Holmes Beach City Commission Chair Dan Diggins sparked a conversation Aug. 26 about the potential implementation of paid beach parking in the municipality, with an exemption for residents.
He said paid beach parking would generate a new source of revenue and called for the commission to hold a formal discussion on the matter.
“I’m just wondering if it’s time for us to revisit our paid parking policy at some point in the future and maybe develop some type of plan for paid beach parking,” Diggins said. “I don’t know what it would look like, but I think it might be time to do that.”
“We all say it’s inevitable, but I don’t know when inevitable starts,” he added.
Diggins referred to a 2015 Urban Land Institute study on AMI that found “free and unrestricted parking creates conflicts and uses valuable land.”
The ULI study was a joint effort by the island municipalities to address concerns, such as traffic and parking, and it recommended charging for premium beach parking while also providing a free and convenient way for county residents to access island beaches.
Diggins said the island cities, along with the county, would need to implement paid beach parking together or the effort would “fall flat on its face.”
However, the idea was met with resounding opposition from the other city officials.
Mayor Judy Titsworth acknowledged that paid beach parking on the island was inevitable, but said she favored keeping it free “a little bit longer.”
“I hope inevitable happens when I’m not in this chair,” she said. “A lot of the locals live on the other side of the bridge now because they were priced out. So the fact that they get to come out here and park for free and enjoy the beaches is good.”
Commissioner Carol Whitmore was opposed. “I think that we have so many more important things to do than charging more people for more stuff.”
Commissioner Steven Oelfke supported a discussion, but added, “I think we want to try to avoid that as long as possible,” but he liked the idea of looking for additional revenue sources.
Commissioner Carol Soustek said she did not mind talking about paid beach parking but would not support such a change at this time.
City and county officials were set to discuss paid beach parking during a joint meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the county administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
Elsewhere on the island, it’s unclear how much appetite there is for implementing paid parking.
Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short told The Islander Aug. 28 that his city’s budget for 2025-26 includes funding for a citywide parking study.
He called parking within the municipality “chaotic” since the city ends up receiving much of the overflow from the other island cities.
Short said the study would provide options to address the city’s parking challenges.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie did not respond to an Aug. 29 call from The Islander.
The Urban Land Institute a global initiative to produce “De-carbonization and Net Zero” using DEI principles to educate leaders, wow. And all the supposed parking conflicts and use of valuable land will just disappear if a fee is paid. Sounds like a promotion for the parking garage, vertical stacking saves that valuable land and could include fees.