Manatee County Tourist Development Council members, gathered on Anna Maria Island Dec. 13, waded into a series of water-related issues.
Their meeting, held at the Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, lasted about 90 minutes and included discussion on water-related tourism, water-related transportation and water-related conservation.
TDC member and businessman Ed Chiles offered a summation from an island perspective: Water is everything.
“We don’t have anything if we don’t have clean water,” said Chiles, at the forefront of a local campaign to improve water quality by infusing the water with clams.
Chiles’ comments followed a presentation to the TDC from Dave Tomasko of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Project on the bay’s health and its importance to the tourism economy.
Tomasko said about 20,000 jobs in the county are associated with bay-related activity and property values tend to be higher on the bay than a few miles away.
But, he said, the value diminishes with the loss of seagrass and pollution that sickens wildlife and diminishes water quality.
On a related issue, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said a water taxi service between the island and the Bradenton and Palmetto riverfronts could launch in the spring of 2022.
The BACVB backs the taxi as a tourist attraction and a means to remove motor vehicles from overcrowded roads on and to the island.
There was no discussion of which entity might provide the taxi service, the cost of fares or the hours of operations.
But Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie told the TDC his city is preparing, adding boat slips and expanding a floating dock at the Historic Bridge Street Pier.
In other matters at the meeting:
- Anne Wittine of Research Data Services delivered the state of tourism in the county.
“Things are good,” she said and provided statistics for proof.
Comparing October 2021 and October 2020, Wittine said room rates, visitation, air travel, economic impact and more increased.
Also, a survey of potential travelers found 62% feel safe dining in a restaurant and 73.6% feel safe shopping.
About 21.4% said they were not interested in traveling to Florida but that percentage is improved from a previous poll.
- Chappie thanked the TDC and the BACVB for supporting initiatives to beautify the city’s commercial district and expand offerings at the city pier.
In turn, TDC member Eric Cairns praised Chappie and others in the city for the ongoing “Holidays in Paradise” campaign to light Bridge Street for the season.
“Hats off to everybody that was involved in that,” said Cairns.
- Manatee County Clerk of Court Angelina Colonneso and Phaedra Dolan, director of historical resources for the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s office, previewed a video promoting historical properties and tours.
Dolan said about 65% of tourists in Florida participate in a culturally-based activity, such as visiting a history museum or historic site.
Dolan also said heritage travelers tend to spend more money than leisure travelers.
- Nick Azzara introduced himself as the new communications manager for the BACVB. Azzara previously worked as the public information officer for the county and as a news reporter.
- Falcione cheered the turnout for the Wailers concert at the center Dec. 11. The ongoing concert series involves the center, TDC, BACVB and sponsors.
Falcione said the events raise money for the center, provide entertainment and enhance the quality of life for island residents.
“One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to this community center,” he said.
The BACVB pays a fee and a portion of ticket sales to a promoter to schedule bands.
About 700 people attended the Wailers concert and Falcione estimated 70% were residents.
TDC Chair Misty Servia, a county commissioner, missed the meeting because she was stuck in traffic associated with a crash on the Anna Maria Island Bridge. County Commissioner Carol Whitmore of Holmes Beach led the meeting.
The next TDC meeting will be at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 14, at the county administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
Additional meetings in 2022 will be April 18, June 20, Aug. 15, Oct. 17 and Dec. 12.
About the TDC
The Manatee County Tourist Development Council makes recommendations to the county commission for tourist-related projects and the allocation of 5% bed tax on accommodations of six months or less.
The TDC includes County Commissioner Misty Servia as chair, vice chair Vernon DeSear, Ed Chiles, Eric Cairns, Jack Rynerson, Jiten Patel, Rahul Patel, Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant.
For more information about the TDC, call the BACVB at 941-729-9177.
Establishment of water taxi a ‘moving target’
Some roadblocks are preventing the start of a water taxi service connecting Anna Maria Island to the mainland, said one local boat captain.
Talks of a water taxi service connecting downtown Sarasota, Bradenton Beach, Bradenton, Palmetto and Anna Maria have been ongoing since 2017 but the timing has never been right, according to Sherman Baldwin of Paradise Boat Tours based in Bradenton Beach.
In 2018, his plans to move forward with the service were derailed after a bloom of red tide.
While the concept has received a nod from the cities involved, Baldwin sees too many variables to begin services.
“There’s still so many unknowns. We’re not in a position to be able to justify a huge seven-figure amount of money for a program that I’m not sure the public will embrace. That may change but I don’t think it will happen yet,” Baldwin told The Islander Dec. 18.
While a water taxi might be a welcome tourist attraction, Baldwin says he’s concerned with the viability of a commuter option. He said, “The boat we envision that can do this can satisfy the need to commute — not a fun-ride. A commuter opportunity. It has to be fast, cool in the summer, warm in the winter and dry when it rains.”
His plan was to use a twin-engine catamaran that can carry 149 people per trip. Baldwin says anything that travels at less than 25-30 knots isn’t feasible as a commuter option.
“There’s nothing in the works right now because we’re waiting to assess the public attitude,” Baldwin said. “We have to see where we are in a few months.”
— Tomas Gomez