Morning walk Anna Maria rejects proposed water taxi modifications

BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA –City officials rejected Manatee County’s proposed water taxi-related modifications to the City Pier, but negotiations remain ongoing.

On Aug. 3, Mayor Dan Murphy presented the county’s proposed pier modifications to the city commission. The modifications rejected by the mayor and commis- sion included a floating finger dock with submerged pilings attached perpendicular to the existing boat landing at the T-end of the pier. The county also proposed railings and a locked gate that would have provided exclusive access to the county water taxis.

The county-funded water taxis will initially be operated from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between downtown Bradenton, Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach by the county-contracted Gulf Island Ferry company.

“When I saw this, I was not happy with it at all,” Murphy told the commission.

Murphy said the proposed pier modifications would cost the county $300,000, but the city would have to reimburse the county for that amount if the city later decided to opt out of the water taxi program.

Murphy said Anna Maria, like Bradenton and Bradenton Beach, will now agree to pay for the ongoing maintenance of any county-funded pier modifications approved by the city commission.

The mayor and commission are also concerned that the county has not yet provided specific details pertaining to any additional

“New single-family homes are being built with storage areas included. It appears some of these storage areas conveniently could be converted into bedrooms. Storage areas should not be converted into bedrooms,” Murphy said, noting that it violates state and city building codes and FEMA flood insurance regulations.

According to the notice of violation the city issued on Aug. 1, the vacation rental home in violation is located at 614 Gladiolus St. and is owned by Windemere residents Jose and Judith Calderon.

According to the violation notice, the home was inspected as a vacation rental on July 24 and the city inspector discovered a ground floor garage/ storage area had been enclosed and converted into a bedroom and/or habitable area. The notice also states the enclosed room is labeled as a bedroom on the sketch required as part of the city’s vacation rental registration program.

According to the notice, the property is currently in violation of several city and state building code regulations.

The notice of violation states the owners had until noon on Aug. 4 to apply for a city-issued demolition permit to bring the property into compliance with its previously issued building permit.

The homeowners were scheduled to meet with the city building official Monday afternoon.

When addressing the commission, Murphy noted the city’s annual vacation rental registration program requires an annual inspection of each dwelling to be used as a vacation rental. While the state preempts the regulation of vacation rentals to itself, the city has the authority to enforce state building codes, he said.

“A bedroom on the ground floor is a violation of Florida Building Code,” Murphy said in regard