BRADENTON — Manatee County Commissioners are set to vote on whether to approve a property acquisition to support the relocation of the downtown county administrative building. Next Tuesday’s agenda item requests approval to spend $24 million for the purchase of an existing business office building in Lakewood Ranch and an additional appropriation of roughly $10 million for renovations and improvements to the property.
The acquisition item is scheduled to go before the BOCC on May 6.
Before this week, there had been no discussions held during any commission meetings or work sessions to inform the public that the county administration was actively on the hunt for a new administration building, or that there was an identified need for doing so.
The public’s first notice that the county government could relocate its main complex to Lakewood Ranch was when the upcoming meeting agenda was published on Monday evening.
The published agenda provided some details about the proposal, but many of the specifics were lacking. No information was provided as to why the county administration had determined a move was necessary, and there was no financial analysis of a move to the proposed new location versus staying in the current downtown administration building.
The agenda item also did not provide details about what will become of the current building, the county’s downtown parking garage, and the specific services and staff that are planned to be moved to the LWR site.
TBT attempted to gather more details from county administration but was told nothing further would be made available before the scheduled meeting presentation and board vote on Tuesday.
What We Know
On the agenda, item number 55 was titled for the budget resolutions and purchase contract set to go before the commissioners for approval. The title included the property's address, but there was no clear indication in the title that the purchase was intended for a new county administration building.
It was titled, “Adoption of Budget Amendment Resolution B-25-067; Adoption of Budget Amendment Resolution B-25-073; Execution of Contract for Sale and Purchase from CMHC 9000 JV LLC for property located at 9000 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch, Florida 34202; and Adoption of Resolution R-25-068."
However, the background information provided in the cover sheet attached to the agenda included that county administration, along with staff from development services and property management departments, conducted a site visit of the Lakewood Ranch property in January 2025 to determine "the potential of the property to serve as the new County Administration building.”
Located near the Manatee/Sarasota County line, the 101,312-square-foot office building on 11.2 acres lies just beyond I-75 off of University Parkway (exit 213 to UTC Mall). Its physical address is 9000 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch.
Town Center Parkway is a cul-de-sac that can be accessed directly from University Parkway or via SR 70 and Lakewood Ranch Blvd.
According to property records, the two-story building is roughly 27 years old—constructed in 1998. Over the years, it has undergone maintenance and renovations, giving it an “effective year built” of 2011.
Permit records show the last renovation was completed in 2021. Roughly half of the building's office space square footage was renovated with a reported job value of $1.1 million.
A commercial sale listing for the property noted completion of “lobby upgrades,” but permitting records show that the work done may not have been significant enough to require a permit, as a permit application submitted in 2023 was voided.
By comparison, the current Manatee County Administration Building is located in downtown Bradenton at 1112 Manatee Avenue West and was constructed in 1989, roughly 36 years ago.
According to property records, the building includes 410,510 feet of business area (including the parking garage) with approximately 145,000 square feet being office space.
Over the years, the building has seen numerous renovation and maintenance projects, lending it an “effective year built” date of 2002.
According to permitting records, multiple renovation projects were completed on the current Administration Building between 2022 and 2024, including its first-floor BOCC chambers and various renovation projects on its second, fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth floors.
9000 Town Center Parkway was last sold in June 2021 for $20.25 million, and the million-dollar office renovations were permitted shortly before that sale. This March, the county ordered an appraisal, which determined the value of the land and building, plus improvements, to be $23.9 million.
The county negotiated a purchase price of $23.5 million with the seller, which includes “some furniture, fixtures, and equipment."
When the agenda was published on Monday, a detailed list of the furniture, fixtures, or equipment was not readily available, but an agenda update issued on Thursday added a copy of the purchase contract for public review.
Exhibit D of the contract outlined that the items included with the purchase are “currently located on the second floor and the first floor west of the property " and that a "specific list of such furniture, fixtures, and equipment will be mutually agreed upon by the parties within sixty days of the effective date."
As for how the county will fund the purchase, budget amendment B-25-067, which is attached to the agenda, "deappropriates and transfers $34,832,903 to reserves in the Building Capital Projects fund” from the existing downtown county parking garage project.
According to the county’s adopted FY 25-29 CIP, the amount the budget resolution would move away from the parking garage project and toward funding the purchase of the LWR property would include all funds currently allocated for the parking garage.
In 2022, county officials announced that the downtown parking garage (adjacent to the county’s administration building) had fallen into disrepair and that the entire structure would need to be rebuilt.
During an August 2023 BOCC work session, County Administrator Charlie Bishop told commissioners that a structural engineer's report showed the parking garage had “only two years remaining” without significant investment in repairs.
A complete parking garage rebuild was estimated to cost $84.8 million, and future planned appropriations to be added over upcoming budget years, totaling an additional $53,018,631, are yet to be added to the fund.
The budget resolution suggests the county will defund the parking garage project of its current allocations, amending the FY 25-29 CIP. Still, nothing attached to Tuesday’s agenda provided any hints as to what will become of the garage once defunded.
TBT reached out to county officials asking whether the garage would be sold or funded in some other way, but we were told no more information would be shared before Tuesday.
The LWR building is currently occupied by two entities, TriNet and FEMA. According to the item details, TriNet (a human resources consulting firm) leases approximately 50,000 square feet of office space on the first floor, while FEMA leases 50,656 square feet of space on the second.
Should the sale of the building to the county go through, TriNet’s lease will reportedly be terminated. FEMA will be given an option to continue leasing roughly half of the building's space from Manatee County Government.
The proposed lease is up for BOCC approval in tandem with the property’s purchase contract and is stated to be similar to what FEMA has with the current property owner. The lease rate is $177,296 per month through November 1, with an option to extend up to three additional months.
If approved, the purchase of the new building would close "on or before" September 1, 2025.
A Request for Legal Service (RLS) prepared by the county attorney was also attached to the agenda.
While the RLS included that the attorney had “no objection from a legal standpoint” to the acquisition item being presented to the commission for consideration, and expressed “no opinion as to the business judgment” of the proposed transaction, the review did note that the terms "deserve careful consideration."
“I trust that Staff understands the timing and intricacies of this complex transaction, which poses a myriad of business, operational, and policy issues which are not without risk to the County," wrote the attorney.
"My review does not include any examination of the business terms as I presuppose that Staff has carefully examined those from a business standpoint, understands them, and is prepared to comply with all obligations and responsibilities from an operational standpoint. I note only that the terms are multifaceted and deserve careful consideration.”
The RLS noted that staff did not request a legal review of property encumbrances and easements (including three stormwater lakes and the transfer of a SWFWMD permit).
The attorney did advise, however, that some encumbrances “must be satisfied” before closing. One such encumbrance, wrote the attorney, “may pose a conflict of interest if Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Inc. or its successor presents applications, reports, or other documents before the Board.” The attorney's assessment is likely due to the property's location within the Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District.
The RLS referenced other intricacies of the deal that warrant careful consideration, including the furniture, fixtures, and equipment to be included in the purchase price.
"Staff did not provide Exhibit D, Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment, of the Contract (Exhibit D) for the county attorney's office review. Staff indicated that the broker will be drafting Exhibit D. I trust that Staff will ensure that Exhibit D will be sufficiently detailed to accurately document the County’s understanding and expectation of the condition, quantity, and quality of the furniture, fixtures, and equipment that is part of the transaction," wrote the attorney.
The Unknowns
Despite the proposed purchase and associated budget amendments being placed on an agenda for board approval, many questions remain unanswered about the plan to relocate the county government building ahead of the board's vote.
Background details provided with the item do not include what factors may have led to the administration’s decision to begin looking for an alternative building. Likewise, no information was provided concerning whatever plans may exist for the downtown administration building currently owned by the county or its adjacent parking garage.
TBT spoke with numerous sources who were willing to share what they understood about the county administration’s plans, but none were willing to be named in our reporting concerning what they claimed to know.
Some of the information shared with us was partially corroborated by separate sources sharing similar or matching information.
Concerning an identified need to move out of the existing building, sources we spoke to had varying perspectives on what may have led to the initiative. Suggested motivations included a need for more space, a desire for a more central location, and the age and condition of the current administration building.
What may happen to the existing county building if the move is approved? Sources we spoke to claimed that the City of Bradenton had been in discussions with the county about possible arrangements, including the city government moving into the building.
As of last week, updated information was allegedly shared during a county management meeting suggesting that the City of Bradenton had decided against any possible future use of the county’s downtown administration building. Instead, the city is said to be looking at an alternative option.
The Bradenton City Council approved the sale of its downtown riverfront City Hall building last year, with the closing date set for 2026. So far, no official announcements have been made concerning where City Hall will relocate.
The local state attorney's office would allegedly stay in the downtown building, where its office has been stationed since the '90s.
Multiple sources also alleged to TBT that no formal information had been provided to county staff ahead of the meeting agenda's publication, and that most county staff were unaware of the administration’s intention to relocate many of the government's departments.
According to our sources, the Department of Development Services (which would be among the first to move), Community and Veteran Services, Human Resources, Government Relations, IT, Natural Resources, Property Management, Sports Leisure, and some portion of administration, such as communications and 311, were all planned for relocation.
In addition, the county employees working at the Utilities office on Cortez Road and the Public Works building on 26th Ave East were also on the table to be moved to the new location. One of those buildings is allegedly being considered for an alternative use under the county's initiative to address homelessness and drug addiction.
We were also unable to verify any of the information shared with our publication concerning which services or departments may be moved or if other government buildings would also consolidate to the LWR location, and those details were not included in the agenda item.
One source told TBT that they understood that a phased transition to the new building could begin as soon as September if the purchase was approved. If true, the potentially complicated relocation of certain county departments could begin during the peak of Florida's hurricane season.
On Thursday, TBT emailed a multi-question inquiry to county administration seeking information about the proposed purchase and move, including whether other site locations were considered, if any improvements will be needed to support increased traffic to the area, a projected move date, how much notice would be provided to employees needing to plan for childcare, whether a public transit service would be added to provide ease of public access, and about possible plans for the former building and parking garage, among other questions.
Manatee County’s Information Outreach Manager, Bill Logan, responded to our email, “The 9000 Town Center acquisition is going to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on May 6th. There will be a presentation for the board at that time…There is no further information to share prior to that presentation.”
As of Friday afternoon, a presentation slideshow or summary was not available with the agenda item attachments for preview ahead of the meeting.
Not the First
Manatee County isn’t alone in deciding it may be time to seek a new location and facility for its government administration building.
Neighboring Sarasota County Government made a similar decision in 2020 and broke ground on the construction of its new administration center in September 2023.
For Sarasota County, the decision was rooted in analytics and consideration of continuing maintenance costs over the next 10-20 years of its aging downtown building. That data, combined with the government owning downtown real estate, excluding the parcels from the tax roll, led Sarasota commissioners to give the go-ahead for county administration to begin exploring other options.
According to Sarasota News Leader reporting, initial discussions reportedly began loosely in 2019 but became a formal initiative by 2020.
In 2023, Sarasota officials approved the appropriation of $75.1 million to construct its new administration center.
The Sarasota Observer reported on the approved $75.1 million, and the reporting included a year-by-year timeline of the process that Sarasota County Government had undertaken from 2020 to that point in 2023.
The Sarasota Government plans to move from Ringling Blvd. to its new center off Fruitville Road, just east of I-75, by December 2025.
Manatee County Commissioners will vote on the proposed new building purchase on Tuesday, May 6, during a meeting in the board chambers at the downtown administration building. The meeting is scheduled to convene at 1 p.m. For additional meeting details, click here.
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Dianna
Why exactly would citizens want a new administration building that is not centrally located, smaller in size, and near the worst part of I-75 and UTC traffic? How does this benefit citizens? If you add the line items on the agenda it will cost almost 50 million dollars. Common sense says you don’t buy a smaller building when the county and staff are growing at such an alarming pace. Clearly there are plans in place for our current building. It feels like there are still secret and corrupt forces working in the background and not for the good of the citizens. Citizens speak out and submit your comments.
Saturday, May 3 Report this
misty
Lots of questions, but one thing is clear - Buying the Musgrave Property for county services was a brilliant move. Sad that the 2020 Board candidates used it to intentionally mislead the public and distort the facts. Now we pay more.
Saturday, May 3 Report this
David Daniels
Taxpayers just renovated the downtown admin center. It is a nice, modern looking building. The 9th floor is allegedly top of the line. The BoCC meeting chambers is brand new. Wired for state of the art audio and video. While the parking garage may need repairs, it is conveniently located and super user friendly. Whenever I've visited the Admin building, I have been able to park (for free) and walk into the front door in minutes. It is next door to the Courts and the Clerk's office. The Central Post office and the Manatee School Administration building are just a few blocks walking distance. The Supv of Elections and Sheriff Dept Headquarters is a 2 mile, 5 minute drive away. Manatee County Animal Welfare and the new Bishop adoption center is a 7 minute, 3 mile drive from the current admin bldg. The State Attorney's office is right there, in the current Admin bldg. The Public Safety and 311 Center is 10 minutes from the current Admin Bldg. The current County Admin building is the key to a thriving, pedestrian friendly downtown. I am 100% against this move. This board claims we have no money for much needed infrastructure, but apparently we have money for them to ring up expense accounts on trips to Washington - to talk our own local congressmen. And we have money to write off the elaborate upgrades that were just made downtown. What we have is perfectly fine. Better than fine. This is a dumb idea, which is probably why it has been kept secret.
Saturday, May 3 Report this
sandy
So much for transparency. They couldn't have picked a more inappropriate location. If they want to relocate, a better location would be more centrally located on SR 70 or even SR 64. Over the years there had been rumors of relocating. Never heard of one this far south in the county.
Sunday, May 4 Report this
Debann
NOTHING HAS CHANGED BUT NEW PLAYERS ON THE BOCC...REAP WHAT YOU SOW.. CHA CHING...IT'S NOT THEIR MONEY....REAP WHAT YOU SOW...
Sunday, May 4 Report this
Debann
ALSO..YOU CAN FIND MONEY FOR A NEW ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING BUT YOU CAN'T FIND MONEY TO BUILD A NEW ANIMAL SERVICES ..MORE BEHIND THE SCENE DEALS...COLOR ME SHOCKED...NEVER MIND IT'S MANATEE COUNTY..THAT'S THE WAY THEY ROLL...
Sunday, May 4 Report this
bbenac
This is extremely difficult to understand. The Musgrave Property acquisition,which was attacked by the developers and their representatives on the BOCC, and then utilized as a reason to fire the County Administrator was a much better deal for the County, was discussed in numerous work sessions, and voted on in public meetings. It was well thought out, funded and was a centrally located site. Now this comes as a budget amendment, with no discussion or presentation-are you kidding me?? What is going on? I heard about this sometime ago-and asked George Kruse, who told me that this was early in the discussions of needing more space. I am truly shocked at how this is going down…why?? People and employees have been asking me if I know what the deal is-I say other than perhaps the City of Bradenton needing space-it makes no sense to me. HOLD YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ACCOUNTABLE!
Sunday, May 4 Report this
WTF
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
In real estate we often hear this term location location location. Help me understand why we would even consider a multimillion dollar purchase on the property that was at the farthest South of Manatee County possible. This makes no sense. So employees and folks that want to do county business would also have to drive to the farthest South location in the county. Who does that benefit certainly not the folks driving.
The Lena property is a far better choice than more centralized for the activities that would benefit the citizens of Manatee County. In addition, you would not have to pay for the property nor would you have to spend several $1,000,000 in remodeling you could have a brand new facility from the ground up specifically designed and built for the county needs including expansion.
COUNTY EMPLOYEES
So often the county likes to use outside consultants for the practicality and function of a new facility. Do we have a unbiased outside professional opinion on this purchase?
More importantly, do we have a employee survey of the folks that will be displaced out to the Lakewood Ranch the area located at the farthest southern part of Manatee County. Has the county taking any feedback from the employees that will be displaced to this facility. Whatever happened to live work and play that is the counties vision certainly not in this situation, in fact I'm sure you will lose dozens of employees that not only are unwilling to drive to the farthest southern point in Manatee County but certainly could not afford to live in one of the most expensive areas in Florida. You have entry level and middle management traveling long distances to get to work and long distances to get back home to reasonable area they can afford. Additional time, fuel not to mention the added traffic that this facility will bring to the nearby roads.
PUBLIC INPUT
it's amazing that when a developer wants to come in and develop a piece of property they have to reach out to the community in the way of public notices, town hall meetings, and other correspondents within the community. I see none of that here. Let's not forget it's the taxpayers $24 million that I think if a poll was given the majority of the taxpayers would not approve of this purchase for building that is the farthest southern point in Manatee County. Sarasota county is just on the other side of university certainly not a centralized location for the county as a whole. The public deserves a town hall meeting with all the stakeholders including the taxpayer, county employees, and other interested parties. How does such a purchase of this magnitude even end up on the agenda without any prior knowledge to the taxpayers of Manatee County. When the administration and staff are using taxpayer funds we deserve and demand to be included in such decision making, we were not!
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ATTORNEY
Did we not learn anything from the disastrous seaport manatee land purchase deal that cost The port $500,000 in a nonrefundable refund.
By the own attorney general's words, “I trust that Staff understands the timing and intricacies of this complex transaction which poses a myriad of business, operational and policy issues which are not without risk to the County. My review does not include any examination of the business terms as I presuppose that Staff has carefully examined those from a business standpoint, understands them, and is prepared to comply with all obligations and responsibilities from an operational standpoint. I note only that the terms are multifaceted and deserve careful consideration. I further assume that Staff has conducted the necessary and appropriate due diligence such that Staff is comfortable that there are no encumbrances which would interfere with the County’s intended use of the Property nor responsibilities which the County is not willing to undertake should the County proceed forward with the transactions proposed.”
This should be a red flag to everyone concern, It is for this taxpayer.
Conclusion
it is not in the best interest to move forward with this purchase without proper notification not only to the public but feedback from the employees as well.
The Lena Rd. property is far better suited for centralized operations of the county as most of the growth is in District 1 and South. There was no substantive information from staff of why this was a good buy and why this location would suit the needs of the county clearly it does not.
This project must be paused until further information can be gathered.
The citizens, employees, and certainly the taxpayers should have ample time to investigate this further into this ill-fated purchase
For The Record
Glen GADFLY Gibellina
Certificate of Service
I hereby certify that a true and correct copy has been entered into public comment on Manatee County web page in addition to mailing to each and every commissioner this first day of May 2025. A copy will presented on May 6th during the regular meeting of the BCC in which a true and correct copy will be entered into the record.
Glen Gibellina
Glen Gibellina
Tuesday, May 6 Report this