Bradenton to Consider More Development in Storm Surge Areas

Presbyterian Retirement Communities has submitted a request for text amendments to the City of Bradenton’s Comprehensive Plan. These requests are directly related to regulating properties within the Coastal High Hazard Area. If approved, the proposed amendments will impact over 4,000 parcels within the city, representing approximately 28% of the city’s total land area.

The text amendments will allow for the consideration of applications for land use changes that increase the allowable residential density on parcels located in Coastal High Hazard Areas. 

The Bradenton City Council will consider these proposed text amendment changes during the  Feb. 12, 2025, public hearing. If approved, ordinances No. 4035, 4036 and 4037 will cause delays in hurricane evacuation, incompatibility of building types with surrounding neighborhoods, degradation of water quality, and natural resource impacts throughout the City of Bradenton. 

A vote to approve will place existing and future residents at needless risk from the effects of a catastrophic storm and have the following negative impacts on the city: 

Reduction in Clearance Times for Hurricane Evacuation 
 
Storm surge is the most dangerous hazard from a hurricane.  A Category 5 hurricane could produce an eighteen-foot storm surge. The City of Bradenton has the responsibility for the safe evacuation of not only its residents and property owners but others as well. 

Bradenton is vulnerable not only to storm surge flooding but also to the wind effects of a hurricane. Manatee County, including Bradenton, is in one of the greatest areas of high-speed wind hazards in the entire United States.

Hurricane evacuation clearance times for Longboat Key, Anna Maria, and Perico are among the highest for any area of Florida and the coastal United States.  The impact of additional development in Bradenton is significant, considering the already congested state of existing hurricane evacuation routes.  
 
State Road 64 (Manatee Avenue) from Palma Sola Boulevard to the Bradenton city limit has traffic flows designated the worst possible level of traffic congestion. Manatee Avenue is the hurricane evacuation route for Anna Marie Island, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, and Longboat Key.  The present level of service for this road is inadequate to ensure safe hurricane evacuation.  Additional increases in density in Bradenton will only place more residents at additional risks.

State Road 64 is a major hurricane evacuation route in Manatee County. Based on the elevations of State Road 64, the road is likely to be underwater and unusable in a Category 2 hurricane or higher, thus preventing evacuation. The intersection of I-75 and State Road 64 will likely become bottlenecked in the event of a major hurricane evacuation event.

Bradenton currently lacks sufficient hurricane shelter capacity to accommodate persons evacuating Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricanes. Ordinance 4035 should be denied based on the current deficiency of hurricane shelters.

Wildlife Habitat and Vegetation Impacts
 
The direct, secondary, and cumulative impacts of the proposed Ordinances fail to conserve, protect wildlife habitat, or protect native vegetative communities. There will likely be adverse impacts on endangered and threatened wildlife, and environmentally sensitive lands. The apparent lack of reliable & complete data and information submitted by the applicant is so great that it makes it extremely difficult to determine compliance with the Bradenton Comprehensive Plan. 
 
Degradation of Water Quality
 
Pollution associated with increased traffic and run-off from an increase in development in the CHHA will likely increase over time and will likely be much greater than permitted for the ambient background non-degradation water quality standards.

The direct, secondary, and cumulative impacts of Ordinance 4035 will likely result in unpermittable adverse impacts, which will violate water quality standards. Reasonable assurances have not been provided that the proposed changes to Bradenton’s comprehensive plan would not adversely affect the conservation of fish and wildlife, including endangered or threatened species or their habitats. 

Degradation of the Level of Service of Roads
 
The proposed Ordinances will likely increase traffic congestion on State Road 64. There are existing problems regarding adequate traffic flow on State Road 64 on a day-to-day basis. The level of service of State Road 64 will continue to deteriorate, with additional road segments failing. Traffic congestion has adverse impacts upon neighborhoods, property values, safety, business, and the environment.
 
Neighborhood Incompatibility
 
High-rise development by Presbyterian Retirement Communities is not compatible with the present building types and residential densities. The planned construction will be grossly out of place and will be an eyesore.
 
Fire Department Objections 
 
According to the staff report for proposed Ordinance 4036:
 
The Fire Marshal has commented that large-scale projects can no longer
simply use a fire pump to account for supply concerns, and that water supply,
access, and future equipment needs will need to be evaluated for this project
and its location.
 
The Bradenton City Council should deny the proposed comprehensive plan amendments. Deficiencies in infrastructure and public services exist in Bradenton and will only be compounded if the proposed Ordinances are adopted. 

Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.