Over the past decade, there has been a housing boom in Manatee County, and the Parrish community has seen a lot of that new growth.
The number of elementary school-age children in the county has grown with the number of homes. For residents in northeast Manatee County, there are only two elementary schools, and traffic during peak pickup and drop-off times causes gridlock on nearby streets.
Jackie Felix moved into her home 15 years ago and says the traffic from nearby Williams Elementary backs up from the school on Fort Hamer Road to Old Tampa Road and past her neighborhood entrance at Banbury Circle.
"We started off with maybe 700 students in this school, and now we're bursting at the seams, with over 900 and portables coming in," she said.
Just down the road from the school, construction continues on the new Fort Hamer Bridge across the Manatee River. Residents fear the additional traffic past the school will only worsen the situation.
Trudy Gerena, a spokesperson for Manatee County, says more lanes may help, but the primary issue is the way traffic is queuing on school property.
"The construction of the additional lanes and/or turn lanes may help alleviate some of the line. However, the county would have to buy more property and find the money for it, which isn't available right now," she said.
County and school officials have agreed to continue to monitor the situation.