HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — Joe Satyshur and his friends play frisbee almost daily on the welcoming white sands of Manatee Public Beach, which is located at the end of State Road 64 on Anna Maria Island within the city limits of Holmes Beach.
To the frisbee players and so many others, the pristine beach is pure paradise.
But Satyshur, who lives on nearby Perico Island, worries the beloved paradise could be diminished soon, because a multi-story parking garage could be built at the public beach access, which is managed and maintained by Manatee County.
“I think it would ruin the charm of Anna Maria, especially the beachfront here — the bar,” Satyshur said.
The possibility of a parking garage is causing a fierce debate.
The debate started in June 2020, when Holmes Beach removed some street parking spots during the pandemic. More recently, its 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 947 — that would allow the county to build a parking garage on the county beach access site “without obtaining any permit, approval, consent, or letter of no objection from the City of Holmes Beach.”
According to past testimony, the garage might include 1,500 parking spots and be no taller than 36 feet.
Robinson’s bill — which would effectively preempt Holmes Beach’s garage ban — passed both the House and Senate unanimously.
The fight, however, is not yet resolved.
Governor Ron DeSantis has yet to sign the bill, and now, two petitions have started asking the governor to veto it.
Morgan Bryant, a business owner on Anna Maria Island, started one of them Monday.
“We’ve already gained almost a thousand signatures,” Bryant said when asked about her petition on Change.org.
Another petition was started by a former county commissioner.
Even though Bryant admitted parking can be a challenge, she thinks more spots are available than most visitors realize. She thinks local governments should do a better job raising awareness of those spots, including those available at a local school.
Regardless of parking availability, Bryant believed a parking garage built at the county beach access — located at the busy intersection State Road 64 and Gulf Drive — would increase traffic congestion and hurt the island’s unique charm by giving it a “big city feel.”
“When I lived in Orlando, that’s what it was like,” she said. “Daytona Beach — out there, you know, that’s what it’s like.”
Back at the beach, some of the frisbee players agree with her take, but not all of them.
Mark Platt, from Bradenton, thinks a garage should be built in Holmes Beach, if its design does not detract from the beautiful beach.
Even for Platt, a longtime local, finding available parking spots can be difficult when he and his family members visit the beach.
“I do know we need additional parking. So, will a structure help this out? Absolutely,” he said. “Give us the ability to park more people, and let’s welcome this paradise to everyone.”
ABC Action News reached out to the Governor’s Office for comment but has yet to hear back.
