MANATEE COUNTY – After a joint meeting between Manatee County commissioners and Holmes Beach city leaders didn’t satisfy either side regarding beach parking, the discussion continued by email.
After the March 1 meeting, County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, a Holmes Beach resident and former mayor of the city, and Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth began the exchange, with Whitmore listing what she took away from the joint meeting as actionable items on behalf of the county and the city. She mentioned revamping the land lease at the Island Branch Library to use the site as after-hours beach parking, building a three- to four-story parking garage at Manatee Beach, allowing angled street parking along Manatee Avenue, allowing public parking at city hall and placing portable toilets at all possible designated parking areas with the agreement of both municipalities.
In her response, Titsworth addressed each issue, noting that public parking has always been allowed at city hall and that she would look at the agreement for the library land lease to see what can be done.
Regarding a parking garage, she said that she felt a garage could be constructed within the city’s height limits, 36 feet, and that county leaders would need to look at zoning requirements before planning to build a garage.
Titsworth also noted that parking along the side of Manatee Avenue between East Bay and Gulf drives isn’t allowed because of safety due to traffic congestion and that, if a change were to be made, it would have to be approved by not only city traffic engineers but also by state traffic engineers due to Manatee Avenue’s status as a state road.
The emails continued into the weekend with Whitmore stating that she felt Titsworth was saying “no” to a parking garage in her response. She added that she feels it should be up to the residents of Holmes Beach to decide the fate of a parking garage, should county leaders go in that direction. Titsworth said during the joint meeting discussion on parking garages that if Manatee County leaders want to build a parking garage at Manatee Beach or any other location within the city larger than the current building height limitations, it would require a change of charter, which needs resident support at the polls.
Whitmore also said that she feels the crosswalk at Anna Maria Elementary is enough to keep pedestrians safe as they leave beach parking at the school to cross Gulf Drive to walk to a beach access. She noted that the school crosswalk does not currently have a flashing beacon, as recommended by Titsworth.
In the hours before and after school, there is a school zone speed limit of 15 mph with a flashing beacon and Holmes Beach police or code compliance officers serve as crossing guards at the location. The ordinary speed through the area is 25 mph.
In her email, Whitmore also noted that she feels Titsworth’s comments on angled parking along Manatee Avenue are contradictory. She said that the area was regularly used for public parking for years before being closed due to safety concerns a few years ago. When Manatee County leaders closed the parking on the right of way further east on Manatee Avenue now used for the Kingfish Boat Ramp’s auxiliary parking, Whitmore said Titsworth appealed to the county’s leadership to reopen the spaces for boater use. Whitmore said she sees no difference in the use of the two different areas.
In response, Titsworth invited Whitmore and other county leaders to come to the Tuesday, March 8 Holmes Beach commission work session where commissioners plan to discuss the joint meeting with Manatee County commissioners and what the next steps are for the city to move forward.
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