Is Anna Maria Island still getting a water taxi? Why no bids yet could be a good thing
Manatee County’s attempt to begin working with water taxi operators went unanswered, but the proposal isn’t dead just yet.
Earlier this year, county officials invited all five of Florida’s water taxi companies to begin negotiating terms of service. But none of them responded to Manatee’s request.
A water shuttle from downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria Island has long been on the to-do list of local leaders, and the goal was to launch the water taxi this spring.
The lack of interest is a setback, but the proposed transportation option is still a real possibility, according to Elliott Falcione, the county’s executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“I don’t look at this as a negative. It’s a step in the process. We’re excited about the future, and we’re excited to start a water taxi operation,” Falcione said.
The county originally asked water taxi operators about how they would prefer to operate the route and what kind of investment it would require. Those responses were due March 30. Since then, county staffers have been in touch with operators to receive feedback.
That feedback will allow the county to tweak its proposal and continue negotiations with a larger number of operators, County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said.
“It actually opens up more possibilities for the county and the cities,” Van Ostenbridge explained. “We’re no longer restricted to a limited number of vendors and their specific business models.”
If a water taxi can be secured, local officials expect the service to become a popular way to travel to, from and along Anna Maria Island. Based on conversations with city leaders, the taxi could bring visitors to high-interest locations, such as Bridge Street, the Anna Maria Island City Pier or Coquina Beach.
Schedules and fare rates have not been established, but Falcione envisions running the water taxi throughout the day and charging less than $20 for a daily pass. The boats are expected to carry around 40 passengers at a time.
A water taxi has also been hailed as a potential stress reliever for traffic heading out to Anna Maria Island, as well.
“We’ve been doing research and surveying tourists to see if they’d have an appetite for a water taxi, which would align with the trolley stops so that you can go from the boat to the trolley seamlessly,” Falcione said. “All of that coordination needs to align, but I’m positive we’ll get something done.”
“We need to improve the ways we move people around, whether that’s our bus system or the water taxi,” added County Commissioner Misty Servia. “We have gotten to the point where we need reliable transportation that isn’t an individual’s car. That kind of approach helps with everything from affordable housing to roadway congestion.”
Van Ostenbridge said he expects county staff to continue researching opportunities to bring the water taxi to life, such as reaching out to out-of-state operators or applying for grants that would allow the county to operate the water taxi itself.
“I would like for county administration to look into grants that are available for public transit and weigh the possibility of Manatee County running it through Manatee County Transit if we qualify for those grants,” Van Ostenbridge said. “There’s still a desire amongst community leaders to bring this to fruition.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
