MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Some families planning to get in the last squeeze of summer will spend this last weekend before school starts back at the beach.
Many of them will head to one Manatee County beach where there is very inviting development through ample parking.
The upgraded parking lot at Coquina Beach has reopened to the public and is redirecting traffic from other overcrowded ones. It's a welcome relief to visitors trying to avoid the parking woes on Anna Maria Island.
"I know it's always crowded around here and we always have something going on usually this is full of people," Jonathan Yeager of Bradenton said.
The parking lot was initially created using beach shells and sand but construction crews used concrete to pave the surface and created marked parking spots to transform it.
"Usually we have to get here really early and get a parking and then when we're leaving, we have people waiting and now it's a nice thing we are able to sleep in a little bit," Yeager explained.
Since May 2019, the Coquina Beach drainage project, which saw most improvements on the south end of the parking lot, had progressed slowly.
Along with fixing the drainage and mud problems, nearly 200 Australian pine trees had to go to make way for more than 1,000 parking spots.
"I definitely think that will relieve some stress having to get up early in the morning to get a spot at the beach even if you don't want to get there that early," Emma Kotter, who lives in Manatee County, said.
"This puts a pretty good dent in things. I think not only did it make the quality of the experience in that location better and also increase the number of people who can go to that location," Kevin Van Ostenbrigde, Manatee County commissioner, explained.
The upgrade also includes better wheelchair access and improvements to parts of the Coquina Trail. County leaders said an overflow lot is still in the works but at least for now, visitors will have an ideal hassle-free option.
"We will see a little bit of a spike this week because it's their last year and then a little bit of a lull when they go back to school but it's not going to be much I'm sure the island is not going to be quiet now by any means people are here year-round they've discovered our beautiful beaches. They love this place," Van Ostenbrigde said.
"It's more parking more people and local businesses are going to reap the benefits of that and so you know anytime that we can help local businesses perform better and bring in more revenue I think that's a good thing," Yeager explained.
The project cost around $7 million pulled from Tourism Development Taxes.