Improvements are coming for the Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach.
Manatee County parks and recreation department grounds maintenance supervisor Liza Click presented the county’s plans to redevelop the boat ramp Aug. 11 to the Palma Sola Scenic Highway Corridor Management Entity, including the addition of comfort stations — aka restrooms — in the first phase.
The entity comprises Bradenton, Manatee County, Holmes Beach and nonprofit representatives that are tasked to monitor, protect, beautify and promote the scenic highway along Manatee Avenue/State Road 64 between 75th Street West in Bradenton and East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach.
The existing boat ramp in Holmes Beach near the west end of the Anna Maria Island Bridge includes three-vessel launch lanes, 47 boat trailer parking spaces, 14 passenger vehicle parking spaces and a portable toilet.
Phase 1 of the county’s redevelopment plan will include paving over the boat ramp’s sand and shell parking lot with concrete, adding a restroom building, reconstructing the ramp to provide four-vessel launch lanes, installing 600 feet of new seawall and building 5,000 square feet of new docks.
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth has spoken out against paving the boat ramp, as well as the removal of Australian pine trees that would occur in the process.
A start date for phase 1 had not been set as of Aug. 12, Click said.
Phase 2 would increase the boat ramp’s parking capacity to 88 vehicle-boat trailer spaces by expanding the parking lot east.
Phase 2 won’t begin until the Florida Department of Transportation replaces the Anna Maria Island Bridge connecting Perico Island and Holmes Beach — which could take 5-10 years.
In the meantime, people can submit feedback about the redevelopment plans to the county via an online survey at www.mymanatee.org.
