HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Dan Diggins is seeking another term on the dais with the goal of establishing a better relationship with Manatee County and Florida state leaders.
“My number one goal is to have a better relationship with the county and the state because whatever we’ve been doing, it’s not working,” Diggins said. He added that he has talked with Rep. Will Robinson Jr., who suggested the city give a little on some county initiatives. One of those initiatives that Diggins is in favor of pursuing is a water taxi landing area. He said he feels that he might be the only elected official in the city who is willing to say he supports the concept of a water taxi landing.
“If you support the concept, then the plan will come,” Diggins said.
One county project that he’s not willing to bend on is a proposed multi-level parking garage at Manatee Beach. Diggins said the addition of a parking garage wouldn’t alleviate traffic to the beach. He also noted that the project is currently unfunded by the county.
“There’s plenty of parking,” he said. “We don’t really restrict parking like they do in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria. We don’t charge for parking. We mark our parking spaces. We welcome visitors to come in and enjoy the beaches. We really do welcome the people.”
He also said he doesn’t support consolidating the three Anna Maria Island cities into one. Diggins said he thinks consolidation could have been done several decades ago, but now it wouldn’t be beneficial to the cities or fiscally responsible. He said now it would be more expensive to consolidate the cities than it would be to maintain the three city governments, though he could see some benefits in consolidating some services among the cities. One thing that concerns him about the consolidation talks, he said, is that any cost savings would come at the expense of people’s jobs.
One change he would like to see is a lower millage rate.
Diggins noted that the city has done a lot to build up reserves but he feels those funds are in good shape and the taxpayers deserve a break, along with a lowered city budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
If re-elected by voters in November, Diggins said he plans to continue bringing an open mind and willingness to hear both sides of an issue to the city government.
“One thing I can do when I’m up there on the dais is I can argue both sides of most of the issues. I’ve done that several times, I’ve argued both sides and I think that’s the sign of an open mind. I see this at the county level when I attend their meetings. Their minds are already made up, it doesn’t matter what people say,” Diggins said. “I actually listen to what the people say. I listen to all the facts and then I make a decision. My decision’s not made ahead of time and I purposely argue two sides of most issues before I make up my mind.”
