BRADENTON – Longtime Manatee County Commissioner Pat Glass passed away this week at the age of 93. Glass was the first female to ever sit on the board. First elected in 1978, she served as commissioner for 28 years, including seven stints as chair. In 2018, the commission voted to name the meeting chambers in her honor.
Glass was a passionate advocate for the elderly and led efforts to improve local healthcare, affordable housing, environmental protection, and drinking water resources. Glass, who was instrumental in the creation of such public assets as the Manatee County Administrative Center, the Manatee County Public Safety Center, the Manatee County Jail, and Port Manatee, also led the community effort to purchase and preserve the Powel Crosley Estate.
Outside of her role as a commissioner, Glass also served on the boards of dozens of local and regional organizations. In 2011, she was named the county's "Distinguished Citizen of the Year."
Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who succeeded Glass in the countywide District 6 seat upon her retirement and became a close friend over the years, remembered her fondly.
"We lost a very good friend this week," said Whitmore. "I remember as a young nurse sitting in the chambers of the Manatee County Commission when they discussed the sale of Manatee Hospital. The nurses came in support of the sale, and I watched Pat Glass in action. She wasn’t afraid to take on hard challenges and approach things that many were afraid of."
Whitmore said one of her fondest memories was the work they did on the county's AIDS Council.
"Pat formed the first AIDS Council and asked me to serve on the first board," remembered Whitmore. "She served as the first president and I followed as the second president. We brought the aids blanket to State College of Florida, which was controversial at the time. We had many fundraisers and worked with Dr. Bock who was the first medical director of the Aids Clinic. She wasn’t afraid to fight for the Crosley Mansion when the county wanted to sell it and stood up for migrants and their housing issues."
Whitmore said Glass was not only an inspiration but a mentor.
"Pat loved water issues, whether the Peace River or Wares Creek dredging," said the commissioner. "In her room where she lived till the end of her life, she had a large drawing from one of the regional water organizations that were given to her. Pat asked me to run for her seat as she wanted someone who would take on her passion for health care, indigent care, homelessness, and many other issues that were not easy or popular. She had no time for those that ran for office for the power and were not willing to actually do something. I will miss her as many in this community will."
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