State Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, filed a bill Feb. 20 that would authorize Manatee County to construct a 36-foot-tall parking garage in Holmes Beach.
HB 947 would override a city ordinance that prohibits multilevel parking facilities within city limits.
The city ordinance blocked the proposed addition of a parking garage at Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, where Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge sought to make up for parking lost to the city’s park-by-permit system.
City officials stand by the system, which they say has protected residential quality of life by reducing roadside parking on certain residential streets since the summer of 2020.
On the other hand, Van Ostenbridge and Robinson maintain the system is unfair, limiting parking for off-island residents visiting the beaches.
HB 947, in addition to allowing for the parking garage, would authorize the county to issue permits for such construction instead of the city, superseding the city’s building department.
The bill, which would become effective upon adoption, was not referred to a committee as of Feb. 20, as The Islander went to press.
— Ryan Paice