BRADENTON — A county-owned property planned initially to become a free-standing departmental building for the staff of Manatee County’s Community and Veterans Services Department might now be considered for use as a future Pride Park Community Center.
Although a community center is on the table, a formal presentation of the proposal has not yet been made before the county commission. Approval for such a project would need to gain majority support from commissioners—something the community’s district commissioner is hopeful for.
Located at the intersection of 63rd Avenue East and 9th Street East, just east of Daughtrey Elementary School and Pride Park, the 4.75-acre parcel features an existing 9,896-square-foot former-church (synagogue) and seven portable buildings. The site’s mailing address is 1003 63rd Avenue East and was previously home to the Visible Men Academy, a public charter school.
The Visible Men Academy (VMA) leased the site from its previous owner, Beth Messiah, Inc. However, after Manatee County purchased the property from Beth Messiah last year, it offered VMA a limited lease agreement, allowing the school to remain at the church temporarily while it secured a new operational site.
But the parcel with the church and portables isn’t the only land owned by Manatee County at the intersection of 63rd and 9th; an adjacent 4.16-acre property is also under county ownership after the local government executed a quitclaim deed for the vacant parcel from VMA months before it closed on the purchase of the church site.
The combined parcels make up nearly 9 acres of land along an urban collector roadway, abutting an intersection that’s slated to receive nearly $1 million in future improvements. Urban collectors are a type of roadways that distribute traffic between local streets and major arterials.
Both county-owned parcels are zoned RDD-6 (Residential Duplex District) with a density of 6 dwelling units per acre and have future land use designations of RES-9 (Residential Medium Density), which allows for a maximum of 9 dwelling units per acre.
While RES-9 is supportive of single-family or multi-family dwellings, both RDD-6 and RES-9 allow for compatible support uses that serve the residential community, including neighborhood commercial, public, and semi-public uses, schools, or even a community center.
A Change of Plan
As the county grows, particularly to the north and east, the local government is also increasing its services in these areas. Last month, the BOCC unanimously approved a $23.5 million purchase of a “secondary” county administrative building located in Lakewood Ranch.
The planned east campus is to be located near the Manatee/Sarasota County line, in a 101,312-square-foot office building on 11.2 acres, just beyond I-75 off University Parkway, at 9000 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. An $11 million renovation is planned once the building's purchase has closed later this fall.
A presentation by county staff ahead of the board’s vote to approve the LWR purchase provided some details about the administration’s plan to accommodate the local government’s need for expansion.
Included in the presentation were the county departments that would move to the new LWR campus and those that would remain at the existing downtown administration building. Though the county’s Community and Veterans Services (CVS) Department is currently located in the downtown administration building, it was notably absent from any of the department lists provided by staff as they presented the administration's plan to commissioners.
The lack of CVS’s inclusion in the presentation was due to plans already underway that would see the CVS Department relocated to the former VMA site on 63rd Avenue East once renovations to the church were complete.
During a May 28, 2024, BOCC meeting, the execution of the $1.35 million purchase contract for the 63rd Avenue East property from Beth Messiah was approved unanimously by commissioners. There was no presentation or discussion about plans for the property at the time of the vote, as the item was passed on the consent agenda.
However, the item’s cover sheet and agenda attachments detailed the intent of the purchase.
“The current Community and Veterans Services (CVS) offices are situated on the 5th floor of the Manatee County administration building, accommodating approximately 45 employees... including nine (9) Financial Management Department staff, the CVS Director, and two CVS Deputies,” the cover sheet explained.
“The County’s acquisition of the Property would allow these departments to move to the new location… This move aims to address spatial inefficiencies, enhance privacy and security in compliance with HIPAA regulations, and accommodate expansion needs, including additional services for probation and veterans,” it further detailed.
In addition, the cover sheet stated that the purchase and subsequent relocation of CVS would render proposed renovations to the 5th floor of the downtown administration building unnecessary, “thereby saving the county significant resources and disruption.”
The agenda item’s attachments included a proposed lease agreement with VMA and a budget resolution that amended the FY24-28 CIP for fiscal year 2024, moving funds from reserves in the General Fund to the Building Capital Projects fund for the acquisition.
The amendment to the CIP added project number PJ6103050 for the building’s purchase and noted that the planned renovations of the building would be added as a “separate business case.”
A separate project, PJ6103051, was also added to the CIP for the renovations, and the FY25-29 CIP included the church renovations as an existing project. The project card showed $326,860 appropriated to date, with $226,860 designated for design. The design’s completion date was listed as Dec. 2024.
The lease agreement between Manatee County and VMA provided that the charter school could continue to operate out of the church through January 30, 2025, at a monthly rate of $6,325—the same rate the school paid under the previous owner.
But in February, when VMA was unable to secure its new location by the lease’s end date, the county extended the lease agreement through May 30, 2025, to provide the charter school more time.
The amended lease was approved under the consent agenda, and the item’s cover sheet noted that “Staff has confirmed that the extension of the lease will have no impact on the proposed renovations as design is expected to be completed in May and the GMP to be presented to the Board around June 2025.”
“GMP” likely refers to a Guaranteed Maximum Price for the planned renovations.
Earlier this month, in mid-June, the BOCC held a series of budget work session meetings. One of the sessions included a presentation of the proposed five-year Capital Improvement Plan for FY26-30.
The recommended CIP included funding for a total of 815 projects, one of which was the existing renovation project (PJ6103051) for the church at 1003 63rd Avenue East.
The project card detailed the scope, describing the property’s intended use as an office facility for the CVS Department. It included that $3,797,866 of Debt Proceed Funds are programmed to be allocated in 2026, bringing the total estimated renovation costs to $4.12 million. A cost not inclusive of the purchase price.
In October 2024, in a 4-2 vote, commissioners approved the execution of a $140 million line of credit with Wells Fargo to fund various infrastructure projects. The line of credit was projected to cost the county $4 million per year in general funds.
When the item to execute the note was added to the meeting’s consent agenda the night before the meeting, Commissioner George Kruse pulled the item and requested a presentation be provided.
During the presentation, the county’s CFO provided a list of six projects that would be funded with the debt proceeds, one of which was the renovation of the church.
The county’s proposed CIP for FY26-30, as presented to commissioners earlier this month, includes the existing project to be funded by debt proceeds for the relocation of the county’s CVS department.
However, in recent weeks, TBT received information from multiple sources who alleged that county administration had informed CVS leadership that the plan for the department's move had changed.
Sources shared with our publication that CVS would instead remain in the downtown administration building, and the previously planned renovations for the church would be redirected to support the development of a community center serving the county’s District 2.
On Thursday, TBT reached out to the county administrator and District 2 Commissioner Amanda Ballard to inquire about the change in plans.
In response to our inquiry, Commissioner Ballard followed up by phone to discuss the possibility of a county-developed community center being located in the Pride Park area.
Ballard explained that with the board’s recent approval for the purchase of the LWR building, county administration had determined there was no longer a need to relocate the CVS Department to free up space in the downtown building.
With the new LWR building able to accommodate the relocation of several county departments, the CVS Department would be able to obtain the necessary growth space, while also allowing for the consolidation of other government programs within the existing downtown administration building.
Ballard stressed that plans for a possible community center near Pride Park were still “very fluid” and that she'd only had preliminary discussions with administration. Although an official presentation or proposal has not been presented to the BOCC for consideration, she is hopeful that one will be presented before the board sometime in the future.
“I am hopeful that commissioners might consider this a suitable alternative use for the site, as I know the constituents in that area have been requesting a community center for some time,” she said.
Ballard shared that she was aware of the county’s purchase of the church property when it was approved on consent last year, adding that, to her knowledge, all of the commissioners had been briefed ahead of the acquisition. She added that she had been invited to tour the property before the purchase.
Ballard confirmed that as of now, there is no project of record in the CIP related to any alternative use for the church, as the existing project is still recorded as a renovation to support office facilities for Community and Veterans Services. However, those renovations are projected to cost approximately $3.7 million, she added, and the development of a community center could cost significantly less, potentially as low as half a million.
In concluding the call, Ballard again underscored that any future use of the property would require board approval.
“I want to be clear,” she said. “I don’t want to give anyone the impression that there is definitely a community center coming to that location. I’ve suggested it to the administrator and have advocated for its consideration, but such a proposal would need the majority support of the board to move forward.”
Property Background
Of the two parcels currently owned by the county at the intersection of 63rd Avenue East and 9th Street East, the county previously owned one of them from 2010 to 2015.
The county acquired the vacant 4.1-acre parcel adjacent to the church property through a Special Warranty Deed in 2010. Property records show that the county acquired 907 63rd Avenue East for zero dollars from the T. Ralph Taylor Jr. Family Limited Partnership; however, reporting by the Bradenton Herald in 2010 stated the CRA purchased the site for $835,000.
In 2010, the CRA board proposed that the parcel could be used for the development of a potential future community center, but that plan never came to fruition.
In 2015, the Board of County Commissioners approved the sale of the site to the Visible Men Academy for $85,000. The deed included a reverter provision that required VMA to design and construct a school campus within five years, or by September of 2020.
At the time, VMA was leasing the church and its 4.7-acre parcel after receiving approval from the Manatee County School Board to open its doors for students in the fall of 2013.
VMA had hoped its arrangement with the county for the vacant parcel next door would provide the opportunity to build a permanent facility for the charter school, whose educational focus was for underprivileged boys from kindergarten through fifth grade.
In 2018, counsel for VMA requested that the BOCC grant an extension to VMA to provide additional time for fundraising, design, and construction. The board granted the request, extending the agreement until September 2023.
By February 2023, VMA had still not started construction of the campus. The charter school retained attorney Mark Barnebey to assist in negotiations with the county.
Barnebey sent a letter to the board requesting an additional amendment of the deed, proposing terms for the construction of one or more of the school's classrooms by September 2025, and a secondary construction or installation of one or more school classrooms to be completed by 2027.
On August 22, 2023, Barnebey addressed commissioners in person, requesting board consideration for additional time for the school’s fundraising efforts. Barnebey highlighted the obstacles the charter school faced since the deed was issued, including the economic recession and the pandemic.
VMA Co-founder, Louis Parker, as well as a parent of the program, also addressed the board to request relief.
Barnebey asked the board to have the matter added to an upcoming agenda for consideration.
On September 12, 2023, Tara Sall, a parent representative of VMA, addressed the commissioners on the matter during public comment. Sall detailed VMA’s struggles in attempting to work with county staff to bring forward a proposed corrective deed that provides for extension provisions.
Commissioner Kruse responded to Sall’s public comments, requesting more information from the county administrator. Kruse suggested that he preferred to see the county attempt to work out an arrangement with VMA for additional time and added that he had emailed County Administrator Charlie Bishop to communicate this.
Kruse further described a communication he received from staff informing him that the county administrator had no intention of providing an extension, a decision that Kruse argued was not solely within the administration’s authority to decide.
Former commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, however, disagreed with Kruse’s position, stating that he was comfortable with allowing the agreement with VMA to expire. Due to a lack of funding to construct a permanent campus, Van Ostenbridge believed the property should revert back to county ownership.
On October 24, 2023, the board authorized the county administrator to execute a first Notice of Breach Letter to VMA, advising that the school had 90 days to take corrective action; otherwise, the title would be reverted in accordance with the agreement.
On January 23, 2024, the board authorized the administrator to execute a second Notice of Breach Letter to VMA. The notice informed the school that the breach had not been cured within the 90 days, and that the vacant property would be transferred back to the county.
On May 28, 2024, the commissioners approved the execution of the sale and purchase contract for the neighboring parcel, the adjacent which included the church where VMA was operating.
By July 30, 2024, just days after the county closed on the purchase of the church property, a land transfer agreement was executed for the vacant parcel. In exchange for VMA transferring the parcel back to the county, the county reimbursed the school the $85,000 it originally paid for the land. The quitclaim deed was officially recorded in September 2024.
VMA has since relocated to a shared location with Just for Girls at 1007 21st Street East. The new site is approximately five miles north of the charter school’s previous location.
Editor's note: This article was updated to provide additional information on the purchase of the 4.1-acre parcel adjacent to the church property, including its purchase price.
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