Pay to park at the beach? Holmes Beach mayor says city may allow businesses to rent spaces
The decision to remove up to 1,100 parking spots in residential areas of Holmes Beach drew outrage from the public and criticism from state legislators.
The solution, the city says, is to allow paid parking at banks, churches and other businesses within a quarter mile of the beach.
After protests and other outcry in response to the city’s plan to reduce public parking, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and state Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, sent a letter to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth calling for the city to revisit its parking plan.
Titsworth responded to the legislators, telling them not to judge from Tallahasee but to come see for themselves.
“Although I am certain that you have been keeping up with the media, I urge you to come visit our city when you are able so that you can see the changes that we have implemented,” Titsworth wrote in her response.
The city has long looked at ways to reduce beach parking in residential areas given the many problems that have surfaced over the years. Some visitors have parked on people’s lawns, used their private hoses without permission, left trash behind and, at times, have been seen by complaining homeowners urinating on their properties.
Most believe only a small fraction of visitors engage in this kind of behavior, but city officials have long wanted to address the problems.
During the COVID-19 shutdown, the city of Holmes Beach took advantage of the situation to make the changes.
Police Chief William Tokajer announced in May that the changes were coming and that the limits would be enforced as soon as the city receved new no parking signs.
Tokajer said it comes down to numbers. In a presentation to the Holmes Beach Commission on the city’s proposal, “I methodically reviewed all information as to what is required for beach renourishment,” funds, which Tokajer said is 364 public spaces.
In reality, Tokajer said, the city had 2,405 parking spaces within a quarter mile of the beach. Following the elimination of some of the on-street parking in residential, the city still has 1,307 spaces. Of the 1,100 being removed, 487 had “minimal use,” he said.
With anywhere from 18,000 to 26,000 vehicles that travel through Holmes Beach per day, Tokajer said, “We will never have parking that meets the demand. ... This is a public safety issue and has been an ongoing issue for many years. We have people that come to the island with the idea that people at the beach are easy targets for theft.”
Tokajer went on to say that Holmes Beach is much more accommodating that the other two island cities.
Bradenton Beach does not allow any on-street parking, although the city does have ample parking at county run lots at Coquina Beach and at Cortez Beach. The city of Anna Maria has no official public beach so parking is always a challenge and the city has strict restrictions for on-street parking.
Titsworth said Holmes Beach is the primary destination for a growing county with now more than 400,000 residents and 700,000 tourists annually.
“We cannot, as a small city, allow this unrestricted parking to continue to creep farther and farther into our neighborhoods,” Titsworth wrote in her letter to Galvano and Robinson. “Please understand that I am trying to keep balance in our communities as maintaining our residents is vital in the hopes of keeping our professional offices, churches, school and community center prosperous.”
Titsworth said the city simply cannot keep pace with the needed demand.
“Clean beaches and streets are vital in maintaining quality of life,” she said.
Public safety, she said, is the driving force behind the city’s decision. She gave no indication to Galvano and Robinson that the city would revisit its plan.
Instead, Titsworth said she is committed to working with Manatee County in coming up with solutions, including the proposal to initiate paid parking at business and other lots.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 2:30 PM.