Costs
What Changes a Tow Price Out on Anna Maria Island Near Bradenton
A tow from Anna Maria Island usually costs more than the same tow inside Bradenton, and distance is most of the reason. Every island tow to a mainland shop has to cross Anna Maria Sound or Sarasota Bay on a drawbridge. Where you sit on Gulf Drive, which bridge you take and where the shop is set most of your price. Your vehicle, what went wrong and how the car sits do the rest.
Why does an island tow run more miles?
The island is long and thin. Gulf Drive is the only road that runs the whole length of it. If your shop is on the mainland, the truck drives out over a bridge, down Gulf Drive to you, and back over a bridge with your car.
Two bridges link the island to Bradenton:
| Bridge | Road | Island end | Mainland end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Maria Island Bridge | SR 64, Manatee Avenue | Holmes Beach | Perico Island, then the Palma Sola Causeway into Bradenton |
| Cortez Bridge | SR 684, Cortez Road | Bradenton Beach | The village of Cortez, then east to US 41 |
The town of Anna Maria sits at the north tip. Bradenton Beach sits at the south end. Holmes Beach is in the middle. So a car that dies near the Anna Maria City Pier has a longer run to either bridge than one near Manatee Public Beach, where SR 64 meets Gulf Drive.
Which bridge should your tow use?
The closest bridge to you is not always the best one. The best bridge is the one that lines up with your shop.
- Your shop is on Manatee Avenue or Cortez Road? Take the bridge on that road. The truck comes straight off the bridge to the shop.
- Your shop is near US 41 south of downtown? Cortez Road runs east from the bridge to US 41, so the Cortez Bridge often makes sense.
- Your shop is downtown or near I-75? Manatee Avenue runs east through Bradenton toward I-75, so the SR 64 bridge often fits.
Here's how it bites. You're staying in Bradenton Beach. Your car quits at the south end of Gulf Drive. Your own mechanic is off Manatee Avenue. That tow either runs up the island to Holmes Beach first, or crosses at Cortez and cuts north on the mainland. Both add miles you wouldn't pay for with a shop on Cortez Road.
You don't have to know the best route. Tell the dispatcher where the car is and where it should go. Your driver plans the run.
Do the drawbridges add to the job?
They add time, and you should plan for it. Both island bridges are drawbridges over the Intracoastal Waterway. Federal rules set when they open for boats.
From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, the Cortez Bridge and the SR 64 bridge only have to open on the quarter hour and the three-quarter hour. Outside those hours, they open when a boat signals. So a late-night tow can still meet a raised bridge, with no set time for it.
FDOT also has work going on at both island bridges and the Longboat Pass bridge. Its weekly road report lists lane closures overnight, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Cortez Road has its own repaving job from 86th Street West to west of 30th Street West, with lane closures day and night. Check FL511 before a night drive off the island.
What about the new Cortez Bridge?
FDOT has begun building a new Cortez Bridge. The job covers the bridge and its approaches from Gulf Drive to 123rd Street West, about 0.9 mile. It's built in two phases so traffic keeps moving. In phase one, traffic shifts slightly south at both ends of the bridge. Crews work from barges and temporary trestles. Expect narrow lanes near the bridge for a long while. If you stall there, say so when you call.
Where is your car stuck?
Where the car sits matters as much as the miles. A car parked on firm ground by the road is a simple hookup. A car with its wheels sunk in sand is a bigger job.
Sand at a beach access
Soft sand by the beach paths catches a lot of cars. If your tires are spinning, stop. Every spin digs deeper. A car that's sunk near the road may need a winch-out to pull it back to firm ground. If it rolls after that, you may not need a tow at all.
The side of the road in Holmes Beach
Holmes Beach has strict rules for cars on the right-of-way. All four tires must be fully off the roadway, except on one stretch of Key Royale Drive. Right-hand wheels must face the way traffic flows. You can't block a driveway or sit on private property without the owner's okay.
If your car still rolls, ease it fully off the pavement and face it with traffic. Turn your hazards on. Florida's Move Over Act covers a stopped car with its hazards on.
The Manatee Public Beach lot after dark
Your battery dies in the beach lot after a sunset swim. Holmes Beach bars parking at the Manatee County Public Beach from 10 pm to 6 am. Don't leave the car overnight and hope. Call for help the same evening and say you're in the beach lot.
What went wrong with the car?
The smallest job is the one that needs no tow at all. Tell the dispatcher what the car is doing, not only that you're stuck.
- Clicks but won't start: a jump start may get you home on your own wheels.
- Flat tire with a good spare: a flat tire change puts the spare on right there on Gulf Drive.
- Overheated, leaking or making a bad noise: a car tow to a mainland shop is the safer call.
- Drove through standing salt water: don't try to restart it. Ask for a tow. The National Weather Service says 12 inches of moving water can carry away most cars, so never drive into a flooded street.
Your vehicle counts too. A small car and a light pickup are different jobs. Give the make and model when you call.
How does Sentinel set your price?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company does the work. You tell us the spot, the car, the problem and the shop. We text your price before we dispatch, and that price is locked. If the job changes, say the car turns out to be stuck in sand, we text a new price first and you decide. See how it works, or read the Stay-With-You Promise for what happens while you wait.
Once the car is gone, you still need to get around. The free Anna Maria Island Trolley runs up and down Gulf Drive from the Anna Maria City Pier to Coquina Beach. It runs from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day of the year, every 20 minutes through the day. For bridges, storms and the rest of town, see our Bradenton towing page.
If anyone is hurt or your car is stuck in a live lane on a bridge, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Anna Maria Island Tow Price Questions
Is a tow from Anna Maria Island more expensive than one in Bradenton?
Often, yes, because of distance. Every tow to a mainland shop crosses a drawbridge, and a car at the north tip has a long run down Gulf Drive first. A shop near the bridge you cross keeps the miles down.
What should I tell the dispatcher on the island?
Give the town, the nearest cross street or beach access on Gulf Drive, and your car's make and model. Say what the car is doing and where you want it to go. Mention sand, a beach lot or a work zone.
Can my car stay overnight at Manatee Public Beach?
No. Holmes Beach bars parking at the Manatee County Public Beach from 10 pm to 6 am. If your car won't start there in the evening, get help that night.
My car was towed from a lot in Holmes Beach. Can Sentinel get it back?
No. Sentinel doesn't do impounds or private lot tows. Under Florida law, the tow-away sign must show the towing firm's name and phone number, so call them. If the tow started in Manatee County without your consent, county rules cap the rates and you can ask for an itemized bill.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: 33 CFR 117.287, FDOT District One Roadwatch, FDOT Cortez Bridge Project, Holmes Beach parking rules, Manatee County Area Transit, Fla. Stat. 316.126, Fla. Stat. 715.07, Manatee County Code, Ch. 2-19, National Weather Service, FL511.
