Manatee County to fully open beaches, end 2-hour parking limit starting Wednesday
Starting Wednesday morning, most restrictions will be lifted from Anna Maria Island beaches, as Manatee County proceeds with a phased reopening of public facilities.
The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to end the 2-hour parking limit at county-owned beaches, ending one of the rules put in place to control the number of visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
When commissioners first agreed to reopen beaches, parking was limited to about half of capacity. Even with that limitation, visitors flocked, according to County Administrator Cheri Coryea, who explained that 20,000 2-hur parking passes were handed out in a week.
“It’s busy out there, but when you think about, what else is anyone gonna do?” Coryea said.
Bayfront Park in the city of Anna Maria will also reopen. Social distancing is encouraged at Manatee beaches, and parking will still be closed where construction is underway at the Coquina Beach parking lot and near Cortez Beach.
Coryea compared the crowds to a holiday weekend and asked commissioners to approve a motion that allows the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to provide assistance on the weekends until July 12.
“We think we need to have MSO out there to supplement the cities out there to help with those areas,” said Coryea.
While Manatee beaches have reopened, the island cities haven’t eased their right-of-way parking restrictions.
“I talked to (Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth) yesterday and she’s not going to open parking for a week or two,” said Commissioner Carol Whitmore. “We have to have places for our constituents to park. I would favor opening the beaches, just not having them park where there’s construction.”
By posting signs that let visitors know when parking lots are full, Manatee officials should be able to prevent parking violations, according to John Barnott, director of the building and building services department, which oversees local code enforcement.
