As an outgoing Manatee County Commissioner raises questions about how a solar streetlighting company secured county contracts without a competitive bidding process, a review of public records and past commission meetings raises additional questions about how those agreements came to be—and what may have helped inspire the county's “Light Up Manatee” initiative.
The records trace a series of decisions involving county officials, a developer, and companies with overlapping management. They also reveal that the earliest public discussion of developing a streetlighting program—an effort that would become known as Light Up Manatee—occurred just one day after the county recorded the deed for its nearly $5 million purchase of 74.69 acres near Piney Point. The seller was a company managed by the same developer and businessman tied to the county’s solar-lighting vendor.
That businessman and developer is John M. Ryan, CEO of Metro Development Group. Corporate records identify Ryan as a manager of both Hawk Curiosity Creek LLC—which sold the parkland to Manatee County—and Gig Fiber LLC, which subsequently received three single-source solar-lighting procurement awards with stated values totaling nearly $1.5 million.
While these connections do not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing, the public records reveal a series of overlapping business relationships and county decisions that raise questions about how the Light Up Manatee initiative developed, how its contractors were selected, and what role county officials played along the way.
Planting the Seed
During a Jan. 5, 2023, county commission work session, then-Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge outlined several priorities for his district in the new year, including road improvements, sidewalks and streetlighting.
Van Ostenbridge said he planned to meet with Public Works Director Chad Butzow and Charlie Bishop—then serving as both deputy county administrator and director of Property Management—to discuss the cost of installing streetlights in areas where inadequate lighting raised safety concerns.
Commissioner Mike Rahn echoed those concerns, telling his colleagues that approximately 90 to 95 percent of Manatee County lacked streetlights. He suggested directing Public Works to develop a streetlighting plan or explore creating streetlighting districts.
“We should get street lights to help the public,” Rahn said.
Rahn, elected to the commission just two months earlier, brought extensive experience in the local housing and development industry. A longtime residential mortgage lender, he previously served as president of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, second vice president of the Florida Home Builders Association, and a board member of the National Association of Home Builders. He also had previously served on the Manatee County Planning Commission from 2016 to 2022.
Earlier in his remarks at the Jan. 5 work session, Rahn called for some form of confidentiality agreement for county employees, complaining that information was reaching the public and news media before commissioners had an opportunity to respond.
“We have leaks in this building more than a submarine with a screen door on it,” Rahn said, suggesting the county administrator and attorney explore confidentiality agreements for county staff to sign.
While sharing a list of items he hoped to see prioritized in the coming year, including streetlighting and stopping leaks, Rahn also identified another priority: updating the county's comprehensive plan and land-development regulations.
“Our comprehensive plan is behind by years,” Rahn said. “We are a different county today than we were 10 years ago.”
That meeting discussion occurred one day after the county recorded the deed for 74.69 acres near Piney Point.
Purchasing a Future Amenity
On Nov. 29, 2022, Manatee County commissioners approved purchasing 74.69 acres from Hawk Curiosity Creek LLC for $4,929,540. The county intended the property for a future park between the Piney Point gypstacks and a planned future community.
The property had a long development history. In 2005, developer Carlos Beruff proposed a 1,924-unit project on the former Jones Potato Farm property. Years later, in December 2021, Hawk Curiosity Creek LLC, managed by John M. Ryan, acquired approximately 808 acres of the land for a reported $32 million. Ryan is CEO of Metro Development Group, which is developing the Curiosity Creek community on the surrounding land.
As TBT reported at the time, the county agreed to pay approximately $66,000 per acre for land the developer had acquired for roughly $40,000 per acre less than a year earlier. The county did not list the proposed park among its planned capital improvement projects at the time.
The county's proposed FY2025–29 Capital Improvement Plan later listed $15.9 million for Curiosity Creek Park, but the project was deferred and moved to a Project of Record later in 2024. It does not appear in the county's current approved Capital Improvement Plan.
The purchase was initially included on the meeting’s consent agenda. Its coversheet indicated there had been no briefings and no attorney review. The item was initially pulled to address a missing attachment for an access easement because the future park site can be accessed only by an internal, future community road. Commissioners subsequently approved the acquisition without substantive public discussion, after returning from a brief recess.
On Jan. 4, 2023, the Clerk's Office recorded the deed from the sale.
The developer now lists “county park access” among the amenities it markets to prospective Curiosity Creek homebuyers—despite the park not yet existing, and the county officially deferring it.
Against a Backdrop of Turmoil
Beyond the quiet purchase of land in Palmetto for a future county park, and the first discussions about the county’s need for significantly more streetlights, early 2023 also marked a period of turmoil and leadership changes in Manatee County government.
Following former county administrator Scott Hopes' departure in February 2023, Lee Washington was appointed interim administrator. At the time, deputy county administrators Charlie Bishop and Courtney De Pol served in dual roles under Hopes’ leadership, as both department directors and deputies. Bishop headed Property Management, while De Pol directed Development Services.
A whistleblower complaint later penned by Washington alleged that Commissioners Vanessa Baugh and Rahn pressured him at a March 2023 lunch meeting to hire Jon Mast, then-President of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association (BIA), as a third deputy administrator. According to Washington, Mast was recommended in part to help advance county initiatives, including updates to the comprehensive plan and land development code—priorities Rahn had publicly raised in January.
Washington declined to hire Mast, and on April 18, Rahn moved to begin negotiations to replace Washington, making a motion for the county to negotiate with Mast to fill the role as interim administrator. Mast ultimately withdrew from consideration.
The allegations prompted a Sunshine Law investigation. The Sheriff's Office found probable cause, but the State Attorney's Office later declined to seek prosecution, citing insufficient evidence.
An Alternative to Traditional Streetlighting
On April 27, 2023, Manatee County's Purchasing Division approved a single-source procurement involving Gig Fiber LLC, a company managed by John M. Ryan. The notice gave competing providers until May 5 to respond—a seven-business-day span, including the notice date. The procurement carried a stated value of $600,000, and a scheduled contract award date of May 23.
An internal approval memorandum, prepared April 12 and signed April 27 by former Purchasing Official Jacob Erickson, identified the solar-lighting product as StreetLeaf. The memorandum, submitted by a Property Management staff member, described StreetLeaf's solar-powered lighting system and maintenance services to justify purchasing without competitive bidding.
Less than two weeks later, streetlighting returned to the commission agenda.
At the May 9 meeting, Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge introduced a presentation on roadway lighting practices and programs, saying he and other commissioners had been anticipating the discussion.
Following the initial staff presentation, Commissioner Mike Rahn discussed the county's lack of streetlighting infrastructure and suggested that traditional utility-provided lighting alone would not meet its needs.
“There are other options that I know Deputy County Administrator and I have been reviewing, and I think a public works official has been a part of those meetings,” Rahn told commissioners.
“I think that it's going to take a combination of FPL and other lighting companies to be able to bring us into where we are going to be able to light up Manatee,” added Rahn.
Rahn declined to identify the alternative provider.
“I'm not going to talk about the other company, I mean, yet, until we put all our pen to paper and things like that, but we need to consider outside-the-box thinking,” he said.
Deputy County Administrator Charlie Bishop then approached the podium and confirmed that county staff had been working with a solar-lighting company, with a specific installation already being considered.
“We're looking at putting them in Ron DeSantis Park,” Bishop said. “We've got actually a lease agreement with the county attorney's office right now; we're working with purchasing to see if we can sole source it.”
By the time Rahn and Bishop were speaking on the item on May 9, the county had already publicly identified Gig Fiber as its intended solar-lighting vendor and closed the response period for other potential providers. However, the contract's scheduled award date was still two weeks away.
The presentation concluded with commissioners unanimously directing staff to prepare a county roadway lighting policy to select and prioritize projects for neighborhood streetlighting programs and major roadways. Rahn made the motion, and Van Ostenbridge seconded it.
While the board was discussing a broader roadway lighting initiative, the county's initial single-source procurement concerned a solar-lighting installation at a county park.
Two Tracks, Shared Oversight
In June 2023, under interim County Administrator Lee Washington, Charlie Bishop and Courtney De Pol ceased serving simultaneously as department directors and deputy county administrators. Both retained their deputy administrator positions, with oversight responsibilities that included their former departments.
For Bishop, that meant he was no longer director of Property Management but continued overseeing both Property Management and Public Works—the two departments involved in the county's solar-lighting procurements.
But a couple of months later, at an Aug. 3 special meeting, former county attorney Bill Clague announced that Washington had “separated from the county,” leaving the commissioners to appoint another interim administrator. Commissioners ultimately appointed Bishop.
During that same meeting, Public Works presented an initiative titled “Light Up Manatee,” outlining plans to expand roadway lighting, particularly in high-crime and lower-income areas.
The presentation described a roadway-lighting program separate from the solar-lighting installation Property Management was pursuing for Ron DeSantis Park. Near the end of the presentation, Public Works Director Chad Butzow told commissioners that county communications staff were preparing to launch a dedicated webpage and map for the initiative.
On Sept. 12, commissioners abruptly ended their national search for a county administrator and instead appointed Bishop as permanent county administrator.
Just over two weeks later, on Sept. 27, the county approved a lease agreement with Gig Fiber LLC through the Property Management Department for 23 solar lights at Ron DeSantis Park.
Under the agreement, the county would pay $50 per light per month, or $1,150 per month, while the vendor would retain ownership of the equipment.
Six months later, Public Works took a different approach to acquiring the same solar-lighting technology.
On March 25, 2024, the county issued another single-source notice naming Gig Fiber LLC as the intended vendor, this time for the purchase and installation of 21 StreetLeaf solar lights through Public Works. The procurement carried a stated value of $113,690.01, and competing providers had until April 2 to respond.
The county's justification cited Gig Fiber's earlier installation at Ron DeSantis Park, arguing that expanding StreetLeaf lighting would provide a standardized system with lower maintenance costs.
But unlike the Property Management agreement for Ron DeSantis Park, Public Works purchased the equipment outright. The 21 lights installed at Gateway Heights cost approximately $5,414 each, including installation.
The distinction is significant. While the county acquired solar streetlights through Public Works, Property Management entered into an arrangement in which the county made recurring monthly payments for solar lighting in its parks, with the equipment remaining the vendor's property.
The county's public-facing Light Up Manatee map also reflects the roadway-focused program. It displays street and neighborhood lighting projects but does not identify the solar-lighting installations in county parks.
Then, the following month, on April 26, 2024, Property Management initiated another single-source procurement involving Gig Fiber—this one valued at $750,000 and laying the groundwork for a much broader solar-lighting lease agreement.
Contract on Consent
On May 14, 2024, less than three weeks after the third single-source notice, Manatee County commissioners approved a countywide Outdoor Solar Lighting Service Agreement with Gig Fiber LLC through the Property Management Department.
The board approved the agreement on its consent agenda, without individual discussion. The item's coversheet listed no briefings and indicated that no attorney review had been conducted because it “utilized an exact document or procedure approved within the last 36 months.”
The agreement established a 20-year lease term for each lighting installation, with two optional five-year extensions that could potentially extend individual agreements to 30 years.
Under the arrangement, Gig Fiber would retain ownership of the solar-lighting equipment, and the county would pay recurring monthly charges for its use and maintenance.
The agreement also allows annual price increases tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), but does not allow for reductions should the index decline. Gig Fiber also retains certain environmental credits and tax-related benefits associated with the equipment.
Rather than identifying all future installations upfront, the agreement allows county departments to add lighting projects through individual work assignments, with lease costs determined for each project.
Unlike Public Works' outright purchase of StreetLeaf solar lights for Gateway Heights, the expanded Property Management agreement established a framework for decades of recurring payments on equipment installed on public property, but that the county would not own.
Parade of Parks
After approving the countywide agreement, the solar-lighting projects and leases expanded beyond Ron DeSantis Park.
Billing records reviewed by TBT show Buffalo Creek Park and G.T. Bray Park added to the program in October 2024, followed by Lakewood Ranch Park in November and Parrish Park in January 2025.
By September 2026, Gig Fiber billed Manatee County for 127 leased solar lights across five county parks, totaling $6,674.04 per month. At unchanged rates, those charges would total approximately $80,088 annually, but the agreement allows for future price increases.
StreetLeaf solar lights at G.T. Bray Park, one of five Manatee County parks where the county leases solar-lighting equipment from Gig Fiber LLC.
Photo by Dawn Kitterman, The Bradenton Times
The monthly lease rate for the original 23 lights at Ron DeSantis Park rose from $50 per light in 2023 to $53.04 by September 2026, and the other parks' invoices reflected similar increases.
A review of 133 invoices obtained through a public-records request found $290,082.49 in billed charges as of Sept. 2026, involving Gig Fiber. Of that amount, $113,690.01 represented Public Works' outright purchase of 21 lights at Gateway Heights—matching its single-source procurement award to the penny.
Property Management, however, has two single-source procurement authorizations totaling $1.35 million for use within the county's leased solar-lighting arrangements. Of the invoices reviewed, $176,392.48 was billed for county park-lighting projects.
Unlike Public Works' outright equipment purchase, Property Management's leasing arrangements continue to generate monthly charges, and future costs are subject to the agreement's CPI price adjustments.
Under One Roof
Florida corporate records through sunbiz.org reveal additional connections between the developer behind Curiosity Creek and the companies associated with the county's solar-lighting agreements.
John M. Ryan is identified as a manager of Metro Development Group, Hawk Curiosity Creek LLC, and Gig Fiber LLC. All three list the same Tampa business address: 2502 N. Rocky Point Drive, Suite 1050.
StreetLeaf Distribution LLC, registered to do business in Florida in March 2024, also lists that address. Its corporate filings identify Ryan as a manager and Gig Fiber LLC as a member of the company.
Another entity, StreetLeaf Infrastructure LLC, registered in Florida in November 2025, lists Ryan as manager and Liam Ryan as an authorized person, with an address in another suite of the same Tampa office building.
The connections also appear in Metro Development Group LLC's marketing materials. Beyond advertising future access to the county park, the developer promotes StreetLeaf solar streetlights as a feature of its Curiosity Creek community.
Together, the corporate records establish overlapping management and business relationships between the company that sold Manatee County nearly $5 million in land, the developer of the surrounding residential community, and the vendor receiving the county's solar-lighting agreements.
A review of the executed documents shows these connections extend beyond shared corporate addresses. Ryan is the authorized signatory on the deed transferring the Curiosity Creek property to Manatee County, as well as the county's 2023 DeSantis park-lighting agreement and its 2024 countywide solar-lighting agreement with Gig Fiber.
Turn Up the Light
Manatee County's solar-lighting procurements came under renewed scrutiny during an Oct. 8, 2026, commission meeting, when outgoing Commissioner Jason Bearden questioned whether officials had adequately documented their justification for awarding contracts without competitive bidding.
As reported by Lesley Dwyer of the East County Observer, Bearden pointed to procurement records, questioned the county's efforts to establish competitive pricing, and raised concerns about possible outside influence. He emphasized that single-source purchasing was not inherently improper and said he was not accusing county officials or vendors of wrongdoing.
Commissioner Rahn rejected suggestions that he had improperly influenced the procurement process.
“I talked to people about Streetleaf because I thought it was a cool product,” Rahn said, according to the Observer. He maintained that evaluating vendors and making purchasing decisions were responsibilities of county administration and procurement staff.
During the discussion, Commissioner George Kruse noted that Bishop was neither Property Management director nor county administrator at the time of the April 2023 procurement, questioning whether Bearden was instead suggesting wrongdoing by then-interim administrator Washington.
However, county payroll and personnel records reviewed by TBT show that Bishop served as deputy county administrator over Property Management at the time, while also holding the Property Management director position until June 2023. His responsibilities included oversight of both Property Management and Public Works.
At a more recent Oct. 20 commission meeting, Commissioner Bob McCann submitted a five-page memorandum calling for an independent forensic audit of selected county contracts, capital projects and discretionary spending.
His proposal specifically included Light Up Manatee, calling for an examination of its vendor relationships, procurement procedures, and expenditures, including a reconciliation of amounts approved, contracted, invoiced, and paid. McCann also requested scrutiny of certain discretionary spending associated with Administrator Bishop.
Bearden seconded McCann's motion, and the board approved pursuing an outside audit.
The records TBT reviewed document overlapping corporate relationships, early discussions involving commissioners and county administrators, and the financial commitments that followed. They do not establish whether anyone violated procurement rules or whether business relationships influenced the county's decisions.
Dawn Kitterman is a staff reporter and investigative journalist for The Bradenton Times, covering local government news. She can be reached at dawn.kitterman@thebradentontimes.com.
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