HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Island residents are working to find ways to fight back against a loss of home rule and the potential consolidation or elimination of the three Island cities, and are considering whether or not initiating a voter referendum is the best way to go.
At an April 23 Holmes Beach Commission meeting, resident Debra Hall said that she’s spoken with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office and is looking at the possibility of putting a referendum on the ballot to get voters’ opinions on whether or not to consolidate, eliminate or leave the three Island cities as they are. While she said she’s received the steps needed to get a referendum on the November general election ballot, she added that she’s not sure it’s the right thing to do.
According to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections and Florida Division of Elections websites, to have a referendum on the ballot, 10% of registered voters – in this case, 10% of voters from each Island city – would need to sign a petition in favor of the referendum. Those petitions would be presented to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office where each signature would need to be verified at a cost of 50 cents each. The wording on the petition would have to match the wording of the referendum as it would appear on the ballot. If the referendum reaches the required number of signatures, it’s placed on the ballot for the next general election. The deadline for the November ballot is Aug. 18.
While Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he appreciates the efforts of the residents, the city cannot be involved in a resident-initiated ballot referendum.
“Politics is such an ugly thing,” Commissioner Greg Kerchner said. “We really have to be on our best behavior and cannot get involved.”
Resident Daria Gramento said that she wants to get the information out to the general public about the threat to the Island cities to alert other coastal cities that the same government overreach could happen to them.
Barbara Ehren, one of the Save Florida Home Rule organizers, said that a goal of the group is to get the results of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability study currently being conducted by the state released to the public. She said her group is currently debating whether or not initiating a ballot referendum is the best strategic move to make at this point.
“These are the biggest challenges we’ve faced as a community and it’s a significant affront to home rule,” Schaefer said. “Everyone in our city government is very resolute in our mission – to tell the truth. It’s difficult to offset the misinformation being disseminated. We’re trying very hard to not do that with anger but with research and facts. I believe that the facts will ultimately prevail.”
He said he hopes to have good dialogue with state representatives in the future and that the combined efforts of the cities and the residents will turn back the threats against the cities.
“Don’t lose faith, folks. This is far from over,” he said, reassuring the public that if the worst happens and state leaders decide to dissolve the cities, that Holmes Beach leaders are ready to fight back, though city leaders declined to say what their efforts would entail at this time.
