BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County hopes to have a water taxi service running to and from Anna Maria Island three days a week beginning in February.
On Aug. 2, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Elliott Falcione sent Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie an email update on the county’s efforts to secure a water taxi provider. Falcione’s email noted it was sent instead of an in-person update from Manatee County Public Works Director Chad Butzow and Falcione during the Bradenton Beach City Commission’s Aug. 4 meeting.
“We are close to an agreement with a Florida-based water taxi operator and hope to finalize a deal within the next 30 to 45 days. With that timeframe, two water vessels would be ordered and built hopefully for a February 2023 startup,” Falcione wrote in his email.
Falcione’s email stated the water taxi service would initially be offered from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The anticipated route is from downtown Bradenton to the Anna Maria City Pier to the floating dock next to the Bradenton Beach Pier and then back again.
Falcione’s email noted each vessel will be approximately 50 feet long and carry 35 to 45 passengers at a time. His email stated the ridership fee has not yet been established, but the county is considering free water taxi service for service workers who work on Anna Maria Island. The existing county-run free trolley and MCAT bus service will also be part of the overall transportation equation and will serve as a backup to the water taxi service in case of severe weather conditions and/or boat maintenance issues.
“We will set up a meeting with you soon to discuss docking logistics and your city approval process,” Falcione stated in his email to Chappie.
Falcione is scheduled to provide the Anna Maria City Commission with an in-person water taxi update on Thursday, Aug. 11. That meeting will begin at 2 p.m. or as soon as the 1:30 p.m. budget meeting ends.
Formal city commission approvals will be needed from each city before the Bridge Street Pier and the Anna Maria City Pier are officially approved as water taxi landing areas.
During previous discussions, it was noted the public day dock along the Bradenton Riverwalk and east of the Green Bridge could serve as the downtown Bradenton water-taxi landing spot.
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