Parking garage bill speeds through committees

House Bill 947 proposes building a parking garage in Holmes Beach. It was given the green light by a second state committee.

BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

TALLAHASSEE – A bill proposing to build a three-story, 1,500-plus space parking garage in Holmes Beach is speeding towards approval.

House Bill 947, proposed by Manatee County Rep. Will Robinson Jr., passed the Regulatory Reform and Economic Development Subcommittee on March 22 with the unanimous approval of all members present at the Florida House of Representatives with a change to line 15, submitted by Robinson, addressing the enforcement of the bill. The line states that the parking garage can be constructed within the “territorial boundaries of the city of Holmes Beach, without obtaining any permit, approval, consent, or letter of no objection from the city of Holmes Beach.”

The bill is now in the State Affairs Committee for consideration before moving to the House floor for a vote. If the bill passes those two votes, it moves on to the Florida Senate for consideration. If approved there, it would go to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk on July 1 to be vetoed or signed into law.

SEE GARAGE, PAGE 35