The debate over parking between Manatee County and Holmes Beach is coming to a head on the heels of a busy Memorial Day weekend.
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge sparked the conversation at a June 3 county meeting by recounting difficulties with opening parking at Anna Maria Elementary School for public use over the holiday.
The city implemented a park-by-permit system last summer to ease parking along some streets when the city reopened the beaches while many other beaches across the state remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The system involves selling $15 decals to residents and property owners to allow them to park a vehicle in one of 645 restricted spots where public parking was otherwise prohibited 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Several county commissioners have criticized the city’s plan, claiming the reduction in parking created an “unwelcoming environment.”
To ease parking on Memorial Day weekend, the county opened the Island Library for parking. The county facility closed May 29 for the holiday.
Dr. Scott Hopes, newly named county administrator and a member — not yet resigned — on the Manatee County School Board, called for opening the AME lot for public use over the holiday.
Meanwhile, the Holmes Beach Police Department issued a release May 28 stating the AME lot was not available for public use and violators could be fined.
HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander June 3 the news release was a mistake, owing to the county’s lack of communication with the city.
“We were told by the superintendent of schools on Friday at the end of business that they would not be opening up the school parking lot,” Tokajer said. “They didn’t tell us about the change. They didn’t tell us what the parameters were. … We found out by reading the paper on Saturday morning.”
City code requires the school to acquire a permit for any special uses outside of school functions.
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth told The Islander June 4 that she believed opening the school lot without the city’s approval violated city code.
Van Ostenbridge, who represents Anna Maria Island, has been vocal in opposition to the city’s parking limitations since he entered office in 2020.
He and Titsworth discussed parking issues in a series of emails in March, but they failed to come to terms over solutions, partly due to Van Ostenbridge’s refusal to allow Tokajer to attend.
However, the two, along with Hopes and Tokajer, were set to meet June 7.
County demands
Van Ostenbridge and other commissioners previously suggested withholding beach renourishment funds if the city didn’t reverse its parking limits.
He also asked other commissioners to brainstorm potential solutions to parking woes.
He started by proposing the AME lot be opened for public use over the summer, as well as proposed opening much of the library’s lot for public use.
Commissioner George Kruse proposed closing the library Saturdays to allow public parking.
“I feel differently than a lot of citizens do,” Commissioner Carol Whitmore said. “I do not support the way the parking was closed. …These elected officials report to the voters that live on the island, so I get it 100%, but as an at-large county commissioner, I have to represent everybody even though I live out there.”
Commissioners also proposed adapting traffic signals, a water taxi and a parking garage.
Commissioner Misty Servia said she hoped the matter would be revisited at the county’s next council of governments meeting.
“I am going to encourage everyone to have a collaborative spirit because that’s how we get things done,” Servia said.
Official opinions
Meanwhile, city officials have fought to maintain parking limits.
Titsworth said the changes ensure public uses don’t encroach on residents by prohibiting visitors from lining roadways and parking in yards.
She said the county profits more from the island as a tourist destination than from its residents, so county commissioners didn’t care to protect residents from issues caused by the tourism the county promotes.
“Does the county really care about balance?” Titsworth said. “Their answer (to our concerns) is: ‘Well, that’s what you get for living in paradise.’”
Tokajer said even if the city reversed the limits, it wouldn’t have sufficient parking to address the waves of visitors.
The city’s license plate recognition system counted an average of 31,000 vehicles passing into the city each day of the three-day holiday weekend, according to Tokajer.
“We need to continue to have a balance for our residents,” Tokajer said. “They’re doing a lot to advertise but nothing to help the infrastructure of the city other than beach renourishment.”
“I’d like to see the county come up with some solutions for a park-and-ride or some kind of parking garage that provides the additional parking they’re looking for,” he added.
Tokajer said that if the county wants to increase beach parking, it also should add public restroom facilities, trash receptacles and lifeguards to accommodate the influx of people.
He added that the only public restrooms along several miles of beach include those at the Manatee Public Beach and a port-a-potty at the beach access at White Avenue.