Bradenton Beach commissioners, gearing up for a busy Independence Day holiday, voted June 5 to declare a local state of emergency July 4-6, granting police Chief John Cosby expanded authority to ensure public safety by allowing increased staffing, overtime pay and operational flexibility.
“It’s not that there’s anything wrong but we’re trying to be proactive,” Cosby said during the meeting. “I need to be able to put people on call and pay out some extra overtime and there are some requirements in our emergency ordinance that I would like to activate.”
Cosby elaborated in a June 11 interview: “When you say emergency declaration some people freak out. But that’s not the intent. There are policies within the city’s employee manual that can only be enacted if the commission declares a state of emergency.”
Under the emergency ordinance, officials can take “whatever prudent action is necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community.”
Cosby said the primary concern is the strain that crowds place on services, including parking
enforcement. During past holidays, officers encountered people parking illegally and willing to pay a $75 ticket.
“For many people, the current $75 citation is still cheaper than paying rates in pay-to-park lots, when free parking runs out at the beaches,” the chief said. “Some of the paid lots have raised the parking fee on holidays to $25 per hour and people say, ‘Why should I pay $25 an hour when you are only going to give me a ticket for $75?’”
During the holiday weekend, Manatee County, Bradenton Beach police and code enforcement will focus on issuing citations for illegal parking, as well as deal with other issues.
“I know these holidays are extremely rough on your guys,” Mayor John Chappie said during the meeting. “If there’s anything we can do to help you and your police officers we will do that.”
After the holiday, city officials are expected to revisit the fine structure, including a $100 fine.