Bradenton Times News Articles

Manatee County is on an energy hunt, and they have Ameresco and FPL Services looking for sources. What they found was that nearly half a million dollars each year at the county jail, and just as much downtown. With the guaranteed savings comes a reduced carbon footprint and greater life expectancy on equipment. How cool is that?

An analysis by the Tampa Bay Times seems to demonstrate very clearly what opponents of nuclear power have long asserted – that the supposed low cost of nuclear energy and the billions in savings to customers is a myth that doesn't hold up to inspection. The analysis compared the cost of the Levy nuclear plant to a natural gas facility. Even after setting assumptions that were rounded to nuclear's favor at every turn, the paper found that natural gas would be cheaper by billions over the long term.

The Manatee County Supervisor of Elections will begin sending Absentee Ballots on May 17 for the June 18 Special Election. If there is any chance you will be unable to vote in person on June 18, it is easy to request an Absentee Ballot be sent to you. Voters can request absentee ballots until 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 12.

The Manatee County School Board will hold a regular meeting on Monday evening, when it is expected to decide on whether to replace Board Attorney John Bowen with a staff attorney on an interim basis. The BOCC will hold two work sessions on Tuesday, and the Bradenton City Council will hold one on the following morning. The Tourist Development Council will meet Wednesday afternoon, and the Port Authority meeting scheduled for Thursday is canceled.

The deadline for unregistered voters to register to vote in the upcoming Manatee special election is Monday, May 20. There will be special referendum votes on a half-cent sales tax to fund indigent care programs and tax abatements for businesses. Manatee County will test its new print-on-demand ballot system at the Supervisor of Elections office during the early voting period beginning June 8. If all goes as planned, that should mean additional early voting locations will be available in the November 2014 elections.

At Thursday's Planning Commission Meeting, commissioners recommended for approval a 488 residential project located at U.S. 301 and SR 62 (southeast corner). In other business, members recommended approval a 16-pump gas station on the corner of U.S. 41 and Pearl Avenue (just north of the SRQ Airport). And the final recommendation for approval was made for a Recreational Vehicle Park in Rubonia.

At Tuesday's Manatee County Board of County Commissioner meeting, members adopted Ordinance 13-04, amending the Land Development Code Section 719 (wetlands). The restating of the wetland code "codified" what had been convoluted language along with practices that remained in conflict with the county's Comprehensive Plan. County Attorney Bill Clague warned commissioners of dire consequences if they refused to act now, but critics claim the changes only favor developers and will eventually undermine the spirit of the county's history of protecting its dwindling number of wetlands.

The issue of stormwater flooding in the Village of the Arts was brought up during public comments time at Wednesday’s Bradenton City Council meeting. Kimberly Hoffman, resident and business owner of Charisma Cafe and Art in the Village of the Arts, spoke to council members about the chronic flooding problems the Village has experienced "for the past 7 years." “On behalf of residents, gallery owners, and the restaurants in the Village, we need your help,” Hoffman said.

At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, long-term flooding issues in the Village of the Arts area and its economic effects were brought up during public comments. A first reading for an ordinance proposing to impound cars in which illicit and lewd activity takes place was approved unanimously, as were Special Use Permits for operating a daycare center on 7th Street East and a lounge on State Road 64 East, respectively.

At Tuesday's BOCC meeting, commissioners approved wetland ordinance changes in the Land Development Code by a slim margin, against the wishes of a long list of community leaders. In other business, commissioners approved the matching funds to purchase two locomotive switch engines for Port Manatee, and supplied the funds to keep the Rubonia Community Center open for residents through the summer.