Groins, Greer Island will come up at meeting between Manatee, Longboat

When the Longboat Key Town Commission meets with the Manatee County Board of Commissioners next month in Bradenton, the discussion might sound familiar.

The top talking points will again focus on two topics: the town’s challenges of existing in two counties, and sharing responsibility for Greer Island, the fragile spit of sand on the northern tip of Longboat Key. Similar discussions headlined last year’s meeting between the two groups of elected leaders.

“Give us the deed and turn the (Greer) island over to us,” Mayor George Spoll said during a recent commission workshop. “They want to own it, but don’t want any responsibility for it.

“The simple solution is to turn it over to us for $1.”

Other planned discussion points for the Feb. 26 conference include the town’s placement of its overhead wires underground, bus service and coordination of first-responder radio service.

The idea of moving to one county was first broached in 2017 by former Town Manager Dave Bullock, based on several factors affecting residents and the town’s administration. Among them: differing county property tax rates, coordination of elections, FEMA districts based on county lines and more.

“This argument has been made with them so many times,” Commissioner Jim Brown said. “It’s just not Greer Island.”

Manatee officials recently withdrew an objection to construction of a fifth groin on Greer Island, but indicated it would not contribute monetarily to the project. Longboat wants to build three groins on the northern end, where beach erosion is the most severe, as well as two groins south of the existing groins. The total project is estimated to cost around $12 million.

“They should fully fund the groins we’re talking about,” Commissioner Jack Daly said. “Make them say no.”

Bus service is another topic on which the two commissions will seek to find common ground.

Manatee previously ran a fixed-route service, but ended it in early 2017 in favor of an on-demand system that required users to call ahead for service, though other passengers could hop on if they spotted a bus at a stop.

At roughly the same time, Sarasota County Area Transit curtailed its Longboat route from a northern terminus on Coquina Beach to Bay Isles. Manatee’s service comes as far south as Bay Isles, allowing riders to connect between services. Sarasota County is also considering changes to its fixed-route bus line that connects downtown and Bay Isles. 

Of top concern: access for the island’s many workers who depend on public transit.