Manatee County Commission Notes: 8/28/26

The League of Women Voters of Manatee County Government Committee observes Manatee County Commission meetings for items of interest to citizens and the League, and notes adherence to, or nonadherence to, good governance procedures and the Sunshine Law. The following are the major points from the board’s regular meeting on 7/28/26.

Link to the Agenda and Video

Commissioner George Kruse absent.

AWARDS/PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS

Presentation of the Team Member of the Month for August 2026

The award was presented to Jacolyn (Jackie) Abdala, Solid Waste Compliance Coordinator, for her outstanding commitment to operational excellence, environmental responsibility, and customer service.

Proclamations

Alexandra de Roos Day, August 25, 2026

Alexandra de Roos served as Miss Manatee 2026 and in July was named Miss Florida 2026. She also has advanced brain injury awareness by advocating in Washington, D.C. with the Brain Injury Association of America.

International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31, 2026

International Overdose Awareness Day is a campaign to end overdose, honor the memory of those lost, and remove the stigma associated with substance use and addiction.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Agenda updated August 20 and 24.

CONSENT AGENDA / APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA

The League encourages residents to read the full meeting agenda to learn about the approved consent items.

Approved 3-2. Commissioners McCann and Bearden voting no.

CITIZEN COMMENTS (Consideration for Future Agenda Items)

• Four people spoke against the process used to select the location of the proposed Project Grace hockey and sports facility at the Premier Sports field in Lakewood Ranch. Commissioner Tal Siddique announced the project will be the first action item at the September 1 board meeting.
• Another citizen brought up the fact the county is in a drought situation, yet the county is approving major developments that will suck up more water from the county aquifers and rivers. The wells in east county are running low.
• Two citizens asked why the Board of County Commissioner meetings are no longer streamed on Facebook and its live public comments feature was closed.

County Administrator Charlie Bishop said the decision to turn off live streaming on Facebook was his decision. Director of Government Relations Stephanie Garrison explained that prior to the Primary Election, the county used two streaming services: Facebook and YouTube. She said YouTube is the superior platform. The county would still receive public comments on its Facebook page; it just won't be live streaming the Board meetings on that platform. Garrison said the staff knew the decision would be unpopular, which is why they waited until after the Primary Election.

Bishop added that the public comments would need to be retained on the county servers for three to five years. This is because whenever there is a public information request on a county issue, staff would need to review the videos and produce those conversations.

Bearden made a motion to add the streaming of the commission meetings to the day's agenda.

Approved 5-0.

Bearden pointed out there are approximately 80,000 followers on Facebook and just over 2,600 followers on YouTube. Siddique called for a more informed discussion on public outreach and increasing public engagement. He also said the Board needs more information in order to make an informed decision about the streaming process.

McCann moved to instruct staff to turn Facebook streaming back on and for the staff to present information about the streaming platforms and social media outreach at the September 2 workshop.

Approved 5-0.

ADVERTISED PUBLIC HEARINGS - QUASI-JUDICIAL

Item 54. Adoption of Resolution R-26-081- PLN2511-0146-2104 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton, FL 34203 (“Property”) - Quasi-Judicial, James J. McDevitt III, MURP, Development Services Team Leader - District 2

Margi and Pat Nanney are the owners of the Johnson Helm House in Oneco and have been working with the county to designate the building as a historic landmark through the county's Historic Landmark Designation process.

Motion for designation approved 5-0.

Item 59. Approval of the Suncoast Prosper Scholarship Funding Agreement, Stephanie Garrison, Government Relations Director  

Manatee County and State College of Florida (SCF) will establish a partnership to provide “last-dollar” financial assistance to eligible students in Manatee County, covering remaining tuition and required expenses after other aid is applied. The board was supportive of the concept and debated how to fund the agreement: either through the general reserves or the funding of the Southwest County Improvement District (Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District). Garrison explained that if the constitutional Amendment 3 affecting county revenues passes in November, the contract would be eligible for termination.

Commissioner Mike Rahn made a motion to remove TIF language, proceed with the agreement, and instruct the county and SCF staff to create a minimum goal of the percentage of students in the program who take jobs in Manatee County upon graduation.

Approved 5-0.

Item 56. Approval of the FY26/27 Children's Services Dedicated Millage Nonprofit Funding Recommendations, Melissa Bomar, Children's Services Section Manager 

Staff shared the spreadsheet of recommends for funding amounts from Children’s Services for various local organizations.

Rahn had concerns about 3 organizations recommended for no funding – Rocket Phonics, Avenue941, and Just for Girls (Stepping Up To Success) - and asked why they were not recommended. Staff response was:

• Rocket Phonics – the application for funding was not up to par compared to others.
• Avenue941 – had too few participants at some locations and lacked enough objective measurements.
• Just for Girls – was experiencing financial reporting and leadership/organizational issues.

Rahn made a motion to fund these 3 organizations. Ballard and McCann spoke in favor.

Public Comments

• Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown thanked and commended the staff, advisory board, and Commissioners for their diligence and support for the Children’s Services work.
• Evelyn Almodóvar, Executive Director of UnidosNow thanked the Commissioners for their continuing financial support.
• Two people spoke in favor of financial support for Rocket Phonics.
• Two people spoke in favor of Avenue941.
• Two people spoke in favor of continuing support for Just for Girls because of their many years of good work and said the staff concerns were being addressed.
• Two people spoke in favor of funding AMI Kids. The organization had been funded for several years. Due to internal reorganization, AMI Kids failed to turn in a funding request. Staff and County Attorney explained there was nothing to be done at this time. Rahn commented that he would see what other funding recourse there might be.

Motion to fund all organizations as recommended (except for Big Brothers Big Sisters) plus the following: Rocket Phonics - $87,147; Avenue941 - $100,000, Just for Girls (SUS) - $1,090,715.

Approved 5-0.

Motion to fund Big Brothers Big Sisters for $235,935.

Approved 4-0. Ballard abstained.

REGULAR AGENDA

Community and Veterans Services

Item 55. Acceptance of Historical Commission Appointments and Letter of Resignation for Seat 11, Sarah Brown, Director of Community & Veterans Services - Countywide 

The Board approved the following appointments: Seat 1 - Margi Baskerville Nanney; Seat 2 - Patricia Simmons; Seat 3 - Elena Burke; Seat 5 - Brett Pollack; Seat 6 - Catherine Cropsey; Seat 7 - Andrew Davidson; Seat 8 - Sharon Denson: Seat: 10 - Ciara Cosby.

Approved 4-1. McCann voted no.

Development Services

Item 57. Adoption of Resolution R-26-105, establishing the Rural Communities Advisory Board (RCAB), Alyssa Grove, Planner I - Countywide  

The Board considered a resolution that would establish the RCAB, which would be comprised of seven members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. The RCAB is intended to advise (non-binding) the Board of County Commissioners on rural land use, agriculture, natural resources, private property rights, and related matters, and to serve as a structured forum for rural community input.

Approved 5-0.

Public Comment

One citizen wanted no developer appointed to the RCAB.

Government Relations

Item 60. Follow-Up Presentation of Results from the Manatee County AI Pilot with Digibuild, Stephanie Garrison, Government Relations Director, and Robert Salvadore, Digibuild 

Manatee County volunteered for this AI Pilot viewing it as a great opportunity. The presentation on pilot results showed the County may be able to save and/or recover a substantial amount of money from an AI review of Manatee County procurement records and alternate pricing.

After some questions and discussion, the directions to staff were:

1.    Examine what resources it would take to save/recover some of the money identified in the pilot.

2.    Examine the possibility of an annual AI review.

Public Works

Item 64. Establishing School Zone Speed Limits, Clarke Davis, Deputy Director, Public Works   

McCann was concerned that County personnel in recent weeks changed some school zone speed limit signs from the BoCC mandated uniform 20 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour. McCann moved to direct staff to change all school zone speed limit signs to 20 miles per hour. McCann moved for signage to return to a uniform 20 mph in school zones.

Failed 1-4.

A motion was made for roads posted at 35 mph or less should be 15 mph in a school zone, based on Florida state guidance on school zone speed limits.

Approved 4-1. McCann voting no.

COMMISSIONER AGENDA ITEMS

Item 66. Flock Cameras - McCann

McCann raised concerns about Flock license‑plate reader cameras (LPR) and noted that the County Commission could not regulate them for Sheriff’s use and on private property. He would not have them because of the tracking and that any police officer can abuse the system. Siddique noted the county can ban LPRs on county property. Rahn noted several cases where license plate reader cameras were used to stop child abduction and capture criminals. Motion made by Ballard to no longer issue permits for LPR on County property.

Approved 5 to 0.

Citizen Comments

Four citizens spoke against the cameras and felt there was no way to stop abuse by law enforcement and questioned the high cost of ongoing monitoring.

Item 67. Reduction in speed for traffic and pedestrian safety - McCann

McCann made a motion to reduce the posted speed limits on the following roadways to improve traffic and pedestrian safety: (1) University Parkway, between Lorraine Road and the mall, from 45 mph to 40 mph. (2) 44th Avenue, from Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to Bourneside Boulevard, from 45 mph to 40 mph. (3) Rangeland from 40 mph to 35 mph. Some coordination will be needed with Sarasota, but no problems are anticipated.

Approved 5 to 0.

Item 68. Reserve Policy Update - Siddique

Siddique discussed a proposed overhaul of the county's fund balance and reserve policies to improve financial clarity and transparency. He argued that the existing accounting process inaccurately inflates reserve figures by $312 million due to how funds are categorized. The primary goals of this reform include:

• Understanding the true state of the county's financial health.
• Ensuring compliance with best practices and making financial reports easier for laymen to understand.
• Renaming the "reserve for capital" to a "committed fund for capital" to distinguish project-specific money from emergency reserves.
• Discontinuing the practice of classifying any fund exceeding $500,000 as reserve, which currently affects accounts like Children's Services and Environmental Lands Millages.

Bond repayment ahead of schedule was also discussed. A work session will be scheduled to discuss and make changes to reserve policy, but it will likely not be until December.

Citizen Comments

• One citizen who is a frequent commenter on reserves suggested using unrestricted cash for land purchases rather than seeking millage increases and instituting a five-year "sunset" rule where restricted cash that remains unspent for five years is converted to unrestricted cash.
• Another citizen noted that citizens need to understand that $600,000 is classified as “reserves”, but it is not intended for emergencies.

GOVERNANCE

Link to Good Governance Guidelines

• There was discussion about a motion between the Board members and the County Clerk staff. The Clerk staff is not miked and people viewing online could not hear the full conversation. 
• There was heated debate between the Chair and a commissioner over a motion, including conflicting comments about whether the Board was following Board policy or Robert's Rules of Order. The County Attorney pointedly stated her role is not to serve as parliamentarian. Effective governance requires clear procedures; commissioners could benefit from a parliamentarian to prevent disputes and maintain orderly, policy‑based decision‑making. 
• When there is an item that suspected or known to be unpopular, or will reduce transparency and/or citizen participation, the County Administrator should consult with the commissioners before making a unilateral decision.
• The County Administrator made a decision he had no authority to make, because the commissioners had previously authorized all speed limit signs in school zones to be 20 mph. There was considerable discussion, confusion, and public feedback because of this. Appropriate procedure is to make this change an agenda item before taking action.