LWV Manatee County Commission Notes: 4/15/25

The League of Women Voters of Manatee County Government Committee observes Manatee County Commission meetings for items of interest to citizens and the League and notes adherence, or lack of adherence, to good governance procedures and the Sunshine Law. The following are the major points from the board’s regular meeting on 

Link to Agenda and Meeting Video

To view a particular item in the video, click on that item on the agenda and then click on the video that is inset in the agenda.

Commissioner Rahn was absent. Commissioner Bearden left the meeting after Item 44 and did not return.

Invocation Pastor Luke Stockeland, First Baptist Church of Bradenton

Pledge of Allegiance Susan Galante, Air Force Veteran (Colonel)

Announcements

Updates to Agenda - April 8, April 11, and April 14, 2025

Awards/Presentations/Proclamations

Awards

Presentation of the Team Member of the Month for April 2025   

Marcus Francis, Parks and Recreation Manager, Sports and Leisure Services Department, is a 20-year employee. He oversees 7 sports complexes comprised of 75 program fields, the indoor gymnasium hosting the Youth Basketball Program serving over 200 kids each season, and his team manages all the reservations. He has 18 direct reports and 40 indirect contracted staff every summer for the youth camp program. He leads by example, coaching and developing his staff with positivity, hard work, and commitment.

Proclamations

Adoption of Proclamation Designating April 25, 2025, as "National Arbor Day" in Manatee County   

Mason Gravely, Chair of ELMAC (Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Advisory Committee) accepted the award. In honor of Arbor Day, ELMAC will be planting trees at Palma Sola Scenic Highway Park and at Coach Eddie Shannon Park on April 25. One of the County goals of Arbor Day was to plant 1 million trees. Since the purchase of Duette Preserve, County staff has planted over 1.4 million trees there alone.

Adoption and Presentation of Proclamation Designating April 13-19, 2025, as "Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" in Manatee County   

The award was accepted by Jodie Fiske, Director of Public Safety.

Adoption and Presentation of Proclamation Designating March 16, as "St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church Day" in Manatee County   

St. Mary’s, in Parrish, has been in existence for over 150 years and is the oldest African American church in Manatee County.

Adoption and Presentation of Proclamation Designating March 24, 2025, as "Turning Points 30th Anniversary" in Manatee County   

Kathleen Cramer, Executive Director of Turning Points, thanked the Board for the proclamation and stated that Turning Points will continue its mission to reduce homelessness in Manatee County.

Consent Agenda

Approval Of Consent Agenda 6-0

Select Citizen Comments (Consideration for Future Agenda Items)

Mike, a representative of Our Daily Bread, stated that they had a 20% increase in requests for groceries in the month of March and donations are down. He is requesting that the $30,000 check previously approved by the Board be released so that services can continue.

Ron, a representative of the Shuffle Club is asking for the City and County to find an alternative location for the shuffleboard courts.

Sean, from New Season Treatment Center, stated that 33% of opioid addiction patients are treated at for-profit facilities and asked that the County reconsider its decision to preclude for-profit organizations from participating in the Opioid Settlement Funds.

Advertised Public Hearings - Legislative

Item 41. Adoption of Ordinance 25-025, relating to ceasing adding fluoride to the County's Public Water Supply     D’Agostino

Patrick Shea, Utilities Director, provided a timeline for the fluoride in Manatee County:

• 1991 BOCC adopted an ordinance to add fluoride to the public water system
• 2015 Public Health guidelines reduced the recommended amount of fluoride
• 2021 the county adopted a $52 million investment to upgrade the overall water treatment facility. The existing fluoride system did not work and repairs to the system would be $2 million.

Citizens’ Comments:

• Dr Robert Clement and Dr. Steve Tinsworth, Manatee County dentists, requested the BOCC to continue adding fluoride to the public water system.
• Two citizens spoke against having fluoride added to the water system.

Commissioner Kruse stated that SB700, banning fluoride additives in Florida public water systems, is currently being heard in Tallahassee and will likely pass.

Motion to rescind the 1991 ordinance and cease feeding fluoride into the water system was approved 5-1 (McCann opposing)

Item 43. Ordinance No. 25-22, Legislative, Loretta Merrill, Senior Planner - District 1

Establishing The Riversong Community Development District.

Approved 5-1 (Felts opposing)

REGULAR

Community and Veterans Services

Item 46. Adoption of Resolution No. R-25-063 to budget funds for a Catalytic Loan to Forest Cove of Manatee, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, in the amount of Five Million Six Hundred Fifty-Nine Thousand One Hundred Sixty-Four ($5,659,164.00) Dollars; and Adoption of Budget Amendment Resolution B-25-051   

At the 12/10/24 BoCC Regular Meeting meeting (Item 74 from LWVMC Notes) commissioners voted to negotiate a loan to One Stop Housing for construction of 155 workforce housing units with a mix of studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments.

Approved (5-0 Rahn and Bearden absent)

Government Relations

Item 47. Manatee County Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-DR) Update   

Michelle Davis, Grant Administration Division Manager, encouraged everyone to visit the “Lasting Manatee” website to get up to date information on the plans for the $252,711,000 Community Development Block Grant―Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funds awarded Manatee County from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) due to damage from hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.

Item 52. Government Relations Department Overview   

Stephanie Garrison, Director of the Government Relations Department, gave an overview of the Department created to streamline services, without adding staff, by combining 45 existing positions across five Departments.  In the past everyone did excellent work but were fragmented. The five Divisions in Government Relations are:

1. Administration (Strategy and Enablement Team)
2. Legislative Affairs (Business Development Team) 
3. Records & Information Management (Marketing Team)
4. Grants (Sales Team)
5. Economic Development (Account Management Team)

Charlie Bishop, County Administrator, announced that Manatee County was awarded a $3,151,067.82 FEMA Grant for repairs to Manatee and Coquina Beaches.

Property Management

Item 48. Adoption of Budget Amendment Resolutions B-25-057 and B-25-058, amending the annual budget for Manatee County, Florida, for fiscal year 2025; and Execution of Contract for Sale and Purchase between for a Fee Simple Acquisition between Manatee County and Mark Cannon, .... Revocable Trust dated February 18, 2008, for property located at 15150 Golf Course Road. Parrish, Florida 34219 – District 1   

Charles Meador, Deputy Director of Property Management, described the 94 acre property located on the north side of Golf Course Road. This proposed acquisition is a multi-department project by the Environmental Lands, Stormwater Engineering, and Transportation Departments for the purposes of:

• Natural Resources – to provide connections to the Manatee River corridor and avoid native habitat disturbance during construction of the multiple projects.
• Water Resource Protection - for water quality and stormwater/floodwater improvements. The property is 47% floodplain and 72% of the property does not meet the quality standards by the Clean Water Act.
• Transportation Needs - purchase will provide mitigation for widening of Golf Course Road and bridge replacement.
• Floodwater mitigation – the property could create 300 acre-feet of flood storage.

Citizens’ comments:

• Anthony thanked the Board and stormwater personnel for the progress clearing the ditches along Jim Davis Road and encouraged the Board to purchase this property.
• Danielle wants to have assurances in the contract that the land will not become a surplus property for future sales to developers.
• Glen agreed that land use restrictions on flood mitigation are necessary.

Commissioner Kruse clarified that the county will take necessary steps to ensure that development rights are removed from the property.

Approved 5-0 (Rahn and Bearden absent)

Public Works

Item 49. Proposed Revisions to Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP)     Stratton

The proposed revision to the 2002 procedures for requests to the NTCP are to incorporate best practices that staff have identified over the years. Vishal Kakkad, traffic engineering division Manager, noted that they receive about 800 requests a year for traffic calming. Adoption will be considered at the next meeting.

Item 50. Discussion of Capital Improvement Plan Priorities   

As a follow up to the March 5 meeting presentation, staff have prioritized projects based on commissioner and community input and sorted based on the phase of each project and by district. Staff plan to discuss with individual commissioners. PowerPoint Presentation

Commissioner’s comments:

• Commissioner Siddique stated that his residents see inequities in the east and west portions of the county, such as poor sidewalks in some of his district. 
• Commissioner Felts also noted the differences between districts, saying the traffic is the #1 issue in Parrish and she is concerned about balancing storm water adjustments and traffic. 
• Commissioner McCann said that many of his residents would be glad to stop development in District 5 and share the money for other projects.

Commissioner Agenda Items

Item 53. Participation in Florida's EOG DOGE Process   - Kruse

The State of Florida, through Governor Ron DeSantis' Executive Order #25-44, titled Ensuring Government Efficiency, created the EOG DOGE Team to assess local finances and trim expenditures. Counties and municipalities were asked to voluntarily commit to the program, which has received limited response statewide.

On April 2, Commissioner Christine Miller in Hillsborough County, proposed to work with the State DOGE with a short-term citizens advisory board for a span of 12 months. Commissioner Kruse would like to adopt a process like Hillsborough County’s that involves citizens and a one-year advisory board.

Kruse motioned to authorize the Chair to sign the letter in the form presented to the Governor on behalf of the Board committing the County to fully and transparently participate in the EOG DOGE Team process as created by Executive Order #25-44, or any amended or related executive order which hereafter may be issued, and any state law which may be passed by the Florida Legislature and enacted by the Governor; and direct the County Administrator to transmit the letter to the Governor and appropriate carbon copies.

Motion approved 5-0 (Rahn and Bearden absent)

County Administrator Comments

County Administrator Bishop announced that the check for Our Daily Bread is ready and that the May 6 BoCC meeting will begin at 1:00 because the Board will be at a morning meeting. 

Commissioner Comments

Commissioner Siddique is hosting a town hall next week.

Commissioner Kruse is hosting a town hall at the Braden River Library on Thursday at 6PM.

GOVERNANCE

Link to Good Governance Guidelines

The county did a presentation on Government Relations reorganization with no PowerPoint provided in the agenda, which does a disservice to the public. This is a major reorganization of five departments which was initiated under the previous board. The the public deserves the PowerPoint to review prior and post meeting. 

While the invocations are being given by faith leaders from various churches, it is important to consider representatives from all the religions represented in our community.