Public Comment Sought for Draft Substantial Amendment to the Lasting Manatee Action Plan

Manatee County is taking the next step in its long-term storm recovery efforts under the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, branded as Lasting Manatee, by publishing a Draft Substantial Amendment to the CDBG-DR Action Plan and opening it to the community for an official 30-day comment period. 

The Draft Substantial Amendment updates the county’s Unmet Needs Assessment and Home Recovery Program to expand eligible activities to include homeowner reimbursement, which supports residents with recovery needs resulting from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. All Manatee County residents and stakeholders are encouraged to share their comments during the official 30-day comment period, which runs from July 31 through August 29, 2026. 

“Many residents have made those repairs on their own because they felt that [they] had to,” said District 2 Commissioner Amanda Ballard during discussions at the April 21, 2026, BOCC meeting to research this potential reimbursement activity. “The idea to start with the still-needed repairs is a great way to go, I just want to make sure we have the ability to pivot as we need to.”

The county is hosting two public hearings to collect feedback and engage with residents. Both public hearing locations are accessible to those with disabilities:

Thursday, August 20, 2026

6:00 p.m.
Palmetto Branch Library
923 6th Street West, Palmetto, FL 34221 

Wednesday, August 26, 2026
6:00 p.m.
South Manatee Branch Library
6081 26th Street West, Bradenton, FL 34207 

Public comments may also be submitted via web form, email, telephone, or postal mail until August 29, 2026.

“We’re committed to making it easy and accessible to get informed,” says Lasting Manatee’s Communication Coordinator Odugo Ohizu, “even ensuring a hard copy of the Draft Substantial Amendment and Action Plan will be available to read at any full-service library in the county.”

For more details, or to read and submit your official comment on the drafted amendment, visit www.lastingmanatee.org/pages/reimbursement. A hard copy of the document can be read at any Manatee County Library (except for the children’s Little Discovery Center) on or after Monday, August 10, 2026.

Lasting Manatee is committed to accessibility for all residents. Auxiliary aids, language support services, and assistance for individuals with disabilities to support program engagement are available upon request, in accordance with the ADA and Section 504.

If you require this material in an alternative format, have accessibility questions, or need to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Manatee County ADA Compliance Coordinator at (941) 748-4501, ext. 6016, or carmine.demilio@mymanatee.org.

If your accessibility request is related to a scheduled public hearing or meeting with a Lasting Manatee staff member, please submit your request at least three business days in advance. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and require the services of an interpreter, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 711.