Anna Maria Elementary School Offers Free Beach Parking In Holmes Beach During Spring Break

HOLMES BEACH, FL — With schools closed for spring break this week, dozens of additional free parking spaces are available to beachgoers in the parking lot of Anna Maria Elementary School.

Manatee County Schools granted Manatee County government use of the parking lot during the school district’s spring break, which started Saturday and runs through Monday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to a news release from the county.

The agreement opens up 60 spaces in walking distance of Manatee Public Beach, which is owned and operated by the county.

The county has set up signs that read “Free Public Beach Parking – Dawn to Dusk” to direct drivers to the elementary school’s lot at 4700 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.

The agreement between the school district and the county will also open this overflow parking to the public during additional dates later this year:

• Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30
• Fourth of July weekend, July 2-4
• Labor Day weekend, September 3-5

“It’s an evergreen agreement for anytime the school is not being utilized by the district, including spring break, weekends, holidays and the summertime,” County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said, according to Bradenton Herald.

The longstanding issue surrounding Anna Maria Island’s limited parking was further constrained when the city of Holmes Beach recently restricted street parking for non-residents to the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an effort to reduce the numbers of beach visitors. The city’s leaders have said these restrictions will improve the quality of life for residents, who complain of trash and visitors block their driveways, according to reports.

Holmes Beach leaders have also said that the beach parking constraint is a problem that the county is responsible for fixing.

“The problem is your problem. It’s not our problem. You have a public beach that’s too small for the amount of development that’s happening in the county. That’s not us. You have a public beach that offers 300 parking spaces. I wish you would’ve seen the trend 10 years ago,” Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth told county officials, according to reports.