A parking standoff at the beach: Can Manatee County and Holmes Beach reach agreement?
Something has to change if Holmes Beach and Manatee County leaders want to park more cars on Anna Maria Island, but neither side seems to agree on how to make that happen.
For the first time since removing nearly 500 public parking spaces in 2020, Holmes Beach city commissioners met with the Manatee Board of County Commissioners Tuesday morning to talk about beach parking access. After more than three hours of discussion, neither side came to an immediate solution.
“To me, the real crux of the issue is: Are we going to be able to work toward the goal of getting people to park where they’ve been able to park for a long time?” County Commissioner James Satcher said. “I was under the impression that we were under negotiation. I’m hopeful that’s why we’re here today. I’m not asking for the moon or something that’s never been done before.”
“The problem is your problem. It’s not our problem,” Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth responded. “You have a public beach that’s too small for the amount of development that’s happening in the county. That’s not us. You have a public beach that offers 300 parking spaces. I wish you would’ve seen the trend 10 years ago.”
Manatee County Government and the city of Holmes Beach have been at odds ever since the city moved to remove street parking spaces in residential neighborhoods that had traditionally allowed out-of-town visitors to park there and walk to the beach.
It’s an issue that’s drawn the attention of other Manatee County elected officials, too. Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and the county’s delegation of state lawmakers sent letters urging for both parties to come to an agreement.
Why did Holmes Beach remove parking?
City officials said they made the change in response to complaints from residents about beachgoers who left behind trash, blocked driveways and caused other problems in Holmes Beach neighborhoods.
“We implemented the parking restrictions to save our neighborhoods. I look at it as beach parking and residential street parking — they’re two different things,” said City Commissioner Jayne Christenson. “We’re trying to protect the neighborhoods and it’s a safety concern.”
Street parking is still available for Holmes Beach residents who pay for a parking permit, but county leaders have contested that the change unfairly limits access to the beach for everyone else.
“We don’t ban things because of a few bad apples. We don’t say no one can use these community assets because of a few bad apples,” County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “There’s certainly too much traffic on Manatee Avenue, but we’re not going to close Manatee Avenue.”
Because Manatee County owns and operates Manatee Public Beach, which sits inside Holmes Beach’s jurisdiction, the city commission contested that it’s the county’s job to provide enough parking spaces for residents and visitors.
“There’s a huge influx of people that come to the city each and every day, and there’s not enough parking at Manatee Public Beach. There’s also not enough parking at Kingfish Boat Ramp, so it’s spread deep into the surrounding residential areas,” Titsworth said.
Would more beach parking solve the problem?
Even if Holmes Beach did restore the street parking that they took away, city leaders said they weren’t confident that it would resolve the problems in a rapidly growing county with record-setting tourism numbers.
“You want 400 spots? I’d like to see less building,” said City Commissioner Carol Soustek. “We’ve all got a lot of problems, but you keep adding people. 400 spots? That’s not going to do nothing. You have to look at the big plan and invest millions of dollars. You’ve got to look long-range and you’ve got look big.”
“I am more than willing to try and locate 480 spots, but you’ve got to think about what it’s going to be 10 years from now,” City Commissioner Terry Schaefer added. “480 spots? It’s a spit in the ocean. Somewhere along the line, you can’t appease the developers every time. You’ve got to have some consideration for what they’re profiting from. Uncharted development is exacerbating the problem.”
In September, Van Ostenbridge proposed using the property at Manatee Public Beach to build a parking garage, but the city of Holmes Beach’s building height limitations have county leaders in a bind. In order to build a sizable parking garage, the project would need to be approved by Holmes Beach voters.
“It’s a charter. It’s up to the people,” Titsworth said.
“You’ve got to meet us halfway. When are you going to start?” County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh shot back. “I’d love to work with you, but you’ve got to show us something, and I didn’t hear a whole lot. It’s going to take all of us realizing we need to work together.”
Officials pitch possible solutions
Without a parking garage, there are new proposals on the table that could make it easier to visit Anna Maria Island. Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, updated officials on the latest developments in the search for a water taxi operator.
By the end of the month, the county’s tourism arm plans to begin negotiating with a water taxi company. Key details, such as trip frequency and drop-off points, are still being determined.
“This could be a huge step to enhance multi-modal transportation in our community,” Falcione said.
A few key changes at Manatee Public Beach could make it easier for county residents to visit Anna Maria Island, too, said Christenson, who suggested reserving spaces for Manatee County residents and charging out-of-town visitors to park there.
“What we’re doing is providing free beaches for people in Tampa, Orlando and Lakeland. They’re taking our beach spots too, so let’s dedicate some spots to our Manatee County residents and not charge them,” Christenson said.
Soustek added that a dedicated express lane to and from Anna Maria Island could make it easier for beachgoers to park on the mainland and use public transit for their visit.
Officials did not make any decisions about modifying beach parking. Another meeting between both governing bodies is expected to be held at a later date.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 3:57 PM.
