A Charter Government for Manatee County

ManaSota-88 has over 50 years of experience dealing with the Manatee County non-charter government and the Sarasota County charter government. Much of our membership resides in Manatee County.  Tal Saddique, Chair of the Manatee County Commission, recently suggested that the county study the merits of establishing a charter government. 
 
A charter government does not solve the problems caused by the impact of rapid growth on Florida's quality of life; however, it can provide local flexibility to address growth-management issues.  Having a charter government gives a county's residents the flexibility to respond to local needs. A home rule charter is intended to be written by citizens to serve as the county’s constitution. Home rule gives citizens the right to determine and implement government for public purposes at the local level. 20 of Florida's 67 counties have adopted home-rule charters.
 

Under a charter government, concerned citizens can propose charter amendments to protect public health and the environment. Several counties have included environmental protection in their charters. Hillsborough County's charter provides for the creation of a single local environmental protection commission for the County and its municipalities. The Volusia County Charter includes requirements to prevent environmental abuse through air, land, and water pollution.

Additionally, the Volusia County Charter sets minimum standards for environmental protection. Sarasota County’s Charter includes requirements for zoning disclosure and a mandatory recycling program.  The Miami-Dade County Charter includes a policy addressing the need for adequate maintenance of parks, aquatic preserves, and County-owned lands for preservation. Miami-Dade County's Charter protects its parks from commercial development and exploitation and strives to preserve their natural landscape, flora, fauna, and scenic beauty.
 
Development proposals, such as coastal high-rise construction, can and are likely to continue to occur under a charter form of government. Regardless of the form of county government Manatee County decides to pursue, ManaSota-88 remains vigorously opposed to development plans that increase density in the coastal high-hazard zone that is prone to flooding during significant storm events. It is irresponsible for elected officials to continue to allow development that risks the lives of current and future residents in our region.

 
Charters are not meant to be stagnant documents; they are intended to change over time. Once a charter is in place, voters can amend it by referendum, giving citizens the ability to initiate changes in local government. The charter is a document that should be produced by the public, not the County Commission or county government.  Only the voting public can adopt or amend its charter during a general election.  Voters can enact, change, or repeal local ordinances; recall county commissioners through a petition and referendum process; and initiate charter changes through a voter petition.  A charter form of government entitles the citizens of a county to define the structure of their county government.
                  
ManaSota-88 supports the creation of a citizens' advisory panel to study a charter proposal for Manatee County and to openly discuss whether a charter home-rule government would benefit the residents of Manatee. We also recommend that Manatee County and the municipalities continue discussions to review existing interlocal agreements for the purpose of improving communication on growth management issues.

Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.