Bradenton, FL Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Section 62-88 of the Code of Ordinances is a park-specific rule, not a citywide skateboarding ban. Subsection (a) prohibits skateboarding within the Anthony B. Rossi Waterfront Park, described as the waterfront park lying east of 9th Street West and west of the western terminus of Riverside Drive, except within designated facilities constructed for the purpose of skateboarding. The section names that one park.

The enforcement tool is impoundment. Under subsection (b)(1), a law enforcement officer who observes a skateboard being used in the park can take possession of it and place it in a secure facility. The owner or person in possession is given notice that the skateboard will be returned upon payment of a $35.00 fee. The user of the skateboard when the offense is observed is presumed to be its owner.

Subsection (b)(2) gives the owner a hearing. The owner requests it within five days of the time the skateboard was taken, the hearing is held within 30 days before a hearing officer appointed by the city, and a hearing fee of $50.00 is paid when the request is made. The owner wins by proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the skateboard was not being used in violation of the ordinance. Formal rules of evidence do not apply, but fundamental due process is observed. If the owner prevails, the skateboard and the hearing fee are returned. If the owner does not prevail, the city retains the $35.00 impound fee and the $50.00 hearing fee.

A skateboard that is not returned to the owner is disposed of within six months after possession in accordance with local and state law as unclaimed evidence. Subsection (c) severs any invalid part of the section from the rest. The park closing-hours section, Section 62-83, separately lists restrooms at the Riverwalk Skatepark, west of the DeSoto Bridge, which close from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.