Residents of the Pines Trailer Park in Bradenton Beach allege unlawful changes to their community’s parking lot by the property owners.
Established in the 1930s, the park, 103 Church Ave., is a fixture in Bradenton Beach, known for its garden-lined streets and tight-knit community on Sarasota Bay.
Pines resident Elayne Armaniaco, at a March 20 city commission meeting, objected to the conversion of the park’s parking lot from private use for residents to paid public parking.
She said her search of city records revealed no permit or approval for a paid lot at 205 First St. N.
“Forty-plus people used that parking lot because they did not have a designated parking space for their homes,” Armaniaco told commissioners. “If this was approved, your approval took away their ability to park. Why did some people not come back and rebuild (after the hurricanes)? Because they didn’t have a place to park.”
Pines Park Investors LLC, managed by developer Shawn Kaleta, purchased the park from the Jackson Partnership LLLP in 2023 for $16.2 million.
Under prior ownership, the parking lot was free for residents. However, after the sale, residents received a letter stating they had to purchase parking leases to continue using the lot. Annual parking leases were priced at $750.
After hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the island last fall, the lot was used as a staging area for storm debris and, in November, it was remodeled into a paid public parking facility, residents said.
In a March 25 interview with The Islander, Armaniaco said changes came rapidly following the sale.
“Imagine you buy a trailer. It doesn’t have a parking space, but they say it comes with a parking space in that lot,” she said. “That’s how it went down for years (before the sale).”
Armaniaco said more than half of the residents relied on the First Street lot for parking.
Ryan Pfahler, who owns and leases multiple units, also expressed concern.
“Even before the hurricanes, we kept hearing rumors about the parking lot,” Pfahler said March 26. “We had three trailers, and none had a parking spot next to them. That (vacant lot) was our designated spot, but when Pines Park LLC bought the park, it immediately became a pay-for system.”
Pfahler said he purchased two parking leases but could not park in the paid parking facility.
Pines residents also pay a land lease to Pines Park Investors for mobile home sites. The parking lot conversion heightened tensions between homeowners and management. Then, in January, homeowners were informed of the park’s impending closure.
The Islander reached out to the city building department March 26 and permit technician Annabre Veal said the city had no permit on file for the lot.
“At this time, code enforcement and the building official are working together diligently to ensure proper operation or closure of the paid parking lot,” Veal wrote in an email.
The Islander reached out to city building official Bill Palmer by email March 27 but as of press time March 31, no reply was received.
During the March 20 city commission meeting, city attorney Ricinda Perry said the lot “was never specifically tied to the M1 zoning or the usage for the trailers. As it was historically always used as parking, that property could continue as parking. It did not have to accommodate any of the Pines residents.”
Perry said the previous park owners had granted parking access to residents as a courtesy.
She added that the parking lot is zoned C-1 commercial and is separate from the M-1 mobile home park designation, meaning no application or permit is required based on its historical use.
However, under M-1 or mobile home zoning, the Pines must maintain adequate parking for residents. And according to residents, the lot was used to comply with the zoning requirements for parking.
The city land development code for M-1 states, “The maximum number of mobile home lots shall not exceed 86 lots.” It continues, “Each mobile home shall be assigned one parking space.”
Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce has asked Perry to research city regulations to see if any relief could be given to Pines residents.
The Islander reached out to representatives of Pines Park LLC March 26, but as of Islander press time, no reply was received.