BRADENTON — On Wednesday, Manatee County Commissioners received staff presentations regarding two ongoing county projects of priority: the county’s Trailsways Master Plan and the Veterans Resource Hub and Memorial Park.
The staff updates were presented to the board during a morning work session meeting on September 3.
Trails as a Component of the Transportation Network
An idea first proposed roughly two decades earlier, the Manatee County Trailways Master Plan was finally approved in November 2023.
In 2021, the vision found new life when Commissioner George Kruse reignited discussion about the benefits of moving forward with the design of a master plan. Kruse found support among his fellow commissioners, who agreed to hire an engineering and planning firm to design an updated plan—a process that took about 18 months to complete.
The Trailways Master Plan’s goal is to make Manatee County more multi-modal-friendly, including bicycle traffic, through the construction of a 140-mile county trail network that will connect with a statewide network of transportation and recreation trails, known as the SUN Trail Network.
In July, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the county’s requested and approved state funding appropriation of $1 million toward design, planning, and permitting for the Gateway Greenway Trail—a regional county trail of the Florida Gulf Coast Trails.
Wednesday’s staff presentation focused on planning and expansion efforts, current investments, and future funding needs, including private investments and state and federal grant opportunities.
The complete build-out of the Manatee County Trailways Master Plan is estimated to require $130 million in investments over the next 20-plus years.
To learn more about the county’s planned trails system, visit www.mymanatee.org/trails
Click the video below to watch the staff presentation and board discussion from Wednesday’s meeting.
Veterans Resource Hub and Memorial Park
Planned for development at 5431 Buckeye Road in Palmetto, the Manatee County Veterans Resource Hub and Memorial Park will be constructed on a 24-acre county-owned site near SeaPort Manatee.
Commissioner Jason Bearden, a combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps, initially proposed the park in 2023 as a possible Veterans Memorial with a tiny home community for homeless or at-risk-of-homelessness veterans.
The project’s plan has evolved over the last two years, shifting from the development of a live-in community to a focus on creating a Veterans services hub and memorial park.
In February 2024, commissioners approved $4 million toward the project’s initial plans and design work. A design that drew inspiration from the Veteran Memorial Park and Museum in Hillsborough County.
The project’s plan focuses on serving veterans, their families, and the broader public through the establishment of a community asset featuring an educational memorial that honors and remembers the sacrifices of military service members and their families, as well as a centralized support and referral service center for veterans and their families.
The park’s design will provide a therapeutic setting for wellness and outdoor activities, while also serving as a future event space for ceremonies, memorial events, service fairs, concerts, markets, and other community functions for veterans and the general public.
Like the county's trails project, a requested and approved state funding appropriation of $1 million for the construction of the Veterans Services Hub at the park was vetoed by DeSantis in July.
On Wednesday, county staff provided updates on the project's planning progress, potential funding opportunities, and next steps for the multi-phase, multi-year project.
Following the presentation, multiple citizens provided public comment on the project. A few local veterans questioned the magnitude of the plan and the projected expense, proposing that the funds might be better spent directly supporting existing services and programs for veterans.
However, some citizens addressed the commission to express their support for the project.
Click the video below to replay the Veterans Memorial Park presentation, board discussion, and citizen comments.
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