Manatee County and the city of Holmes Beach still don’t see eye-to-eye on island parking.
But the two sides will have a formal opportunity to discuss the issue.
County commissioners unanimously voted Dec. 14 to schedule an interlocal workshop with Holmes Beach officials for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
A central issue for the discussion will be the city’s park-by-permit system, implemented in the summer of 2020 to reduce parking along some residential streets during the pandemic when people flooded the beaches — while other beach communities in the state remained closed due to COVID-19.
However, soon after becoming elected in November 2020, County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge swore to withhold renourishment funds from Holmes Beach — among a list of punishments — if the city didn’t reverse its parking changes.
County commissioners voted in June to deny a $282,910 funding request from the city to reimburse seawall improvements largely due to its parking changes.
Van Ostenbridge said Dec. 14 that the county’s interlocal workshop with the town of Longboat Key earlier this month had improved relations between the two governments.
So, he proposed the county schedule a similar meeting with Holmes Beach to work out their differences.
“Obviously there’s one big elephant in the room, which is the public’s access to the beaches in Holmes Beach,” Van Ostenbridge said. “That, of course, will be on the agenda.”
He added that he emailed city officials about compiling a list of other agenda items they would like to discuss with county commissioners at the workshop.
County Commissioner George Kruse agreed on the success of their workshop with Longboat Key and said they should try to meet with every municipality in the county.
County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she is excited for a chance for the two governments to move past their disagreements.
“When I was city commissioner and mayor in Holmes Beach, if the county invited me, I would be there,” Whitmore said. “We’ve got to stop this for next year. We’ve got to stop this, or we can’t help Holmes Beach be successful.”
City response
Mayor Judy Titsworth relayed the county’s action to city commissioners Dec. 14 and suggested asking the county to delay the workshop in order to prepare for the meeting.
She said she would prepare a list of agenda items and asked commissioners to contribute their ideas for future discussion.
“We need to go prepared,” Titsworth said. “It’s going to be a really important meeting.”
City Commissioner Terry Schaefer suggested that he and the other commissioners should meet in January to discuss agenda items for the interlocal workshop and request the county delay the meeting.
Schaefer moved to ask the county to postpone the workshop to February.
Morton seconded the motion, which unanimously passed.
Commission Chair Carol Soustek said the county gave the city too short a notice for the workshop and should understand their request to delay the meeting.
County officials name new commission chair
Manatee County Commissioners Dec. 14 unanimously elected District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge to serve as chair for 2022.
The position is handed off every year between county commissioners so each can serve in a leadership role during their time on the dais.
Van Ostenbridge, who represents Anna Maria Island and west Manatee, will succeed Vanessa Baugh.
Commissioners also named District 1 Commissioner James Satcher as vice chair, at-large Commissioner George Kruse second-vice chair and Carol Whitmore, a former mayor and commissioner from Holmes Beach, third-vice chair for 2022.
— Ryan Paice