Holmes Beach is ‘out of space.’ Be careful about parking solutions | Letter to the editor

I have closely followed the story about the parking situation in Holmes Beach, where I live. While there have been many strong arguments about the need for increased parking, I have yet to see our elected officials, media and citizens address the real problem: We are out of space.

No matter how many people complain about a lack of parking and beach access, it doesn’t address the fact that Holmes Beach is only 1.9 square miles and much of that (Key Royale) is unsuitable for beach parking.

I fully support the desire of residents, locals and tourists to visit AMI and enjoy the beaches here. But not even Disney has unlimited capacity. It makes no sense to discuss putting up a parking garage or adding back 2,000 parking spaces until we know how many people our beaches, roads and parking spaces the island can reasonably and safely accommodate.

Otherwise, we are simply putting a band-aid on a situation continues to get worse each year.

Elizabeth Skidmore

Holmes Beach