BRADENTON, Fla. — Right now, Alice Sutton is experiencing what she calls a “heartsick” feeling.
Sutton inherited a family home and family business on Anna Maria Island, a paradise known for its quaint atmosphere and perfect beaches.
“It’s a small-town feel,” said Sutton. “It’s not meant to be Boca Raton or Clearwater Beach.”
But Sutton fears that feeling is under threat because a multi-story, 1,500-space parking garage could be built at the Manatee Public Beach, which is owned by Manatee County.
The public beach, which is located at the end of State Road 64 on Anna Maria Island, is adjacent to Sutton’s home.
“I think it would be so unpleasant I’d want to leave,” she said.
Friday evening, she was one of several dozen protesters who gathered outside the Manatee County Administration Building in downtown Bradenton to make their feelings known.
“I mean, you have to save what you have before it’s gone,” another protester said.
The debate over parking on the island started in June 2020, when Holmes Beach removed some street parking spots during the pandemic. More recently, city commissioners passed a resolution banning the creation of future parking garages.
According to Rep. Will Robinson, Jr., a Republican who represents part of Manatee County, those measures prompted him to act.
“Parking is at a minimum on this island,” Robinson said during a January legislative delegation meeting. “It’s frustrating for my constituents not even being able to park at the beach. They circle around and go home. And I think that’s done purposefully, and I think, frankly, there are some on the island that think it’s their private island, and it’s not.”
He introduced a bill — House Bill — that would allow the county to build a parking garage on its beach access site “without obtaining any permit, approval, consent, or letter of no objection from the City of Holmes Beach.”
The bill — which effectively preempts Holmes Beach’s garage ban — received a unanimous vote from both the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law.
“This bill shows across-the-board — and across the aisle — support for equal beach access,” Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge wrote in a statement Friday. “The will be a wonderful addition to Anna Maria Island.”
According to Van Ostenbridge, preliminary plans call for a multi-story parking structure with “1,500 spaces, expanded concessions, restrooms, and locker room facilities with potential for restaurant and retail.”
“This is all about bullying our citizens. It doesn’t seem to have any merit,” Sutton said in response. “Once you get all those people there, how do you physically put them on the beach? I mean, towel by towel — it would be like Tetris. There wouldn’t be any room to walk.”
Commissioners will begin work-shopping the county’s vision for the garage soon. There will be more public meetings — and multiple votes by the county commission — before any garage is agreed upon and built.
Sutton will likely attend those meetings, and so will Judy Titsworth, the Mayor of Holmes Beach, who was also part of the Friday protest.
“We’ve got letters of objection from people all over the world,” the mayor said. “Anna Maria is everyone’s favorite destination to come on vacation, and no one is excited about this garage going in.”
