MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It’s impossible to walk by Benjamin Kaminecki’s store, The Fudge Factory, without stopping in. The intoxicating smell of the shop’s delicacies drifts out onto Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. It’s my passion. I love making fudge and chocolates,” Kaminecki said. “Every morning, I wake up. I wake up with a smile. I like to make people happy.”
What’s even sweeter than The Fudge Factory’s treats? Soon, more people will get the chance to taste them and visit the beautiful nearby beaches thanks to a new service.
Weeks ago, the Gulf Islands Ferry service launched and started making trips from the day dock in Downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria’s City Pier.
Starting this weekend, the service now makes stops at the Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach too.
“It’s the right step in the right direction,” said Elliott Falcione, the Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
For years, traffic and a lack of parking have kept some from visiting Anna Maria Island as often as they would like.
For that reason especially, Falcione sees the ferry as a big win-win. More people can now visit the island’s shops, restaurants, and world-class beaches while leaving their cars behind.
“We want what we want, and we want the cars off the roads,” he said.
For now, the ferry runs between the three stops from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. but he says even bigger things are on the horizon.
“We also hope to go down to Longboat Key very soon, and then we’ve had informal conversations with Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota to make it more of a regional system,” he said.
Back at The Fudge Factory, Kaminecki is already seeing a difference. He’s already noticed new smiling faces in his store.
“All day long,” he said. “We were busy all day long. Thank God. Yeah, it’s been great.”
A round-trip ticket costs $10 for an adult or $6 for a senior.
For up-to-date information on run times, ticket information, and schedules, riders can contact Customer Service for the Ferry at (941) 357-2587 (voice) or (727) 200-6487 (text).
Current run times and schedules can be found at gulfislandsferry.com.
