Anna Maria city commissioners July 14 voted unanimously to implement a 60-day emergency moratorium on demolition or building permit requests for formula businesses — effective immediately.
Commissioners discussed the need to control and regulate the encroachment of chain stores on the island in order to protect what is described in the adopted ordinance as “a non-commercialized ‘Old Florida’ atmosphere where there are virtually no national ‘chain’ type establishments.”
Holmes Beach enacted a similar moratorium in June in response to growing concerns over the presence of chain stores and restaurants.
Two national brands, Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins and Smoothie King are poised — with permits applied for — to open soon in the Anna Maria Island Centre strip plaza on East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach.
While the emergency moratorium is in place in Anna Maria, commissioners expect to review ordinances and regulations and revise land-use regulations for formula retail establishments in order to monitor and limit their presence. The moratorium allows six months for the review process by the commission.
Commissioners plan on re-adopting the ordinance through normal readings and hearings within 60 days in order to continue the moratorium until the review is complete.
Commissioner Nancy Yetter suggested developing policies limiting the number of formula retail establishments to as few as three in the city.
“In a city this size, you just don’t want to go there,” Yetter said. “It loses the mom-and-pop appeal that we currently have, and I think the competition would be unfair to our current business owners.”
The emergency business moratorium is set to expire Sept. 12.
— Bianca Benedí