Possible Anna Maria Island consolidation
A study is looking at not only combining the three municipalities on a seven-mile stretch of Anna Maria Island, but also investigating the possibility of the annexation into Bradenton.
BRADENTON, Fla. - As part of a bid to dissolve Anna Maria Island's three island cities and absorb roughly $6 billion in taxable property value, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy tit*worth says she's been informed that a possible annexation of the island into the neighboring city of Bradenton will be included in the Anna Maria Island consolidation study being conducted by the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA).
For context, Anna Maria Island, which is only seven miles long, is made up of three separate cities: Anna Maria to the north, Bradenton Beach to the south, and Holmes Beach in the middle. Each city has its own police department, city commission and mayor, but this could change depending on the results of the consolidation study ordered by the Florida Legislature in late October.
There has been a push since the beginning of the year for state lawmakers to consider combining the island's three cities for tax purposes. Republican state representative Will Robinson of Bradenton is leading the effort.
"I think it’s time that the legislature just study the issue," Robinson said in January, "and I ask that this delegation make a motion to bring back a study - should we continue to have three cities? Is that economically feasible?"
File: Anna Maria Island
During this year's legislative session, lawmakers paved the way for OPPAGA to conduct the study. Prior to tit*worth's November 9 statement regarding Bradenton potentially annexing the three cities, it was assumed that consolidation would entail either combining the three island cities into a single Anna Maria Island government or annexing them into Manatee County and dissolving their existing municipalities.
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The island cities currently have some of the lowest millage rates in the county- less than half those of unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton.
"The biggest concern I have with this study is that neither the residents nor city officials asked for it," tit*worth said in her statement. "They were not consulted about the development of the scope and remain unaware of the motivations behind this emboldened act of the legislature. It is my understanding that we are the only coastal cities in Florida being threatened by consolidation, though we may not be the last as there have been more than 80 bills passed by the state legislature in recent years that have greatly diluted home rule."
File: Anna Maria Island
It is unclear what the path forward looks like if state leaders move to consolidate, especially when it is an act not supported by the cities and citizens which are directly impacted. Is a referendum by the people even necessary when the decision is made at the state level? Is the governor tasked to appoint a board to write a new charter, zoning districts, comprehensive plan, and land development codes? Is a new charter even needed, or will one city absorb the others, and if so, which city? Will the new board respect current density and height restrictions? If there is a new charter, are the grandfathered minimum length of stay restrictions for resort housing to be preserved or will they be removed, turning neighborhoods into motels?
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Anna Maria Island is known for being one of the best destinations in the world to visit and a paradise to reside in. I urge all citizens to pay attention to decisions being made at the local and state level. Do these leaders have your best interests at heart? These decisions will have a profound effect on quality-of-life issues. Our unique small-town identities and a century of history could soon be lost to consolidation and to the neighboring City of Bradenton."
The consolidation study is expected to be completed by July 2024, with researchers presenting their results to lawmakers, who would then decide whether to publish the report and make it available to the cities and to the public.
