MANATEE COUNTY – Commissioner George Kruse received unanimous support from his fellow commissioners on Aug. 27 to cease spending funding on pursuing three parking garages, including one planned for Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.
Previously, the county initiative, led by Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, sought the approval of state legislators on a bill to allow a three-story parking garage to be constructed on the site despite the city’s regulations against multi-level parking structures and the Holmes Beach land development code’s prohibition of multi-story parking garages.
County commissioners had dedicated more than $1 million for design services for the Manatee Beach garage earlier in the year. After the Aug. 20 primary election, which saw Van Ostenbridge, the largest supporter of the garage, being defeated by Kruse for an at-large seat on the dais, Kruse said he thought it was time to revisit the issue and placed it on the Aug. 27 commission agenda, saying that his motivation was to save taxpayer money.
Van Ostenbridge made the motion to indefinitely table the parking garage conversation with no further money to be spent at this time on garage plans in Holmes Beach, Bradenton and Palmetto. The motion received full support from the board of commissioners.
