Manatee County Unexpectedly Cancels Contract with Coquina Beach Market Vendor

BRADENTON – Manatee County has announced that it will be taking over operations of the Coquina Beach Market beginning in November of 2022. Nancy Ambrose, the market organizer who was contracted with the county to host the market at Coquina Beach, received an email informing her of the county’s cancellation of the contract on Monday.

In a public Facebook post on the Beach Market's Facebook page, Ambrose shared how she was provided no communication or warning from the county prior to the county administrator ordering her contract with the county to be terminated. Ambrose began her post,

"I was completely SHOCKED when I received the coldest termination without cause letter out of the blue yesterday. I spent the day trying to figure it out and was so worried about the vendors. I contacted Jacob Erickson, the Purchasing Official that wrote the letter and he informed me he had no idea if the market would continue as he was just directed by the administration to write the termination letter. There was no thank you for your years of service, no good luck -- just 30-day written notice of termination-- that the agreement will terminate at 11:59 pm ET on August 31, 2022."

To view the termination letter sent to Ambrose on August 1, click here.

In early June, concern over the future of the market spread amongst vendors who participate in selling their artisan crafts and wares at the location. An email campaign was organized by vendors who began sending numerous emails to county commissioners pleading for the market not to come to an end.

During a June 16 BOCC land use meeting, Commissioner Misty Servia raised the subject with the board and county administrator during commissioner comments at the end of the meeting. Servia requested a briefing and details to explain whether there was any action intended by the county related to future operations of the beach market.

Commissioner George Kruse also acknowledged during the land use meeting having received hundreds of emails from vendors who were concerned about the market but stated that he had not replied to any of them due to being unaware of the exact inspiration of the concerns or any actions planned by the county. Likewise, Commissioner Whitmore also referenced the many emails and stressed her position that the county should make no change to the long-standing and well-attended beach market.

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh stated that she too was unaware of the cause which led to the email campaign or concern among vendors of the market. At the time, Baugh also acknowledged she had no information about any plans related to the beach market but suggested the concerns may be rooted in someone intentionally attempting to create chaos.

"It's ironic, isn't it, that all of a sudden we start getting all these emails and none of us have a clue what it's about, you know, because nothing had been said about this," Baugh said in the June land-use meeting. "It's almost as though someone has tried to get people riled up."

But the half-dozen eyewitnesses who spoke with TBT allege the concerns about the beach market raised in June were not without cause. Vendors retold an incident in late May involving County Administrator Scott Hopes, which they asserted was the initial spark behind the email campaign expressing their concerns.

Witnesses described an angry and belligerent Hopes who screamed at vendors and market musicians, even ripping a sign from the ground and tossing it into a sand dune. Several vendors allege that Hopes and staff were "tearing" back and forth along the beach market trail at a high speed and scaring vendors and attendees.

"I didn’t know who he was at the time, but he screamed angrily, demanding to know who we were and what the hell we were doing out there (on the beach)," described one vendor who agreed to speak with TBT under anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Another stated, "If some of them did not have a Manatee County shirt on, I would not have guessed they were from the county. I would have personally called the police on them for their behavior were it not for the shirts."

And another told TBT, "I just thought, this guy has problems (Hopes). He was yelling at us like a little boy who wasn’t getting his way or something. It was the most unprofessional and uncomfortable situation I have ever met at the market."

Each of the witnesses who independently spoke to TBT about the events they witnessed, was uncomfortable having their names published in this reporting. The vendors fear retaliation and believe that now that the county has taken operations away from Ms. Ambrose, any vendors who make public comments run the risk of the county denying their business’s future participation in the beach market.

Reached by phone, Hopes denied the accounts of vendors who spoke with TBT. In fact, Hopes told TBT that he has personally fielded concerns from numerous vendors who have reached out to him and his staff alleging the beach market had changed for the worse under Ambrose's management.

"Many vendors said they felt they were being extorted," said Hopes. "Compared to how the market used to be, vendors told me they felt that currently, it was more about lining someone else's pockets."

Concerning the day of the alleged yelling and bad behavior described by vendors, Hopes told TBT that he was on a beach tour that day as requested by county staff. Hopes said the tour of the beaches stretched from Long Boat Pass beyond the Manatee Public Beach. Staff had requested he take the tour to view numerous points of concern around beach access and safety. Hopes told TBT he was not specifically there only for the market, but that staff did want to show him problems they had identified with the beach market.

Hopes denied yelling at anyone, and stressed that he was accompanied by multiple county staff, includingManatee County Beach Patrol Chief Joe Westerman whom Hopes said was driving the ATV he was riding. He admits that he did speak to musicians who were performing at the market, but stressed that he never yelled at them. Hopes said he merely requested the musicians to relocate because they were blocking the view of a county-owned beach sign which had important information for visitors–according to Hopes the musicians relocated without incident.

Ultimately, Hopes said he was surprised to confirm staff concerns about access to the beach, parking, and facilities created by the beach market's operations. "I decided the county itself could do a better job of operating the beach market."

As for the allegation that he ripped a sign from the ground and threw it into a dune, Hopes admitted he "picked up a sign" and "tossed" it to the side into some brush. Hopes said the sign was a county-placed sign that was blocking a bike place. He also said that bikers told him that day that they were frustrated with the placement of the sign. Hopes provided a photo to TBT of the type of sign in question and said the photo showed how the sign was blocking the bike path and pedestrian through-way. Hopes said he later spoke with the appropriate county staff about where they should place the signs in the future.

After our call, Hopes sent a follow-up text to TBTadding to his comments, writing, "The contractor never gave me the opportunity to discuss concerns, never reached out to me, but shortly after the day of the tour, she started an email campaign to commissioners, when no action had been initiated, communicated, nor anticipated at the time."

According to some vendors he spoke with, said Hopes, "The contractor went so far as to threaten vendors that if they did not send an email in support of her beach market to commissioners, she would not rent them space at the market!"

Public records show that Ambrose entered into an amended license agreement with the county in December of 2020. The lease agreement between Ambrose and the county included the lease (rental) of county property to host the beach market at annually increased rates, per each day the market is held through 2024.

In January of 2013, Manatee County Commissioners authorized a lease for the Market at Coquina Beach Gulf Side Park with Ambrose Services, owned by Ms. Ambrose. In February of 2014, the county awarded the license agreement with Ambrose Services for operations of the market. The initial terms were for two years, but the market has continued to be successful, growing in vendor participants and attendees since its start nearly ten years ago.

"When he (Hopes) showed up and was yelling and throwing a fit, it seemed to me he somehow had no idea about the beach market," said one market vendor. "All I could think was, was this guy living under a rock!? How could he not know about our market?"

TBT obtained public record emails that appear to show that Hopes may indeed have been unaware of the market at Coquina Beach. In an email written shortly after the incident described by vendors, Administrator Hopes demanded answers from Deputy County Administrator Robert Reinshuttle and Director of Parks and Resources, Charlie Hunsicker. The subject line of the May 27 email was, "Explain this!" Hopes attached a photo of the market which appeared to be taken from the seat of a county "gator."

In his email, Hopes demanded Hunsicker explain what the event was and to provide a "revenue report." Deputy Administrator Reinshuttle responded to Hopes' email first, asking, "Is that the twice-a-week beach market at Coquina?"

Hunsicker also soon provided an emailed response, writing:

"Dr. Hopes you asked, ÔWhat are we charging for use of this space and how much revenue is the County receiving per day of use for this activity? As a franchise license agreement, we receive compensation from the vendor on a per market day basis. Since November 2020, the County has received a cumulative total of $45,534. This year’s compensation is $404/market day with a 5 percent increase per anniversary year."

Hunsicker then agreed to coordinate with appropriate staff to provide Hopes with additional details. Debbie Voorhees, Contracts Manager with the Department of Parks and Recreation, followed up with a more detailed explanation of the beach market operations and lease agreement with the county. Voorhees acknowledged that there had been some extenuating circumstances due to ongoing construction project near the market’s location.

In part, Voorhees wrote, "As you are aware, there is an on-going (long term) parking lot project. My understanding is it was supposed to be completed by January 2022. Last Memorial Day (2021) a notification went out stating there will be 675 fewer parking spaces in the Coquina Beach parking lot due to this project. I am not sure how many spaces are removed at this point since I have not received an update in months. Our Beach Market Vendor/Contractor has suggested alternatives to parking arrangements, none of which have been approved (due to safety and liability considerations)."

Voorhees also wrote, "This Beach Market not only brings in revenue to the County directly (see attached financial report) but also indirectly, in that the shoppers and vendors support the Coquina Beach CafŽ. This is another one of our contracts that has seen a significant increase in revenue, in part due to the customers the Beach Market provides." To read Voorhees' entire email, click here.

Hopes responded to the information he was receiving from staff, stating that the "beach was intended to be a beach" and that more than 1000+ feet on both sides of the trail were occupied with end-to-end vendors. Hopes stated his intention to follow up with code enforcement to check whether the contractor for the beach market was in compliance with "whatever permit" had been issued, before stating his opinion that the beach market appeared to be creating "safety concerns, parking concerns, beach and picnicking access concerns and the list goes on." He concluded his email by writing, "So, I don’t know who is responsible or accountable, but this appears to be a problem."

However, weeks later, during the June 16 land use meeting, it appeared few commissioners were aware of any concerns raised by Hopes about the market. The only commissioner who appeared to have any knowledge of any issues with the beach market was Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who spoke during the discussion sharing that he was apparently aware of concerns related to the ongoing construction project combined with the market on Fridays, which impacted available parking at the public beach.

However, Nancy Ambrose told TBT in a phone call that in all the years the market has operated, there have been no concerns raised with her matching those raised by Hopes in his May email. A Supplier Performance Evaluation completed in June of 2021 by county staff on Ms. Ambrose's beach market appeared to corroborate Ambrose’s statements, showing the market received the highest possible marks for operations under each category assessed, and comments added about Ms. Ambrose herself were complimentary.

"Managing the beach market is no easy task," the review comments included, "Nancy deals with many sub-vendors and goes above and beyond to keep them happyÉ while also keeping with the theme of her contract," the evaluation included.

Vendors who spoke to TBT are disheartened and confused why the county would make the decision to cancel a contract with such a successful market organizer.

TBT emailed Manatee County PIO Bill Logan to inquire whether there was any identified cause for the contract having been canceled with Ms. Ambrose and whether the decision would come before the board of commissioners for final approval. Logan replied to our inquiry by sending TBT a copy of an official press release and added, "I do not have any further information on why the contract was terminated – only that it was. Since this agreement was a part of a procurement process, no board action is necessary."

Ms. Ambrose, who was aware of the contents of the press release, took significant issue with included statements by Van Ostenbridge. Ambrose told TBT that taxpayers have never subsidized the beach market and that even during the pandemic, the market did not file for any financial support from the county.

"I collect dues from vendors of the market, and I pay rent to the county for use of the land, as agreed upon in our contract," Ambrose explained. "The market has never been subsidized in any way by county taxpayers."

TBT reached Commissioner Servia, Kruse, and Whitmore by email to request comment on the situation. Each of the commissioners had spoken during the June land use meeting and TBT inquired whether any had been briefed on the beach market since the meeting.

Whitmore responded to our request for comment, writing that she was not briefed since the June meeting where the subject was raised, and was unaware of the county’s intention to cancel the contract and take over the market's operations.

"I was contacted by Nancy Ambrose yesterday (Monday) and sent an email to staff asking what was up," Whitmore wrote, "No briefing to terminate the 10-year relationship with the vendor who started the market." Whitmore also wrote that it was her understanding based on the discussion during the June land use meeting, that the board had mutually agreed to take no action concerning the market.

Commissioner Kruse replied similarly stating he had not received any briefings, and that it was his understanding after the discussion in the June meeting that no actions were going to be taken concerning the market.

"I did not have any follow-up briefings on the subject as I was under the impression that we were leaving well enough alone and that the implied direction of the board was to stand down from shutting down a marketplace that was obviously important to so many," Kruse wrote in an email to TBT.

Kruse referenced an email that included nearly identical language as the official press release put out by the county on Tuesday. Commissioners first received information about the market in an email from Bill Logan the day before. "Per the email yesterday, it appears that the general policy guidance to not shut the market down was honored even if only in spirit. I have not had any internal discussions about this since the email came out but I intend to," Kruse included in his comments.

Kruse added that, in his view, the market would become "taxpayer-subsidized" through the action of the county taking over its operations. "Now that we're using actual taxpayer-funded salaried employees and departments to oversee it," Kruse explained.

Kruse concluded his emailed statement by writing, "I disagree with this being part of a procurement process, so no board action is necessary. The minute an idea comes up in a board discussion, we have inserted ourselves into it and it becomes a policy issue that should be addressed by the board unless a specific state statute says otherwise."

Commissioner Servia appeared to agree with points raised by her fellow commissioners about the recent action of canceling the contract with Ambrose.

"I had not received a briefing on the market before yesterday. After my Aug 9th agenda briefing yesterday, I asked Dr. Hopes about the beach market and explained that I had received phone calls about it and had no idea what was going on. He later emailed me to say the beach market was not being shut down, but only the current season had ended and that it would be reopened in a way that did not impede beach access," Servia explained.

"On August 1st, I was informed by Bill Logan, Information Outreach Manager, that the County was going to manage the market for the upcoming season, so I don’t understand how procurement is involved," Servia said. "Look, this issue has been a hot one for a few months with a lot of rumors circulating about the future of the market. The Board sets policy and this matter should have been discussed with the Board as step 1 before any process was decided. We need to cut unnecessary spending – not add staff to manage a beach market that was operating just fine."

Details are unclear as to how the operations of the beach market might change now that it is under the oversight of the county. Previously, the market had operated on a seasonal schedule which included varying days by month.

In the month of November, the market operated only on Sundays each year, for the months of December through March the market transitioned to a two-day a week schedule of Wednesdays and Sundays. From April through July the market was held each Wednesday and Friday.

Ambrose told TBT that, as of a June meeting she had with the county, nothing was suggested to her concerning any change to the market’s operating dates or any possible cancelation of her contract with the county.

To replay the portion of the June 16 BOCC land-use meeting where the topic of the beach market was raised during commissioner comments, click the video below.



Dawn Kitterman is a staff reporter for The Bradenton Times. She covers local government and entertainment news. She can be reached at dawn.kitterman@thebradentontimes.com.