Island officials are looking for new solutions to address traffic concerns.
Tampa Bay Ferry and Water Taxi, located at Hubbard’s Marina in Madeira Beach, may have some answers.
On Nov. 21, Bradenton Beach Commissioner Jake Spooner, Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson and Holmes Beach Commissioner Carol Soustek met with Capt. Mark Hubbard, president and general manager of Hubbard’s Marina, and Bob Myers, ferry/taxi service liaison for Hubbard’s, at Keyes Marina in Holmes Beach.
They met to discuss options for a water taxi between Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County and Anna Maria Island.
Johnson, Soustek and Spooner are part of a local group seeking a solution to traffic congestion.
Bradenton Beach Mayor Shearon also is a member of the traffic focus group, but he was not present Nov. 21.
“We have to think of an alternative — either air or water,” Soustek said.
Myers said the team with the ferry service is well-versed in Florida Department of Environmental Protection regulations regarding mooring in areas with seagrass and the service would only dock for passenger boarding and disembarking.
Hubbard said the service could run a trial that would pick up passengers in Holmes Beach in the morning, take them to Fort De Soto, then back to the island in the afternoon.
If successful, the service could work with a partner to create destination terminals on the island, including the Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach and the Anna Maria Historic City Pier in Anna Maria.
It is yet to be determined if there will be a request for proposals as the plan would likely be “tied to funding,” Soustek said in a Nov. 22 email to The Islander.
Johnson and Hubbard discussed the importance of “connectivity” at docks — including golf cart rentals and the free island trolley — for people to use after disembarking the ferry.
“If we can keep 10-20 cars off the road, that would be good,” Hubbard said.
Soustek asked about a commuter ferry to take passengers from the eastern area of Manatee County to the island via the Manatee River.
Myers said this would require a bigger “fast boat” and additional funding — another project to consider following the trial period.
Johnson said he is interested in the venture. A next step would be to look at “how feasible this is from a paperwork perspective,” followed by a trial run.
“We’re not even doing any decision on anything here yet,” Johnson said. “We are just looking at if it’s feasible or not.”
Johnson also said the traffic congestion group would have to determine if the service would be more successful on weekends or weekdays.
“We can’t have the perfect solution on day one,” Johnson told Hubbard. “I am willing to work with you on this as a trial to see if it’s worth doing and to learn about the process.”
Our traffic comes from Bradenton and further east, not from Pinellas. With all of the building going up in Bradenton, the traffic will be horrific. What we need is a bridge from the Longboat Key bridge to 53rd. AMI should charge non-residents $5 per car coming over both bridges.