This guide is intended to serve as a parking reference to anybody visiting or living Anna Maria Island.
It can be very hard to get a straight answer from anybody about where you are allowed to park. Parking Ordinance varies from one Municipality to the next, and the Parking Ordinances Written by the Cities themselves are very confusing and time consuming to read and understand.
I have learned quite a bit from living and working on the island for many years. I’ve received many a parking ticket, had my car towed, and also been pleasantly surprised to find my car still in the same place I left it the night before. I have also spent a good bit of time painstakingly reviewing the municipal parking ordinance for each of the Cities on the Island and Spoken to members of city council, police chiefs and officers to help verify the information as well as my understanding of it. This guide will be a combination of that experience, research and interviews.
The Basics
Before we get into the details of the parking situation for each municipality, let’s cover some of the basics.
There are three Municipalities that make up Anna Maria Island.
They are as follows:
- Bradenton Beach
- Holmes Beach
- Anna Maria
Each Municipality has:
- A City Hall
- A Police Force
- Unique rules and regulations that Govern where how and when you can park within that Municipal zone.
A good rule of thumb for street parking anywhere is that you need to park your car facing the same direction as the flow of traffic for whatever side you are on.
So when parked on the right side of the street, make sure your car is facing the same direction as traffic on the right side of the street
with that out of the way, let’s get to it.
The City Of Anna Maria
Also known as “The North End” of the island, this municipality is home to several of Anna Maria Island’s best beaches, restaurants, and attractions.
General Parking Rules
First and foremost, The City of Anna Maria Expressly grants Parking on the public rights-of-way
This means that you can park anywhere that the public right of way exists.
In a lot of cases private property has what is called Public Easement. Public Easement is like a buffer zone between public property and private property that give the municipality the ability to provision sidewalks and parking that is open to the public and install things like fire hydrants and traffic signs.
So in Anna Maria, if you are on a residential street and park on the road in front of someones house, you can park in what seems like someones yard but is actually considered a public easement .
“NO PUBLIC PARKING”
From time to time, you will see owners of homes with very nice lawns that butt up right against the public street with homemade signs saying “NO PUBLIC PARKING” but in most cases these signs can be safely ignored.
The City of Anna Maria Municipal code mandates that the public right of way for local streets be 40 Feet. Most two lane roads are about 18-20 feet across so that gives you 10 extra Feet on Either Side of the road for you to park your car.
In Fact, Many homeowners on the island are well aware of this and spread shell and gravel on the area of their property that is considered public right of way so that people can park there without tearing up the grass.
Understanding the implementation of the Public Right of Way in The City of Anna Maria is mainly what you need to know to easily access just about anything the North side of the island has to offer.
Street Specific Parking specification
There are some exceptions and exclusions to the public right of way.
For example, on some streets, you can only park on one side of the street, and the side of the street you can park on depends on the year.
The following table lists the the streets that are subjected to these rules as well as any additional notes listed in the ordinance as read here
| Street Name | Side of Street | Google Maps Link | Exceptions/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fern Street | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Fern+Street,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited 30 feet near Jacaranda/Fern stop signs. |
| Hardin Avenue | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Hardin+Avenue,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited near intersections. |
| Iris Street | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Iris+Street,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited 30 feet near stop signs. |
| Jacaranda Road | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Jacaranda+Road,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited parking in specific sections, especially at intersections. |
| Los Cedros Drive | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Los+Cedros+Drive,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited parking 30 feet from stop signs. |
| Mangrove Avenue | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Mangrove+Avenue,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited near intersections and hydrants. |
| Newton Lane | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Newton+Lane,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited close to intersection areas. |
| North Shore Drive | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=North+Shore+Drive,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited parking near intersections; restrictions around beach access points. |
| Palm Avenue | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Palm+Avenue,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited 30 feet near stop signs and crosswalks. |
| Park Avenue | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Park+Avenue,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited parking near corners. |
| Peppertree Lane | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Peppertree+Lane,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited 30 feet near intersection areas. |
| Poinsettia Road | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Poinsettia+Road,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited at certain intersections. |
| Sycamore Avenue | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Sycamore+Avenue,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited parking near intersections. |
| Tern Drive | Odd | https://maps.google.com/?q=Tern+Drive,+Anna+Maria,+FL | Prohibited 30 feet from stop signs at intersections. |
| Column Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Street Name | The name of the street where the right to parking is expressly granted |
| Side of Street | Tells you what side of the street to park on. If it reads “Odd”, then you can park on the side of the street with the Odd Numbered houses. This is Current as of 2025. |
| Google Maps Link | A google Maps Link to the specified street |
| Exceptions / Notes | Any exceptions or additional rules for parking on that street. |