Mayor proposes negotiation, not war, with state legislators

Mayor Dan Murphy arranged for the Island mayors to meet with State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and State Sen. Jim Boyd.

BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy proposes communicating rather than waging war with state legislators over parking garages and the potential consolidation or elimination of Anna Maria Island’s three city governments. During the Jan. 26 Anna Maria City Commission meeting, Murphy discussed his approach in reaction to State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and other members of the Manatee County legislative delegation recently expressing a shared desire for state legislation that could allow Manatee County to preempt the city of Holmes Beach’s building regulations in order to build a public parking garage for beachgoers. The local delegation of state legislators also seeks a state-funded study regarding the potential consolidation or dissolution of the three Island cities and city governments.

Murphy referenced headlines that ran on the front pages of local newspapers. One read, “AMI fights back against state representatives.” The other read, “Holmes Beach readies options for counterattack.”

Murphy, who served in the U.S.

SEE MAYOR, PAGE 17