MANATEE COUNTY — Three newly elected Manatee County Commissioners and one re-elected commissioner were sworn into office today during a well-attended ceremony.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at 9:00 a.m. in BOCC Chambers in the downtown county administration building.
One after the other, Carol Ann Felts (District 1), Tal Siddique (District 3), and Dr. Robert McCann (District 5) each raised their right hand and took the oath of office for the first time before an enthusiastic audience of friends, family, county staff, and local media.
Commissioner George Kruse re-elected to the county’s District 7 at-large seat, took the oath of service for the second time. Kruse was first elected to the same county commission seat in 2020.
Felts, Siddique, McCann, and Kruse join the all-Republican board along with currently serving Commissioners Amanda Ballard (District 2), Mike Rahn (District 4), and Jason Bearden (District 6 at-large), who were elected in 2022.
County commissioners serve four-year terms.
Carol Ann Felts (Republican) is an 8th-generation Floridian and a resident of Myakka City. She was raised in a family of first responders, law enforcement officers, and city employees. Felts has been an extremely dedicated public activist who regularly attended county commission meetings to provide public comment advocating for increased community access to information, government transparency, and smart, sustainable growth.
Talha “Tal” Siddique (Republican) has a background in high-level IT, including work for the Veterans Administration and the United States Air Force. Siddique’s campaign platform was heavily weighted with a focus on seeing the District 3 commission seat led by representation that is community-driven, addresses local issues, actively seeks to engage with citizens, and is responsive to the community’s needs.
Dr. Robert “Bob” McCann (Republican) is a Navy veteran, a retired physician, and a lawyer who also holds a Master’s in Business/Health Care Administration. During his campaign, McCann pledged to restore local government to a body that is truly representative of the people and the community. He is also a member of the Republican National Lawyers Association and the Federalist Society.
George Kruse (Republican): Commissioner Kruse grew up in Sarasota and moved to Manatee County in 2008. He graduated from the University of Florida (1997), obtaining two Bachelor's Degrees, one in Finance and one in Management. He graduated from Columbia Business School (2003), where he earned an MBA. His professional career has been in commercial real estate finance and affordable housing.
7 comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.
kmskepton
Love seeing Carol Felts in that photo.
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
409harley
Welcome aboard! Keep your heads up and work with due diligence for the people of Manatee County.
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
christenjj
So happy to see these four sworn into office. The start of a new chapter for Manatee County. Congratulations.
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
ElShap
So happy that the good people of the county got this right.
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
Debann
Congratulations to the new members..3 in that photo need to be voted out in 2026...LET US NOT FORGET...
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
Dianna
Extremely sad that the County Administrator did not provide a smooth transition for the new commissioners- they didn’t even bother to remove old commissioner information and post new contact information prior to the swearing in. Rude to change the meeting time without proper notice to the public. The county website did not even reflect new commissioner information until after the meeting so the public could not contact them concerning agenda items even during the hours long break. Also disrespectful to not give the land use 101 prior to asking them for a vote. Otherwise, it was a great day for citizens! Welcome new commissioners!!
Wednesday, November 20 Report this
Debann
GET RID OF BISHOP...SHADY
Wednesday, November 20 Report this