Gone today, here tomorrow?
Following a request from Manatee County administrator Cheri Coryea, the Florida Department of Transportation reviewed overflow parking on the south side of Manatee Avenue, across from Kingfish Boat Ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., Holmes Beach, the week ending May 3.
The DOT installed “no parking signs” April 28 on the south side of the state road — restricting the overflow of boats and trailers from the boat ramp.
In a May 1 report on the state of the city during the COVID-19 outbreak, Mayor Judy Titsworth said the review and signage installation was performed by the DOT without communicating with the city or Police Chief Bill Tokajer, who serves as the city’s traffic engineer.
Tokajer said May 1 the area between East Bay Drive and the Anna Maria Island Bridge has been used as an overflow lot for boaters without incident since he came to the city in 2013.
The DOT allowed HBPD officers to temporarily cover the signs April 30 to allow time to discuss a parking plan in lieu of closing the area that serves overflow parking from Kingfish Boat Ramp.
— ChrisAnn Allen