Manatee County is setting aside a chunk of change to improve the Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach.
County commissioners unanimously voted April 26 to approve a consent agenda that included a resolution approving $2.5 million in West Coast Inland Navigation District funds for the first phase of work redeveloping the boat ramp.
The existing ramp offers three vessel launch lanes, 47 boat trailer parking spaces, 14 passenger car parking spaces and a portable toilet.
Phase one of the redevelopment plan includes paving the sand and shell parking lot with concrete, adding a bathroom, reconstructing the ramp to provide four vessel launch lanes, installing 600 feet of new seawall and building 5,000 square feet of new docks.
The second phase of construction will increase the ramp’s capacity to 88 boat trailer spaces by expanding the parking lot east.
Phase two won’t begin until the Florida Department of Transportation replaces the Anna Maria Island Bridge, which could take 5-10 years.
Work was initially projected to cost the county $5.5 million and it secured a $4.5 million grant from the Gulf Consortium, a designated public entity, to shoulder most of the load.
However, the project is now projected to cost $7 million due to inflation and the cost of a construction manager.
Instead of drawing from reserves, the county decided to use $2.5 million of $3,622,259 available in the WCIND’s county navigation improvement fund.
A start date for phase one hadn’t been set as of April 28, but work was projected to be completed by Nov. 1, 2023, according to the WCIND funding application.
The county commission’s next regular meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, at the administrative building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
People can submit feedback about the redevelopment plans to the county via an online survey at mymanatee.org.