County delays Comprehensive Plan transmittal hearing again

Manatee County has again delayed a scheduled hearing during which commissioners were set to vote on whether to transmit an updated Comprehensive Plan to the state for review. The public hearing was scheduled for a BOCC land use meeting this Thursday, but is officially “continued to no date set.”

This is the second time commissioners have postponed the hearing. The item was previously continued on June 4 after the Planning Commission recommended transmitting the draft Comprehensive Plan to the state for review. However, following lengthy public comment in opposition to its transmittal, commissioners voted 5-1 to continue the hearing until August 6, with only Commission Chair Tal Siddique voting against the continuance. 

On May 14, the Planning Commission recommended transmitting the draft Comprehensive Plan after its members expressed confidence in staff's assurances that the draft was an update that primarily reorganizes, modernizes, and clarifies the existing plan without weakening development regulations or substantially changing current policies. However, the recommendation was accompanied by a separate request urging the Board of County Commissioners to delay the transmittal hearing until the public had at least 90 days to review the draft.

Transmittal is the step in which the proposed Comprehensive Plan is sent to state review agencies for comment before being returned to the county for its final adoption hearing.

On Monday evening, Commissioner George Kruse announced he would seek to delay both the transmittal and adoption hearings until after the November election, citing multiple meeting item cancellations and/or continuances, as well as concerns raised by residents regarding the comp plan.

In a Facebook post, Kruse wrote, “Due to the requests from the public, it was decided to cancel the Land Use meeting and continue the transmittal hearing to no date certain. I have requested, and if necessary I will make a motion, to postpone it until after we have a full board and the seating of any new Commissioners.”

He added that commissioners and staff have received many comments and concerns from the public regarding the comprehensive plan update.



The county updated Thursday's meeting agenda on Aug. 3 to show the hearing had been continued to "no date set."

A memorandum from Development Services Director Nicole Knapp included with the meeting agenda update stated that the hearing was continued due to the volume and nature of public comments received ahead of the scheduled transmittal hearing, allowing staff additional time to review and evaluate those comments.

The memo also noted that, because the remaining items on the agenda had also been continued, there was no other business remaining before the board, making continuation of the Comprehensive Plan item appropriate. A new hearing date will be announced once it has been rescheduled and proper public notice is provided.

Under Florida Statute 163.3167(2), every county in Florida is required to adopt and maintain a comprehensive plan. Manatee County’s current Comprehensive Plan was originally adopted in 1989.

During the BOCC's June land use meeting, numerous residents appeared in person to urge commissioners to slow the process that would ultimately lead to adoption of the updated Comprehensive Plan. Many echoed concerns they had raised before the Planning Commission in May, arguing that the county should postpone action until District 1—left without representation following the unexpected death of Commissioner Carol Felts in February—had elected a new commissioner and the proposal could be considered by a full seven-member board. Speakers also contended that the timeline had moved too quickly, leaving residents with insufficient time to review the extensive revisions and provide meaningful public input.

Aside from concerns about assuring adequate time for public review before transmittal and adoption, some residents and planning commissioners also questioned whether it made sense to move forward with the update while the county remains constrained by Senate Bill 180. 

During the advisory board discussion, county planning staff acknowledged that certain resiliency and sustainability policies they would have preferred to include were omitted due to state law restrictions on changes to development regulations. Some speakers argued that delaying the rewrite until those provisions expire or are amended would allow the county to adopt a more comprehensive update, rather than approving a document whose scope was limited by current state law.

When the item went before commissioners in June, Commissioners Jason Bearden and Bob McCann expressed opinions matching those of some planning commissioners that the timing was not ideal and that it would be better to delay the process until such time as the county was out from beneath the constraints of SB 180.

Manatee County’s years-long effort to update and rewrite portions of its Comprehensive Plan began in May 2023, when the county contracted with engineering, planning, and design consultant Kimley-Horn to lead the process. The project officially launched in July 2023, and since then, commissioners have received multiple presentations and progress updates from the consultant, a series of public workshops was held, and the final draft of the revised plan was eventually published on the county government’s website.

While no new hearing date has been scheduled, Kruse’s stated intention to seek postponement of both the Comprehensive Plan’s transmittal and final adoption hearings could provide enough support among commissioners to approve such a delay if the item returns for a vote.

Commissioners Jason Bearden and Bob McCann had previously expressed concerns about moving forward under the current timeline, including whether the process should continue while the county remains constrained by Senate Bill 180 and before a full board is seated following the November election.

During the June 4 meeting, Commissioner Amanda Ballard also lent her support for the first continuance, noting the sheer number of citizens who urged the commissioners to delay the item.  

It remains unclear whether the item will return for a formal vote on a postponement that would push it into next year, or whether staff will simply wait to reschedule the hearing until they receive further direction from commissioners.