BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — There is a lot of debate around a new hotel proposal that would be built in Bradenton Beach. Preliminary plans have been submitted to commissioners for the four-story hotel.

What You Need To Know

  • A four-story hotel proposal was sent to the city of Bradenton Beach. If approved, it will be built on Anna Maria Island on Bridge Street and Gulf Drive South

  • The preliminary plans include the designs and attractions it would bring including retail and a pool on the roof

  • A representative from the architect company Luttrell Architecture LLC says the next steps are to continue to refine the design and meet with planning and zoning

  • The proposal was first sent to the city on June 30, 2022, according an official with the city of Bradenton Beach

But even though it’s in the early stages, residents are pushing back on the plans.

One student at the University of South Florida started a petition against the hotel proposal. So far, more than 3,000 people have signed.

“So by putting a large hotel here on the corner of bridge street, I think a lot of people are going to look at that and say they are removing that feeling of old Florida that we love about Anna Maria Island,” said Hunter Jensen.

Katie Scarlett Tupin has been a captain on these waters for years. She gives tours on her boat, but not without the help of her dog, Sailor.

Working on the water has been passed down through six generations. It’s second nature to her.

“Oh, I’ve been out here since I was a kid, so I always knew whatever I did it would be out here on the water,” she said.

She has worked on Anna Maria Island for years, so when it came to a new hotel proposal, she wasn’t too happy to hear it. Her main concern is traffic.

“I cannot imagine, I mean on a Tuesday evening at 4 o’clock, the traffic is backed up on Bridge Street all the way down Gulf Drive South, all the way across Longboat Key Bridge,” she said.

The four-story hotel would have more than 100 rooms and be located on the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive South.

It would offer surface parking under the back portion of the building along with other attractions, including a pool on the roof.

Musician Tim Michael McCaig says he is in favor of the new hotel proposal. When he’s done performing, he walks around, enjoying the beauty of the island.

“I think it’s going to be the crown jewel of this town,” he said.

He says it would make a great addition to the community. 

“Hundreds and hundreds of jobs in the next years that’s going to supply for people and the taxes,” he said.

McCaig views it as a great opportunity for everyone.

“I’m sure there will be a venue here to entertain as well, so I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

But Tupin says it’s more about wanting to keep the island the same.

“There is so much built up that it’s getting to the point where it doesn’t look like Anna Maria. It’s not like the small quaint old Florida island feel that a lot of people used to go to,” she said.

The proposal is just in the early stages, but it’s already creating debate in the beach community.

A representative from the architect company Luttrell Architecture LLC says the next steps are to continue to refine the design and meet with planning and zoning. However, no date for that meeting has been set.