BRADENTON — Manatee County Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to place a ballot referendum before voters that would provide additional long-term funding for environmental lands acquisition, improvement, and maintenance if voters approve an additional tax levy in November.
Resolution R-26-095 was approved by commissioners 6-0, directing the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections to place the measure on the voters’ General Election ballot.
The referendum will ask voters to decide whether to authorize up to $75 million in general obligation bonds and an additional 0.16-mill ad valorem tax levy to fund the acquisition, improvement and maintenance of environmental lands throughout the county.
Earlier this year, the commission asked the Trust for Public Land to evaluate options for expanding dedicated conservation funding. Following the presentation of the organization's 2026 Conservation Finance Feasibility Study in May, commissioners later directed staff to prepare ballot language for voter consideration.
The proposal builds on the county's Environmental Lands Program, which voters established in 2020 when they approved a separate referendum authorizing up to $50 million in bonds and a 0.15-mill property tax for conservation and park projects. That measure passed with about 71% of the vote.
If approved, the funds would be used to acquire land, conservation easements and other property interests to help protect drinking water sources, improve water quality, preserve fish and wildlife habitat, safeguard environmentally sensitive lands from development and expand the county's system of public preserves, according to county staff.
Since 2023, the Environmental Lands Program has acquired more than 300 acres of conservation land, created two county preserves, expanded four existing preserves, enlarged one county park and partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to permanently protect 1,483 acres through rural land protection easements.
According to the resolution item’s coversheet, unlike the referendum approved by voters in 2020, the proposed 2026 measure would expressly allow county funding to be used for “acquisition of any and all lands, easements, and other property interests” in addition to fee-simple land purchases, providing greater flexibility for partnerships with agencies such as the Florida Department of Agriculture and conservation organizations.
The measure includes accountability provisions outlined in the resolution, including annual public audits, public disclosure of expenditures, acquisitions from willing sellers only, and consultation with the county's Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee (ELMAC) on land acquisitions and maintenance programs.
The referendum will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. According to the 2025 Florida Department of Revenue Ad Valorem Valuation and Tax Data Book, a 0.15-mill tax would cost about $47 annually for a home with a taxable value of $300,000. The proposed referendum, if approved, would levy an additional 0.16 mills, slightly more than the 0.15-mill example cited in the state valuation data.
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ruthlawler
This will be important for voters to support this referendum in order to have more Manatee environmental lands purchased and protected, instead of developed. On average, it will be an additional $47 a year for property owners in additional tax, which equates to about $4 a month. When last voted on in 2020 with a similar referendum, it was approved by 71% of the voters. As a member of the ELMAC Board over this past year, I have been very impressed on the evaluation and vetting process for acquisition and protection environmental lands. Please vote YES, to protect lands and keep them out of the hands of developers. Ruth Lawler
Wednesday, July 29 Report this
graumli22
While this BOCC's may have noble intentions and will use the revenue collected for its intended purpose, unscrupulous commissioners have sat on the board before who thought nothing of approving wetland buffer reductions as repayment for developers' financial campaign support. We're always only one election away from loading up the BOCC with the same ilk who are able to double-talk their way to approve things that were never intended. Will this be more of the same one day?? This will be a tough one to vote "yes" on.
Wednesday, July 29 Report this