HOLMES BEACH, Fla. – Joe Satyshur and his pals have made enjoying frisbee a standard job on the gorgeous white sands of Manatee Public Beach situated on the finish of State Road 64 on Anna Maria Island inside the town limits of Holmes Beach. However, the seashore may just quickly face a imaginable risk as a multi-story parking garage could also be constructed on the public seashore get entry to, which is controlled and maintained via Manatee County, in accordance to Satyshur who lives within the within sight Perico Island.
Satyshur expresses worry that the allure and wonderful thing about Anna Maria Island, in particular the beachfront and bar, might be ruined if the garage is built. The risk of a parking garage has sparked a heated debate.
The crux of the talk started in June 2020, when Holmes Beach got rid of a few of its side road parking areas throughout the pandemic. It intensified when the commissioners of Holmes Beach handed a solution that banned the development of long run parking garages.
Representative Will Robinson, Jr., a Republican who represents a part of Manatee County, argued that those two measures induced him to take motion to unravel parking issues. In a January legislative delegation assembly, Robinson argued that parking area is restricted on the island, even irritating some constituents who can’t discover a spot to park on the seashore and finally end up circling round and going house. His proposed House Bill 947, which might permit the county to assemble a parking garage on the county seashore get entry to website online, received unanimous approval from each the House and Senate.
The law would successfully preempt the garage ban of Holmes Beach via allowing the county to construct a parking garage on the county seashore get entry to website online with out looking for approval, consent, or letter of no objection from the City of Holmes Beach. Previous testimonies counsel that the garage would possibly have a capability of one,500 parking spots, and the easiest level is 36 toes tall. However, the struggle isn’t but over as Governor Ron DeSantis has no longer but signed the bill. Now, two petitions had been introduced to urge the governor to veto the bill.
Morgan Bryant, a industry proprietor on Anna Maria Island, began probably the most petitions. She expressed her worry {that a} parking garage would detract from the island’s allure and lead to larger visitors congestion. Even although parking is usually a problem, Bryant believes that extra spots are to be had than maximum guests understand. Local governments must, subsequently, do a greater activity of elevating consciousness of the spots, together with the ones to be had at an area college. For Bryant, construction a parking garage on the county seashore get entry to, situated on the busy intersection of State Road 64 and Gulf Drive, would give the island a “big city feel.”
City of Holmes Beach
Another petition used to be introduced via a former county commissioner. Although Mark Platt from Bradenton, a standard customer to the seashore, says discovering an to be had parking spot can also be difficult, he believes {that a} garage must be constructed if it enhances the world’s attractiveness and does no longer detract from the seashore’s scenic setting.
Platt emphasizes that the purpose of a parking garage can be to ease parking issues, making it more straightforward for everybody to benefit from the seashore. He additional provides that this may welcome everybody to benefit from the paradise this is Anna Maria Island.
ABC Action News has reached out to the Governor’s place of work for feedback in regards to the state of affairs however has but to obtain a reaction.