We recently learned that there is a plan to transition Seaport Manatee from a dependent district governed by the Manatee County Commission to an independent district with a governor-appointed board, consisting of one county commissioner serving as liaison. While that might make sense in a vacuum, our history with such boards should serve as a flashing red light, warning us against such a change.
Supporters of the bill—which included three of our county commissioners—argue that a large and growing port operation could benefit from a board appointed for its members' special seaport-related expertise. But let's consider such boards and Manatee County’s experience with them. It quickly becomes clear that they are routinely stacked with political cronies who are not only no more qualified than the average commissioner but also not subject to voter oversight.
The Manatee County Airport Authority board, none of whose members have a background in airport operations, has spent recent years attempting to carry out the governor’s hamfisted plans to expand New College. This has come at the expense of the long-term needs of one of our community’s most essential resources, attempting to sell land it will need for future operations to the college so that it can needlessly grow into a larger campus, despite the school’s unparalleled expenses in terms of cost per student and the existing presence of USF-Sarasota Manatee just north of its campus. Only the FAA's denial of the sale has saved the community so far.
Let’s take a look at the Southwest Florida Water Management District board. Does anyone remember that time when developer Carlos Beruff (who also sits on the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Board) was chair of the SWFWMD board and voted to approve his friend and fellow developer Pat Neal's plan to destroy an acre of high-quality wetlands for his Harbor Sound development on Perico Island? Beruff resigned his seat on the agency’s board the same day.
Beruff himself recently benefited from a SWFWMD approval of a major permit modification that never would have been approved if the agency’s board were filled with scientists and other water experts. In April, the water management district gave the green light to a plan that would allow Beruff to have no wetland buffer at parts of his Aqua by the Bay development on Long Bar Pointe, with a gabion wall placed immediately landward of the wetland line.
Take a look at our state board of education. It does not include a single retired educator or even a former school administrator. As is typical, it is stacked with individuals who are politically connected to the governor and committed to his partisan political agenda. The only member who even served on a school board did so briefly, when DeSantis appointed them to fill a vacancy shortly before appointing them to the state board.
The timing of this proposal also seems dubious. Acting in their capacity as the port authority board, commissioners recently voted down a highly questionable land deal amid considerable outside pressure from politically powerful interests to approve it. Is this plan retaliatory? It certainly seems possible. Trading county commissioners who answer to local voters for a board of political hacks and governor cronies who don't will not yield a better outcome. The port is too important an asset to allow it to devolve into patronage oversight.
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch is also the author of three novels and a short story collection available here.
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David Daniels
Agree 100%. And you only scratch the surface of the political cronyism. There is the University System board of Governors who approved Corcoran at New College and Ben Sasse at UF, the Fish and Wildlife Commission that is stacked with pro-developers, and many more. Why in hell would the BoCC surrender local control - in effect giving away our votes and ability to have a voice? Did Satcher’s appointment not teach us anything? Besides SWFMD, Beruff is on the Citizens Insurance Board of Directors, he’s on the SRQ airport authority. He’s been on our local State College board of Trustees, Does anyone doubt the kind of person that would be appointed to this “independent” board that would turn our port into a developer friendly contract awarding mechanism to reward the governor's donors? Are commissioners really so naive to seriously think a governor-appointed board would be independent?
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
WTF
It’s all politics. The nonrefundable $500,000 deposit for 106 acres of contaminated land with multiple clouds in the title on this $21 million fiasco was shot down by the current board and rightfully so. The Port, Director, the lobbying group.Ramba and their current attorney firm all need to be fired. They cannot handle transparency and accountability so they run to Tallahassee to try to get it a special district to circumvent the current board authority.. conveniently held at the port where there is no televised participation or public call-in and that too must stop. Not to mention one of the commissioners was unable to attend that Shirley would have voted not to move forward with a special district. For the record.
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
rayfusco68
why do we need a board of County commissioners if they are going to abdicate all their responsibilities to Tallahassee?
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
san.gander
Smack on Dennis. DeSantis and much of Republican state leadership seems not concerned with good governance, but with "grifting" from the public purse; enriching themselves and friends! There are/were straight, relatively honest politicians in that party, that seek the jobs of running a state and consider politics a challenging career choice. Where "the Pols" job and duty is to work for the good of all its' citizens. This idea might explain the shocking appearances and moves to the "other" party of some Republicans. Those "Pols" still want the political leadership jobs, because they have ideas they can do it better, more honestly I hope... now they must convince voters of that. We know from observation, the current bunch of "INs" (in office) are not doing the job! They are just scattering "red meat" to inflame the sensitive, bigoted folks diverting attention on the one hand... and siphoning off public assets to friends and private causes with the other. Always eyes open Voters!
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
misty
Right on, Mitch.
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
teamj1009
Just another way to control everything and just like you said there will be no expertise on this new board just political cronies only doing as their told. All boards become puppets of the puppet master holding the strings. Just another chipping away at our ability have our voices heard. Eventually one day you will go and say "oh my what happened".
Wednesday, October 29 Report this
GCDUBBAU
Mitch, I agree with you completely. One qualifier, however, is this. The county BOCC is, in actuality, no better off at being “experts in port management” than the appointees the governor would install. The port is a tremendous asset for Manatee County and the state. What thoughts do you have about how the BOCC might become better stewards of this asset that might lead to a revenue stream to benefit the county’s needs ?
Thursday, October 30 Report this