maria Island are from Florida, but there is also a smattering of visitors from the Carolinas and Georgia. Many of the guests book places on Anna Maria Island year after year.
Joe Varner, who owns Anna Maria Vacations and Anna Maria Beach Resort, with his wife, Kelley, said their bookings are full not only for the holiday weekend, but for much of the month of July.
While bookings appear strong on Anna Maria Island for the holiday and through the end of the month, the same cannot be said for rentals on the Bradenton mainland and in East Manatee, said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“We are trying to figure out ways to give the economy a push in the east county and the mainland,” Falcione said. “Those properties are struggling. They are offering some specials to get traffic from the drive market. It’s tough. We take it one week at a time.”
Locals and visitors alike will find this July Fourth weekend different than any of those in the past. Mask wearing in the cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach is mandatory, bars are closed by order of Gov. Ron DeSantis, restaurant dining rooms are limited to 50 percent seating capacity, many businesses are strictly controlling customer access and more and more businesses are requiring customers to wear a mask.
But the biggest change is in the reduced availability of beach parkingg The city of Holmes Beach took away 1,100 parking spaces, largely in residential neighborhoods, and the city of Anna Maria removed 80 spots near Bean Point to prevent overcrowding.
Parking should not be an issue at short-term rentals as virtually all have on-site parking. Many visitors will keep their cars off the road while here by using the free beach trolley or renting a bike during their stay, Falcione said.
But parking is sure to be an issue for local beach goers, who can expect to see Manatee Beach and Coquina Beach parking lots jammed-packed.
Fearing similar congestion in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, officials closed the beaches there in advance of the holiday.
Cairns says his resort will be following social distancing and other CDC protocols, recalling the pain of the early days of the pandemic.
“We shut down for five weeks. I did it out of good conscience. I didn’t want any of our staff to get ill,” he said.
Officials at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport were also expecting increased business during the holiday.
SRQ will be reopening its shade parking lot on Thursday. The lot provides protection for vehicles from the sun and offers more spaces during the holiday weekend and into the summer months as airlines continue to add service.
The parking lot is located on the east side of the terminal and provides shaded parking for approximately 300 vehicles. It has an automated exit and costs $14 per day.
This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
