HomeCommunity NewsAnna Maria IslandFerry service now includes...

Ferry service now includes Thursdays

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Gulf Islands Ferry service that features stops in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and downtown Bradenton now operates on Thursdays too, as of Thursday, Feb. 29. The ferries now run Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting.

“As we press forward with the Gulf Islands Ferry service, it’s imperative we increase the availability to accommodate our residents and visitors during peak season,” Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said in a county-issued press release.

“Adding Thursdays allows those in the Bradenton area to have four days per week to enjoy our stops in downtown Bradenton, the Anna Maria City Pier and the historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach,” Falcione said.

Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said, “This is part of our continued commitment to boost multi-modal transportation in our community, helping families spend less time in traffic and more time together.”

For information on times, tickets and scheduling, call 941-357-2587, text 727-200-6487 or visit the Gulf Islands Ferry website.

Most Popular

More from Author

New book highlights Drift In’s past, present, future

BRADENTON BEACH – Casey Hoffman and Paul “Big Sexy” Weremecki have...

Ferry service to Longboat Key discussed

LONGBOAT KEY – Gulf Islands Ferry service may one day be...

Hunters Point prevails in dock permitting appeal

CORTEZ – Hunters Point developer Marshall Gobuty and his Cortez Road...

Anna Maria considers regulating mangroves

ANNA MARIA – Building Depart­ment General Manager Dean Jones is leading...

Moss Builders wins mid-season tourney

ANNA MARIA – Youth soccer on the Island goes into the month of May with playoff games on the horizon. In the 8- to 10-year-old league, The Intuitive Foundation team is holding on to the first-place position over team Solid Rock Construction. With their one-point win against Isola...

Boomers continue to boom

Just when you think they’re too old to influence the smart, better-educated and computer-savvy younger generations, they raise their grey and balding heads again to remind their kids and grandkids they are still alive and influential. For years, the prediction would be that boomers would start to sell...

Police chief says crime is down in Bradenton Beach

BRADENTON BEACH – Crime is down in Bradenton Beach. “Last year I stood up here and I told you crime couldn’t go any lower in the city of Bradenton Beach, but our overall crime went down 43.5% from last year,” Police Chief John Cosby said during his annual...

Egmont, Passage keys prove enchanting

Extending approximately 5 miles from Anna Maria Island to St. Petersburg, the mouth of Tampa Bay is fronted by the barrier islands of Egmont Key and Passage Key. The surrounding waters are beautiful, ecologically important and provide anglers with some excellent fishing opportunities. The history surrounding the...

Island Players produce thrilling ‘Woman in Black’

ANNA MARIA - Anyone who regularly attends performances by the Island Players is used to lighthearted comedies that have the audience in hysterics for a great deal of the time they are in their seats. With performances of “Later Life,” “Farce of Nature,” “The Mousetrap” and “Communicating Doors,”...

County pushes for fire district mergers

MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners asked the county’s seven fire chiefs to consider merging their districts at an April 23 meeting. Commissioners said they would support doing a study to look into the benefits of consolidating fire districts, adding that they would bring state leaders and the Office...

Jewfish Key could become part of county

MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners and officials from the Town of Longboat Key discussed a petition from the Jewfish Key Preservation Association to de-annex Jewfish Key from the town at a joint April 30 meeting. If the de-annexation is successful, Jewfish Key will become part of unincorporated Manatee...

Irrigation system to be installed on Bridge Street

BRADENTON BEACH – The 80 newly-planted palm trees on Bridge Street will need a regular watering schedule, and on May 2, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) unanimously approved the expenditure of up to $7,500 to have an irrigation system installed along both sides of the road. CRA members...

Woodard leaving Bradenton Beach

BRADENTON BEACH – With the city officially announcing the resignation of Public Works Director Tom Woodard at a May 2 commission meeting, it was also announced that Police Chief John Cosby will fill in as interim department head during the search for Woodard’s replacement. Woodard, who has been...

Longboat Key officials suggest traffic flow options for Coquina Beach

LONGBOAT KEY – Citing a study concluding that the 1.7-mile stretch of Gulf Drive from the Longboat Pass Bridge to Cortez Road is one of the most unpredictable in the region in terms of traffic expectations, Longboat Key Public Works Director Isaac Brownman asked the county to...

City may charge commercial boats to use dock

BRADENTON BEACH – The free dockage for commercial vessels at city docks may soon come at a cost. A discussion of the $5,000 cost to replace several floats lost on the floating docks during high surf in April turned to the city’s overall cost of dock maintenance and...

New book highlights Drift In’s past, present, future

BRADENTON BEACH – Casey Hoffman and Paul “Big Sexy” Weremecki have written a book about the Drift In bar. Published in March, the 144-page book is aptly titled, “Drift In, Stumble Out” and tells the tale of one of Florida’s great dive bars. Chapter 1 opens with the following...