A pair of Holmes Beach commissioners are standing firm on their methods.
Commissioners Jayne Christenson and Kim Rash said during an April 27 meeting that they would continue to speak with residents and address their concerns, including traffic and noise problems.
“I’m an elected official. That’s what I’m here to do,” Christenson said.
The discussion-turned-debate began at an April 13 meeting.
Rash said he experienced frequent noise problems due to a vacation rental near his residence and took issue with the city’s handling of complaints. He showed a cellphone video he took of a noisy party, but, he said, although he reported the party, his complaint did not prompt a citation.
He said he was concerned about the possibility of renters suing if complaints fail to produce a citation.
Rash also suggested posting a police officer to direct traffic at the intersection of Key Royale and Marina drives in the mornings.
Christenson spoke in support of Rash, adding that she wanted to discuss limit waste collection days from four to three to ease congestion.
Mayor Judy Titsworth countered that managing code violations and traffic problems is not the responsibility of commissioners.
“Your job is legislation,” Titsworth said. “You should not be going up and down the streets trying to perform the job of a code officer.”
She said she understood their desire to better the city but suggested the commission rely on code and police officers to handle code violations and traffic.
“We are doing the job,” Titsworth said. “We’re winning our magistrate hearings. We are citing violators. … Will every infraction be found with our current system? No. But still, it works.”
Both the mayor and commissioners received praise for their stances during public comment.
Rash said April 27 that he received several calls from residents about how he’d “made the mayor mad” in some of his previous comments. However, he said he would continue to address residents’ concerns at the commission level.
“It is never my intent to make anybody mad,” Rash said. “I’m just trying to bring things to the commission that will help the residents of Holmes Beach to have a better place to live.”
“I assured them all that’s what I’d keep doing,” he added.
Christenson said she would do the same.
“I was out all weekend and out today on my bike meeting residents, talking to people and asking how they feel about things,” Christenson said. “I’m going to continue to look for the things we’re doing good and the things we can improve upon.”
Christenson noted a conversation with Larry Chatt, a broker at Island Real Estate in Holmes Beach, and said he supported her idea for signage to counter noise violations at vacation rentals.
Titsworth was silent on Christenson’s and Rash’s comments at the April 27 meeting and declined to comment to The Islander on the matter as of April 28.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander April 29 that he hoped commissioners would abide by the city’s enforcement process and avoid further involvement.
“As a commissioner, I know (they) want to be helpful, but the best way to help would be to give (residents) the phone number so they can call the code department,” Tokajer said.
“Let us do our jobs,” he added.