Array of Local Governments, Community Organizations Descend on Legislative Delegation Meeting

BRADENTON – As the 2017 Florida Legislature prepares to convene in January, a wagon train of local governments, community organizations and non-profits circled around their State representatives to voice requests for state funds and bill proposals. That's what happened Tuesday, downtown, at the Manatee County Administration building.

It started with State Sen. Bill Galvano's ceremonial voting in of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the four that makes up the Manatee County Legislative Delegation.

Again this year Senator Galvano was voted Chairman and State House member, Joe Gruters Vice Chair. The other two that will be doing the county's bidding are Rep. Jim Boyd and Rep. Wengay Newton.

One by one, school board officials, healthcare professionals, mayors, city managers and college deans voiced a three minute pitch on what Tallahassee can do for them.

Terry Gaines, sitting in for Town of Longboat Key Mayor Jack Duncan–who recently fell ill and resigned–thanked the state for its ongoing support of beach renourishment, one of the island's more expensive and challenging endeavors.

Gaines also asked the delegation to consider preserving the Grandfather Status for residents that wish to make major property changes but won't because they don't want to lose it. He asked the delegation to look closely at the short term rental business, calling for changes to its existing state law regulations, and the town's traffic problems.

City of Holmes Beach Mayor, Bob Johnson, said the island's population is three fold: the number of residents, infrastructure needs that exceed what comes back to them through the Tourist Development Bed Tax, and the swell of short term rentals.

Mike Coates, Deputy Director of the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority said, "The value of clean water to the quality of life in the region cannot be overstated." Coates says the facility provides a clean water supply to more that 1,000,000 people, a population that he says expands by 10 to 15 thousand a year.

Coates told the Delegation that there are three projects in the works consisting of 65 miles of pipe. Those projects, he says, could cost up to $35 million.

Manatee County Commissioner Venessa Baugh spoke for Bradenton Councilman and Metropolitan Planning Organization Chairman Pat Roff on behalf of the MPO. She said FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) has a mobility study for the islands that will be done soon, and that the county needs to get the DeSoto Bridge on the priority list as soon as possible because its expiration date has long expired.

Two school board members, Charlie Kennedy (speaking about the school board's legislative platform) and Dave Miner (speaking about the Central Florida School Boards Coalition's platform) were present to speak to the legislators.

United Way Suncoast President, Philip Brown said, "I am speaking for the 32 United Ways." Brown said the list of items was given to the delegation and was adopted by all of the United Ways in the state.

Brown said the U.W. uses the "Alice Study" (those making less then 200 percent of the state poverty line) as an economic guide, and that puts 43 percent of Floridians living within those means.

Addressing the Delegation for Mote Marine Laboratory was, David Shepp, with a $1.7 million request for a coral restoration project in the Keys. Shepp noted the continuous challenge red tide has been and cited the need for lab infrastructure improvements are on their list.

Centerstone's interm CEO, Melissa Larkin noted that Manatee County has been the epicenter for the ongoing opioid crisis in Florida. Larkin cited record numbers of deaths and children removed from family homes because of parent addiction; and that many children become orphans from losing their parents to fatal overdosing. Larkin said she believed there are federal funds earmarked for Florida in the amount of $21 million to fight the opiate additions.

Along with the 30 plus organizations there Tuesday to address the Delegation on matters of assistance were some local residents and business owners.

Doug and Kim Marler spoke for tougher sentencing against drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The Marlers described the loss of their daughter Ally, whose life was ended by a speeding drunk driver.

The Marlers want the DUI laws to change by lengthening incarceration. They want repeat offenders to be charged as felons and kept from ever getting back behind the wheel. They want the legislature to act.

Glen Gibellina from Why Dads Matter, said, "I haven't been able to see my daughter for more than 14 years." Gibellina said there wasn't any real reason other than her mother not allowing it. "It's criminal to keep a daughter from her father. It's child abuse."

Gibellina said the abuse is physical, mental and emotional and says he hasn't been able to get officials to act on the principal of Why Dads Matter. He says the turntable on child custody is slanted and wants it to be fair.

Nancy Deal, a resident property owner and business woman in the Historical Village of Cortez, said, "The island is losing full time residents because of frustration with tourists." Deal cited the Bert Harris act and the dubious role it plays in the short term rental dilemma. Deal called the Tourist Development Council (TDC) "a self-perpetuating, self-funding, self-promoting bureaucracy with little accountability or oversight as to how it spends public funds."

Deal, like many who spoke, doesn't feel the TDC bed tax isn't being spent on the trouble it produces. Deal finished with, "I am not a brand, Anna Maria Island is not a brand and Manatee County is not a brand, We are a community of living things–plants, animals and human beings–that deserve safety, security and the opportunity to thrive in peace."