Petition for Governor to Veto Holmes Beach Parking Garage Bill

HOLMES BEACH  Manatee County citizens can take action by signing a petition urging Governor DeSantis to veto CS/HB 947, which was passed by the legislature in its most recent session. If signed into law, the bill would allow Manatee County to permit a parking garage on Anna Maria Island without meeting the Land Development Codes and Comprehensive Plans approved by the City of Holmes Beach.

The Petition states the following:

""Governor DeSantis,

Please veto CS/HB 947. Here are reasons in support of this veto:

CS/HB 947 would allow Manatee County to permit a parking garage without meeting the Land Development Codes and Comprehensive Plans approved by the Local City of Holmes Beach. Holmes Beach has limitations on structures that would prevent a massive parking structure. The location of the property is at the gateway into Holmes Beach. The City of Holmes Beach has denied Manatee County s attempts to build a massive parking structure. The county s solution is to have the state force a parking garage against the City of Holmes Beach s will in total violation of its local codes.

The parking structure's construction cost of $45 million dollars and annual maintenance cost of $400,000 is wasteful taxpayer spending. These dollars will compete with other community needs such as beach nourishment. It is also important to understand there is no additional capacity to accommodate people to this location from over 1,100 additional parking spaces. The beach is already at its maximum capacity with the existing 250 parking spaces.

This beach area, known as the Manatee Public Beach, would have no capabilities to handle what could be over 4,000 more people on just a few acres of land.

This legislation also fails to have an Economic Impact Statement from an expert to support statements made, as required for a local bill. Elliot Falcione, who provided the statement, is a director that did not have the authority from Manatee County to fabricate the Economic Impact Statement.

The Economic Impact Statement states additional revenue of over $4 million a year without offering any proof. There are also no businesses in close proximity that would benefit from an increase in visitors at the location described in support of this Bill (CS/HB 947). The Economic Impact Statement by Mr. Falcione falsely states that businesses are suffering from visitors not finding parking. The studies that have been done and observations of visitors trying to find a parking spot do not support these visitors will be going to an island business.

The reality: The islands can only handle so many visitors. There are traffic delays of over an hour and a half at peak times just to reach the island and then traffic crawls north and south. Businesses during peak times are already maxed out, so there is really no additional revenue that would ever come close to another $4 million a year. If there is such documentation, it should have been attached to the Economic Impact Statement.

This decision to approve CS/HB 947 was done without the consent of the City of Holmes Beach and, if allowed to be approved, would violate the community's goal of maintaining a quaint coastal community.

The City of Homes Beach is on record requesting this veto, and offering this as additional support to veto CS/HB 947.

Governor please veto CS/HB 947 and show your support as you have in the past for not wasting taxpayers' money and continue to let a city decide what is best for their constituents.""

Readers can click here if they wish to sign the petition.