BRADENTON — New members have been appointed to fill five vacancies on the county’s Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee (ELMAC). Commissioners made the new appointments to the 15-member citizen advisory board on April 1, 2025.
The criteria for applicants interested in a position on the committee included that one citizen must be a member of an environmental group, three citizens must reside within county districts 1, 3, and 5, and the remaining seat must be a citizen from any county district.
Merrie Lynn Parker received a nomination and board support 6-1 for appointment to the seat to be filled by a citizen who has served with an environmental group.
Parker is a former high school science teacher who has held leadership positions in various community organizations, including the Manatee Fish and Game Association and Suncoast Waterkeepers.
Each of the next appointments was made directly by the respective district commissioners, and a board vote to confirm was not required.
District 1 resident Charles Richard was appointed to the D1 ELMAC position by Commissioner Carol Felts.
District 3 resident Kyle Fisher was appointed to the D3 ELMAC position by Commissioner Tal Siddique.
District 5 resident Eric Di Silvestro was appointed to the D5 ELMAC position by Commissioner Bob McCann.
The District 7 county-wide appointment was made by at-large Commissioner George Kruse who selected Alyssa Gay as his commissioner ELMAC appointee.
Other than the commissioner-appointed members, all other members of ELMAC are appointed through a nomination and majority vote of the board.
In 2022, the BOCC voted to expand the then-15-member advisory committee to 17 members so that each district commissioner could independently select an appointment from within their districts.
The change in the total number of member positions and the added provision allowing each of the seven county commissioners to make one direct appointment were made to better represent the geographic representation of the members who serve on the committee.
Citizens of the following criteria represent the ELMAC member seats: a citizen who is a current employee of the Manatee County School District or School Board, a citizen who is a member of the Florida Engineering Society, a citizen who is a member of an environmental group, a citizen with education or experience with outdoor activities/sports, a citizen with experience in banking/finance or real estate, a citizen who is a member of Keep Manatee Beautiful, a citizen who is a member of the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce Environmental Resources Committee, a citizen from the agricultural community, a citizen with education in Natural Sciences, and seven commissioners appointments of their choice.
Additional member seats on ELMAC are expiring or have already expired, and those positions will be filled through advertisement, application, and nomination process sometime during a yet undetermined future commission meeting.
To learn more about ELMAC, click here.
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