New Florida bill would force Anna Maria Island to allow a parking garage for beachgoers
A new bill filed in the Florida Legislature would overrule the city of Holmes Beach for a planned parking garage on Anna Maria Island — and it has the support of county leaders.
State Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, announced his plans to file the bill earlier this year, citing a need for more access to public beaches in Manatee County. If approved in the coming months, the bill would give county government officials permission to build a three-story parking garage by removing Holmes Beach from the permit approval process.
“Folks are getting frustrated. They can’t access the beaches, they’re turning around and they’re going back home,” Robinson said during a January interview with the Bradenton Herald.
On Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission discussed the bill for the first time. Board members voted unanimously to draft a letter to Robinson and other state lawmakers voicing support for the measure.
“The reason to build the parking garage is to accommodate the people who are moving here and the people who already live here to access the beach,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said.
Speaking with the Bradenton Herald Tuesday afternoon, Van Ostenbridge said early estimates for the garage is expected to cost $45 million and provide 1,500 parking spaces on the county-owned parking lot at Manatee Public Beach, 4000 State Road 64, Holmes Beach.
Bill sidesteps Holmes Beach on garage
Robinson’s bill marks the latest development in the feud between island and county officials over public access to the beach.
In 2020, Holmes Beach made drastic changes to the availability of parking spaces near Manatee Public Beach. Inland residents argued the changes made it harder for them to visit the beach.
Holmes Beach officials said they wanted to prevent island visitors from taking advantage of neighborhood streets for parking. At the time, the City Commission argued that beachgoers were littering in yards, blocking driveways and creating other problems.
Representatives on the Manatee Board of County Commissioners have suggested an island parking garage as a solution for years, but island leaders have fought the idea.
In a Wednesday morning interview with the Bradenton Herald, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said a garage would change the nature of the island.
“I have to fight it. It’s going to greatly affect the character of our city,” said Titsworth, who also criticized Robinson for announcing the bill without first meeting with Holmes Beach leaders.
Are there other options?
Under current rules, county commissioners would need Holmes Beach’s permission to build a parking garage on the county-owned parking lot at Manatee Public Beach.
Last summer, Holmes Beach officials updated the city’s ordinance to approve a ban on parking garages. However, the county could still present a site plan and request an exception, Titsworth explained.
“What this shows to me is the county didn’t want to ask,” said Titsworth.
Instead of building a parking garage, Titsworth pointed to the Florida Department of Transportation’s 2019 Sarasota/Manatee Barrier Island Traffic Study, which made dozens of recommendations, including a parking structure on the mainland and expanding roadways to make room for beach shuttles with a dedicated travel lane.
“County residents are upset with Holmes Beach, but what residents need to understand is this the reason they can’t find a parking space is because 10,000 people got there before them. We’ll never have enough room for the number of people moving to the county.”
County leaders support AMI garage
House Bill 947, which was written to circumvent Holmes Beach’s approval of a parking garage, is narrow in scope. It would authorize “the county to construct a certain parking facility and amenities within the territorial boundaries of the City of Holmes Beach under certain circumstances; requiring a permit for such construction to be issued by the county,” according to the bill text.
During Tuesday’s public meeting, commissioners threw their weight behind Robinson’s effort.
“I’m in favor of this bill. I’m in favor of putting that parking garage up,” Commissioner George Kruse said.
“It’s not an easy thing, with two little kids, to get them out to the beach and then to drive around, nowhere to park. It’s a really tough thing for literally hundreds of thousands of people in Manatee County,” added Commissioner Amanda Ballard. “We can’t allow that kind of exclusionary policy to take place and we can’t allow our public beaches to, in effect, become private.”
With an expected $45 million cost, Van Ostenbridge said a garage on Anna Maria Island is likely to include an hourly parking fee.
Robinson also proposed a bill that would have Florida’s Office of Program Analysis and Government Accountability conduct a study to determine whether the three island cities — Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria — should be consolidated into fewer jurisdictions.
As of Tuesday afternoon, that bill had not been filed.
What happens next?
According to the Florida Legislature’s online tracker, Robinson filed the Anna Maria Island parking garage bill Feb. 20. The 2023 legislative session begins March 7.
The bill will need to be reviewed by several committees before House members take a vote on the matter. Speaking with the Bradenton Herald in January, state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said he is confident the bill will be approved this year.
If approved by state legislators, Manatee County could proceed with a parking garage as soon as the bill is signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 5:50 AM.
