First of all, I am a believer of home rule. However, when a government creates an atmosphere of dictatorial leadership, it has failed and must be changed. It is time for a change and I think that State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. is on the right track to being the catalyst to do it.
Holmes Beach has long been ruled by Mayor Judy Titsworth who has ruled with an iron hand. The one thing that she and Police Chief Bill Tokajer have created is a system of traffic-related fines that have punished both residents and visitors for a myriad of fines for anything involving traffic. Among the worst action on their part is the elimination of 645 parking spots in Holmes Beach alone. The reason given by the police chief was to help prevent crime in Holmes Beach. Has anyone read the police reports in the local Island newspapers? If you do, you will typically find a domestic dispute, a bicycle stolen, someone urinating in public. Not exactly a Chicago crime wave. Now she so generously allowed homeowners to purchase parking permits on their own property after paying a for- tune in property taxes. It is not right.
Millions of dollars every year are spent every year to attract more visitors to “old Florida.” I think not; the slogan should be, Welcome to our Sunny Island, but leave your car at home.
When invited by the county to attend a meeting in 2022, both Ms. Titsworth and Chief Tokajer refused to meet to discuss the parking situation created by them. How is that a sign of open government? You cannot govern properly by shutting the door to discussion. Somehow in the fourth quarter they were convinced to meet, but it was to no avail and nothing positive came out of that meeting. One of the things Ms. Titsworth brought up was that the parking situation was a county problem, not hers, and get this, she said they should build a parking garage at the county beach. Now in the latest news she states that she is against such a plan. Talk about flip-flopping.
Ms. Titsworth has said if the county took over, the residents would leave. That is exactly what has been happening under her watch for the past five years because of the construction of six- and eight-bedroom rental properties. This is a fact that family houses built in the 50s or 60s are being bought by developers, torn down and replaced with massive rental houses.
This is not a private island; if you want tourists, treat them like you really appreciate them. Be reminded that the Florida law states that everyone in this state is allowed to walk the beaches. There is also a federal law that backs that up.
My suggestion is to have the Manatee government withdraw the Holmes Beach parking ordinance and have the parking restriction eliminated. They should also dissolve the municipal governments, as an island with three governments in a seven- mile long strip of land is ridiculous.
I suggest that as a first step, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department take over the police force for the entire Island. They are a professional organization that already has roots on the island and has experience across the entire county.
Have the state create a single entity to govern the entire Island, either as Rep. Robinson suggested as an unincorporated part of Manatee County or establish a municipal government for the entire island.
Anthony Accatatta
Perico Island
