Robin DiSabatino Will Not Seek Reelection

BRADENTON – Manatee County Commissioner Robin DiSabatino will not seek reelection for a third term this November, she told the Bradenton Times this week.

"You can’t win,“ said a clearly frustrated DiSabatino on Wednesday. "I’m out here trying to do the right thing, trying to represent the people, and I’ve constantly got a target on my back because of it. I’m sick of it, and I’m done.“

DiSabatino, who’s willingness to stand up to deeply-entrenched special interests shook up a historically compliant board, has had a frosty relationship with many commissioners and high-ranking administrators.

However, the second-term commissioner has been perhaps the most popular board member among constituents, who’ve consistently praised her for being a voice of the average citizen. That populist appeal, however, has come at a significant cost. Disabatino is routinely ridiculed and isolated by other board members at meetings, and is the only commissioner to ever serve this long without being voted chair.

In 2013, DiSabatino was the victim of stunning ineptness when the county attorney’s office turned over a cloned copy of the hard drive from her personal computer to a known felon who had taken action against her and the county in a public records lawsuit.

DiSabatino had agreed to have the copy made in order for county IT workers and then an agreed upon third-party firm to scan it for very specific files that may have been relevant to the suit. At no time, did she consent to anyone having access to any other part of her personal data, let alone releasing the entire drive to a private citizen with a criminal record that included fraud.

DiSabatino decided not to punish taxpayers for the acts with an expensive settlement over the invasion of privacy element, and wound up graciously settling with the county for a mere portion of her legal costs at $30,000.

She said Wednesday that her mother’s recent passing weighed heavily on her decision. "She told me before she died that she wanted me to get out and enjoy my life, that none of us are guaranteed time on this Earth, and that she wanted to see me relax and enjoy this part of my life."

DiSabatino left a career in real estate to pursue the seat in 2010. Her husband is a retired dentist. The couple relocated to Florida after he sold his Delaware practice, and she said that he too urged her to get out because of all the grief she’s been given.

"It’s just not worth it as this point in my life," said the commissioner, who will turn 65 in August, despite appearing at least a decade younger. "I’ve fought the fight, and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve my constituents, but I’m done."

DiSabatino said that she and her husband plan to spend more time traveling on their sailboat. She added that she’d like to see a good candidate emerge for her seat, one that she could support as a replacement.

"I’m calling on someone worthy to run," she said. "I’ll support a candidate who’s running for the right reasons. We don’t need people who want to be somebody, we need people who want to do something. We don’t need people who want a job, we need people who want and are willing to do the right thing. These two candidates who are running aren’t fit to serve, and if they win, the people lose."

The Manatee County Commission District 4 seat includes most of south county. Currently, Mark Black and Laurie Galle have filed to run against DiSabatino in the Republican primary. No Democrats have filed for the race.