Consolidation is back on the table for Anna Maria Island’s three cities.
State Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, emailed a letter Aug. 21 to the three island mayors threatening to call up a Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability study into “combining the three municipalities.”
OPPAGA is a research arm of the Florida Legislature that supports lawmakers by providing data, research and analysis for budget and policy deliberations.
Robinson proposed such a study at a Manatee Legislative Delegation meeting in January, when he questioned the number of municipalities needed to govern the island.
He motioned to commission an OPPAGA study on the island’s governing structure and to present options to the delegation for its 2024 legislative delegation session.
The delegation unanimously approved Robinson’s motion.
However, legislators tabled the proposed study in February and requested the island mayors discuss options for limited consolidation among themselves.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy reported meeting a couple of times with other island mayors but progress on the discussions slowed.
Boyd and Robinson’s Aug. 21 letter called for the mayors’ feedback on options for limited consolidation.
“We tabled the OPPAGA study in good faith to allow you the time to find better ways of coordination and present such to the delegation. Unfortunately, we have not received any major update so far,” they wrote.
The legislators blamed the mayors’ lack of progress on Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, writing “We understand the mayor of Holmes Beach does not want to participate in the coordination talks, given it will be seen as a first step toward consolidation of the three island cities.”
The letter requests feedback before a delegation meeting Thursday, Oct. 5, or “we will move forward with our request to OPAGGA.”
Murphy said at an Aug. 24 city commission meeting that the letter was not a “surprise” and, in light of the mayors’ lack of progress on the matter, they unanimously agreed to “embrace” the study.
“If this study can in fact reduce our taxes … and if it can also enhance and improve the scope of services to the residents of this island, we’re all in. All three of us are in complete lockstep,” he said.
However, Murphy said they wanted to clarify the scope of the study to explore consolidation of services not municipalities.
“The scope should not be the consolidation or elimination or de-annexation of three municipalities on this island,” he said. “There are three distinct cultures on this island.”
Murphy added that the mayors would explore options for a formalized response to the legislators and the city’s lobbyist was “dialed in” on the matter.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie was present and expressed agreement with Murphy during public comment.
“I am here as a sign of unity. We are one island community and three distinct, individual cities,” Chappie said. “We work together. We live here together. We’re neighbors.”
“We embrace the opportunity to help us possibly — like the mayor said — lower our taxes, help improve our services. Whatever we can do to better improve the quality of life for our residents and for our visitors,” he added.
Tal Siddique, president of Speak Out Manatee, an activist group, also spoke during public comment.
“There’s a lot of support for maintaining the history of the island and the duly elected government,” Siddique said.
Titsworth told The Islander Aug. 24 that she wasn’t able to attend the meeting because her daughter was giving birth. She confirmed she had met with the other mayors that morning and was onboard.
“We are not in favor of consolidation of cities but it’ll be interesting to see what the OPPAGA study pushes out as far as things that can be done to save taxpayers’ money,” she said. “We would just like to be a part of it.”
Titsworth said she was not surprised Robinson and Boyd’s letter put the blame on her for a lack of response to consolidating services in the cities.
Tensions between Titsworth and the county, as well as its legislators, have run high for years due to disagreements over Holmes Beach’s park-by-permit system.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they blamed me for global warming at this point,” she said. “I did not call off discussions. … I don’t know where that came from because I was the one who hosted the meetings.”
The reason Boyd, Robinson and others like KVO blame Mayor Titsworth for various grievances is because they are threatened by her proven veracity and outspoken support on behalf of all island residents . Every one of their claims have been documented as false. She provides facts to support what she says which they ignore and do not respond to. This is yet another feeble attempt to intimidate and discredit her which will also fail. Judy Titsworth is Island Strong and it’s nice to see the other two mayors in lock step with her. Since when does a county get to dictate what three established cities have as their budgets especially when said county can’t even repair the water supply to the island for two years. Islanders need to band together and run these state and county politicians out of town and out of office.