MANATEE COUNTY – The afternoon portion of tomorrow's Manatee County Commission’s Land Use meeting will be held at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto, in order to accommodate a large crowd expected for the proposed Long Bar Pointe project. The meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will also be televised online and on TV by MGA-TV (Bright House channel 622, Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channel 20).

The county commission will vote on both a countywide text amendment regarding coastal development throughout the county, as well as a Future Use map amendment for the Long Bar Pointe project that would allow for a major expansion of the approved development in southwest Manatee County.  

The Long Bar Pointe project has drawn broad opposition from a wide range of citizens and groups because of the extensive impact it would have on coastal waterways including the destruction of mangroves and sea grass. 

The afternoon meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto. A morning land-use meeting will begin as usual at 9 a.m. in the first-floor County Commission Chambers of Manatee County Administrative Center, 1112 Manatee Ave. in Bradenton. The Aug. 6 Council of Governments meeting, originally scheduled to take place at that time has been canceled.

related:

County Commission Needs to be Very Careful on Longbar Pointe

Largest remaining coastal area is a one-shot deal

Check out TBT's special full coverage section on the issue and share it with friends.

What you can you do?

Email your county commissioners (click here if you have integrated email, or copy and paste the following addresses into your email's "to:" line: larry.bustle@mymanatee.org, michael.gallen@mymanatee.org, john.chappie@mymanatee.org, robin.disabatino@mymanatee.org, vanessa.baugh@mymanatee.org, carol.whitmore@mymanatee.org, betsy.benac@mymanatee.org)

Request a meeting with your county commissioner

Support a petition (click here for second petition)

Watch the video