After defeating fellow Democrat Charles Smith in the August primary, incumbent first-term Manatee County Commissioner Reggie Bellamy will face Republican Amanda Ballard in November's District 2 race.
Bellamy was born and raised in Bradenton and is a graduate of Manatee High School. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bethune Cookman University and served in the United States Army from 1989 to 1993, receiving an honorable discharge as a Corporal.
Bellamy has spent over 20 years working with the youth of Manatee County in various capacities. Prior to being elected in 2018, he was a Dean at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Palmetto. Bellamy is also the Executive Director of the Palmetto Youth Center and has served as head coach of the Palmetto High School boys basketball team.
Prior to his work at Buffalo Creek, Bellamy worked as a graduation coach and mentor, facilitating graduation plans and encouraging students to stay in school. He also served as an academic advisor at the State College of Florida.
Bellamy has been a strong advocate for his district, fighting to ensure the vision for a north-of-the-river aquatics facility that was initiated by his predecessor, while also tirelessly pointing out the lack of sidewalks, lighting, and infrastructure in his district during meetings.
While Bellamy has found himself in the minority voting bloc on a number of the board's most controversial issues, including the firing of former county administrator Cheri Coryea and thefailed voteto remove Vanessa Baugh as board chair following Vaccinegate, he has proven much more pro-development than his predecessor. Bellamy, who has raised just over $85,000 as of the most recent reporting period, has gotten much of his funding this cycle from developer-related interests and large, east county landowners.
In his first term, Commissioner Bellamy voted in favor of a number of controversial development approvals, includingan east-county site for Cox Chevrolet, and three instances of changes to zoning for development east of the county's future development area boundary: theGamble Creekmega-development, Lakewood Ranch's eastward expansion, and a 30-acre parcel adjacent to the Lake Manatee watershed.
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