Manatee County’s public schools go on spring break the week that ends with the Easter holiday — traditionally the height of tourist season.
So first-responders are gearing up for one of the busiest weeks of the year on Anna Maria Island.
Randy Warren, public information officer for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, said March 14 that deputies will be joined by a special response team and mounted patrols on the beaches.
Also, MCSO motorcycle units will conduct speed enforcement on the island and its access points and marine patrol boats will be on the water in numbers greater than usual, Warren said.
“You will see added police presence, from the sheriff’s office and from the other local law enforcement agencies,” he said. “We all work together, and we all want to keep the island as enjoyable as possible.”
The MCSO is coordinating for the holiday week with Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach police departments, as well as boosting its regular MCSO patrols in Anna Maria.
In Bradenton Beach, police Chief John Cosby said March 13 that extra officers will be in place, especially over the holiday weekend.
The chief expressed concern about parking, as a county construction project has reduced the public parking lot at Cortez Beach by half.
However, a completed project at Coquina Beach created 100 spaces that were not available during last spring break.
“Even though there are a lot of spaces, it’s just the time of year that so many people come here, it’s impossible to accommodate them all,” Cosby said.
HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer said March 13 that license plate readers recorded more than 36,000 cars a day entering the city for the past seven days.
Still, Tokajer said beach parking was available.
“I was out the past two weekends monitoring the activity and the parking out there and we had hundreds of available parking spaces,” he said, adding that a map of public spaces can be found on the city website, holmesbeachfl.org.
“We are going to have extra patrols out,” Tokajer said of the holiday week. “We are monitoring the traffic movement and monitoring parking. We are going to do like we do every year and keep it a family-friendly atmosphere.”
Tokajer said traffic will start early March 31 for the Easter service at Manatee Public Beach.
“There will be Easter sunrise service and we will give people grace for parking. If they are in a ‘no parking’ zone and they are at the beach for the service, we don’t write them a ticket,” he said.
Owners of those vehicles will have 30 minutes after the service to move them before HBPD starts ticketing.
“Use common sense and pack your patience. There’s going to be a lot of people out here on the beach,” Tokajer said.
As of press time March 18, Manatee County Beach Patrol officials did not respond to a March 13 call from The Islander.