County Commission Looks to Former Sarasota Commissioner as Interim Administrator

Posted Sunday, February 14, 2021 12:00 am

Staff Report

BRADENTON – At Tuesday's meeting, Manatee County Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county attorney's office to begin negotiations with former Sarasota County Commissioner Charles Hines to serve as the interim county administrator. The board also voted to cancel a special meeting that had been scheduled for Wednesday to fire current county administrator Cheri Coryea because of time constraints. The plan is now to move Coryea's dismissal to a consent agenda item at the February 23 meeting, at which point it is hoped that a contract for Hines's service will be in place.

Hines' candidacy was brought forth by Manatee County Attorney Bill Clague who said that he'd briefed commissioners after reaching out to the attorney to gauge his interest and availability because he was concerned that the February 17 meeting was quickly approaching. Clague also told the board that he did not feel his office could conclude negotiations with Coryea's attorneys by that date.

Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge again lobbied for Manatee County School Board member Scott Hopes to serve as interim commissioner, but it was clear that Hopes did not have additional support with several commissioners referencing the ongoing scandals within the school district as a reason for their concerns. Commissioner James Satcher complained that Hines' ascending to the frontrunner position seemed rushed and said he would have preferred each commissioner being given the opportunity to put forth a candidate. Once the motion on Hines got momentum, Satcher said that he'd wanted to nominate former Superintendent of Manatee Schools Rick Mills and added that he planned to nominate him for the permanent position.

Commissioners Misty Servia, Carol Whitmore, and Vanessa Baugh all said that they'd interacted positively with Hines during his time on the Sarasota County Commission before terming out last year. Hines, a practicing attorney, served as a Republican from 2012 to 2020 and received strong financial support from developers. Prior to being elected, he served on the City of Venice's ADA advisory committee, Sarasota County's Surtax Oversight committee, and the Sarasota County Sheriff's advisory committee.