Holmes Beach and Manatee County officials are at an impasse over the city’s parking restrictions.
But a couple of state legislators appear interested in getting to the bottom of the issue.
The Islander contacted state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and state Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, the week beginning May 9 to ask for their takeaways from a recent meeting they had with local officials to discuss potential solutions to the dispute.
The dispute went into first gear when County Commissioner Van Ostenbridge, who now serves as chair, was elected in November 2020 and immediately voiced criticism of the city’s park-by-permit system.
City officials stand by the system, which they say protects the residential quality of life by reducing roadside parking on certain residential streets.
However, Van Ostenbridge and other county commissioners argue the parking limits are unfair to off-island residents visiting the beaches, and they have threatened to withhold beach renourishment funds if they aren’t reversed.
Little progress has been made after almost two years, but Boyd and Robinson agreed to meet with Van Ostenbridge and the three island mayors to again air the issues.
Boyd told The Islander May 9 that he wanted to encourage all three island cities, especially Holmes Beach, to make their communities more friendly to visitors and less punitive toward first-time offenders unfamiliar with the area.
“We’re increasingly getting concerns from our constituents that it’s getting harder and harder to park, specifically in Holmes Beach,” Boyd said. “Most people have found out about Anna Maria Island and some think that’s good, and some probably think that’s not so good, but I tend to believe it’s a good thing.”
Boyd added that he would be willing to assist with potential solutions at the state level but said the issue was currently a local one.
Robinson expressed sympathy with the city’s plight in a May 11 interview with The Islander and said he hoped to find parking solutions that would be “in concert” with the community while maintaining access to the beach for the public.
“There’s just not enough parking … and there’s only so much room there,” Robinson said.
“It’s a very complicated problem that we all want to find a solution to.”
“There’s more people, more traffic, more cars than we’ve had,” he added. “That’s just the reality of Anna Maria Island right now.”
Robinson said the island’s lack of parking was a byproduct of the area’s growth in population and as a tourist destination.
“It’s getting more difficult as more and more folks want to come out there,” Robinson said. “I tasked all of us with thinking about more long-term solutions because our state and our area continue to grow.”
“A lot of people are coming to live in western Manatee County and they want to visit the beach,” he added.
Due to the island’s limited resources, Robinson said he believes a parking garage at the Manatee Public Beach, as Van Ostenbridge has proposed, was “probably a long-term need” for the area.
Both legislators expressed satisfaction with the meeting and agreed that more should follow.
“Overall, I thought the meeting was productive and appreciated all of them being there and being willing to talk about it,” Boyd said. “Hopefully together we can come up with some solutions that’ll be good for all residents.”
“I feel comfortable that’s the direction we’re headed,” he added.
“I thought it was a very productive meeting,” Robinson said. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to not only just have this one meeting, but continue to work on the problem because of the growth we’re having.”
“It’s only going to get worse,” he added. “We need to tighten this up and think of short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions. We’re making good progress but we’re not there yet.”