Elliot, representing TDC staff, asked the council for a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners to support multimodal path enhancements proposed by the City of Holmes Beach. "They're asking for $395,000 in change. The city of Holmes Beach is pledging a 133,000 in change," Elliot said while describing the project as a gap-filling segment on a conceptual seven-mile corridor for pedestrians and bicycles.

Supporters said the project would improve safety and the visitor experience on Anna Maria Island and could be used as local match for federal grants that the county pursues. Commissioner Dan Diggins and several board members described multimodal access as an amenity that benefits both tourists and residents; some members noted the project should be coordinated with the MPO and FDOT and that other funding partners should be pursued.

A member of the council asked whether bed-tax funds were the correct source; that member said the taxes were intended for destination marketing and suggested MPO or FDOT funds as alternatives. Other members pointed to the volume of tax revenue generated from Holmes Beach and to prior TDC pledges used as grant match during earlier TIGER grant efforts.

The council made a motion to recommend the request to the Board of County Commissioners. The motion passed unanimously; the staff report notes the recommendation will be forwarded to county commissioners for a final decision.

The presentation included references to prior joint county'city work and to an earlier federal TIGER grant application the county had pursued eight years earlier; staff said the current ask is smaller than an earlier request and that Holmes Beach has secured some state grant funding to lower the local share.

Next steps identified on the record include forwarding the TDC recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners and continuing intergovernmental coordination on grants and FDOT/MPO priorities.