This week, Manatee County Commissioners moved forward with a painfully vague plan to spend tens of millions of dollars developing a “Veterans Memorial Park” in a remote area of north county. So far, the project looks like little more than another way for this board of so-called fiscal conservatives to waste taxpayer money.
The park seems to be the brainchild of Commissioner Jason Bearden. If you’re familiar with Bearden, you’ll know that any proverbial child birthed by his brain is unlikely to be robust. This does not seem to be an exception.
Bearden previously attempted to lobby for a tiny house village on the parcel, which was county-owned parkland that had been designated surplus property. This was back when the marine vet was doing his best to aggressively undermine a project that would see the Tunnels 2 Towers Foundation build permanent housing for homeless and at-risk homeless veterans on county-owned property that was a little too close to a certain builder’s most favored development.
Bearden and his close ally and fellow developer shill Kevin Van Ostenbridge attempted to mischaracterize the Tunnels 2 Towers project, with the latter even going so far as to use his newsletter and a town hall to fearmonger his constituents about a “homeless shelter” that could be coming to their district. When far more residents showed up to register their dismay with having been lied to than to complain, the two commissioners tucked tale and voted for the project. Van Ostenbridge even went so far as to declare a major victory for veterans in the next edition of his newsletter.
When it comes to aiding homeless veterans, this board has done little more than obfuscate and interfere, the fact that two of the seven members have worn the uniform notwithstanding. In an act of outright cowardice, Bearden and fellow veteran Mike Rahn ducked the vote that delayed the Tunnels 2 Towers project, lest they actually have to go on the record in selling out fellow vets at their overlords’ behest. I guess neither of them ever took the time to seek out the Latin translation of Semper Fidelis.
Bearden now appears to be attempting to rewrite history by way of pushing this expensive boondoggle as having some sort of benefit to veterans. However, it would be much more helpful were the county to allow our local population of homeless vets to construct a tent city on the parcel to use in the at least two years it will now take for the Tunnels 2 Towers project to be completed.
As in any big government project, the devil is in the details, and we have precious few details available despite Tuesday’s vote to use $4 million of the public’s money to get the project off the ground. We did learn that the total cost is expected to be at least $30 million, but that would seem to create more questions than answers, given that the only building on the 24-acre parcel would be a 12,000 square foot “welcome center,” the need for which was not explained in Tuesday’s presentation.
Not to worry, our crack county administrator tells us. He’s had favorable conversations with state and federal legislators, as well as an unnamed philanthropist, so even if they prsently have no idea how the rest of the park will be paid for, the money is sure to roll in. If that were true, of course, it would seem unnecessary for the board to commit $1.5 beyond what is needed for the planning and design phase in order to “demonstrate the project's viability.” Nevertheless, this is the sort of pretzel logic that has become par for the course in Manatee County.
As a veteran, I am unclear as to how exactly spending this much money “honoring” those who have served with a park would be better than putting that funding into additional resources that would actually support struggling veterans in this community. As for honoring the fallen, we would change the name of any number of existing parks, put down some concrete pads, and invite the same donations of monuments that are included in the plans for this project.
What’s more, the county commission recently had the chance to honor veterans when it was slated to name a park in the Bayshore area in the spring of 2022. In fact, many residents of that neighborhood suggested it be named after Christopher Cobb, a 19-year-old Marine, and Bayshore High graduate who was killed while serving in Iraq back in 2004.
It was none other than Rahn, a developer hack attempting to primary fellow Republican Misty Servia at the time, who undertook a campaign to hijack the naming poll Servia had set up by calling on Republicans to flood the poll with votes to name it Ron DeSantis Park. Servia, a blue-star mother whose two sons are currently serving as infantrymen, begged board members to no avail not to politicize the process.
Now Manatee County has a park named after a sitting governor who just got embarrassed out of the Republican Presidential Primary, and we’re $4 million dollars into another park that will be placed in a remote area of the county with total costs and funding sources still unknown.
Meanwhile, the Manatee County Environmental Land Acquisition Committee is attempting to move forward with a long-planned purchase of 97 acres adjacent to Emerson Point Preserve. The purchase, which would use state reimbursement that would likely be subsidized by funding from the conservation and parks project referendum passed by voters in 2020, will soon go before the county commission for approval with ELMAC’s recommendation. It would seem to me that this is precisely the sort of thing voters had in mind when they overwhelmingly supported the referendum. However, I’m hearing rumors that some commissioners are looking to put the brakes on it, so be sure and stay tuned.
For the past two election cycles, Manatee County voters were sold a board of “fiscal conservatives” who would run this county more like a business. What they got was a bunch of big spenders who are managing the public’s finances about as well as they had their own before being bought seats on your county commission. This year, you will again receive many glossy mail pieces, emails, and robocalls promising more of the same, only that’s exactly what you will be getting—more of the same. Unless, of course, residents get it together and vote these developer puppets out of office.
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. His 2016 short story collection, Casting Shadows, was recently reissued and is available here.
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bmotter08
As a 29 year active duty veteran with 4 combat tours who moved to Bradenton 3 years ago after retiring I have to say I am extremely disappointed in the county commission. First the Tunnels 2 Towers fiasco, it blows my mind that any Veteran, much a less a combat veteran would not want this project to go ahead! I live very close to the site and saw the fear mongering, the delayed meetings (an attempt to not have people show up), the last minute announcement of said meeting, again, hide it from the people. I then recently read about a planned 30 Million dollar Veterans monument/park. My reaction is ….. really, no really? Why would the county spend an exorbitant amount of money on what could be done for much less with more meaning and Honor to those who not only served but gave their lives for US. I know; I was a reconnaissance soldier, that MOST if NOT all of us Veterans would rather see 30 million go to something more tangible than another park. Do NOT misunderstand me, I honor and miss my friends, who lost their lives while in or were one of the 22 a day! There is a better way to honor them. I know each branch of service has a value system, we have them memorized; Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage. I think some Veterans on the counsel should ponder those values and reassess their actions. You who were Officers and NCO’s evaluated your subordinates in counseling statements and Evaluation Reports….How would you evaluate your recent actions board members?
Sunday, February 18 Report this
David Daniels
Well done, again. Another in a long line of spot-on opinion pieces. Every paragraph makes a relevant point. Every sentence zings with truth. It's unfortunate that, week after week after week, Manatee County's "leaders" provide a landfill's amount of garbage to mine columns from.
Sunday, February 18 Report this
pattybeenutty
Thank you, as usual, for bringing the truth to light.
My three brothers were in Vietnam and would love a park, but they would also like the 30 million to go to helping those veterans who do not have families to assist them in their daily lives.
Please, think about more housing rather than a park!
Monday, February 19 Report this
Cat L
Oh, my… they were both Marines? That’s embarrassing. And nice call-out, “always faithful” my bum. More like “sui servientes” (self serving) or “potest emit” (can be bought.)
Monday, February 19 Report this
ruthlawler
Mitch: well done! How embarrassing to see this kind of waste...waste of taxpayers money, time, staff resources and County land. If monies are secured from State or Federal coffers, it is STILL taxpayers money. I'm not a veteran, yet am a daughter, sister and widow of veterans, all of whom served honorably. If we truly care about our veterans, then provide housing and resources for veterans, NOT a remote park with NO services for the veterans. Fiscally conservative...what a JOKE! Ruth Lawler
Tuesday, February 20 Report this
Debann
WORST BOCC EVER...CHANGE HAPPENS AT THE POLLS KEVIN, SATCHER, TURNER NEED TO BE VOTED OUT...WHAT AN EMBARRASSMENT THIS BOCC IS....CONSERVATIVES MY ASS...VETERANS ONCE AGAIN LET DOWN...WHERE'S THE HOUSING FOR VETERANS???MAYBE THE PICNIC TABLES AND BENCHES....VOTE PEOPLE..
Tuesday, February 20 Report this
WTF
Between the CARES and American Rescue Plan that totaled over 152 MILLION dollars other than the 6 million of Federal money to pay utilities for the land for T2T not one thin dime has gone to housing homeless Veterans that have been homeless from the day Rahn, Bearden, Ballard and Satcher took office. In fact out of the 15 million promised to VETERANS only 6 million went for dirt and Amanda Ballard redirected the very last of 1.4 MILLION dollars of homeless Veterans monies into "office design" on her self serving project. This entire BOCC is an embarrassment not only to our community but a slap in the fact to those who served out country and they were left out in the weather to this day.
“Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”
- President Ronald Reagan,
Thursday, February 22 Report this
NancyLoizeaux
Mitch,
Thank you once again for illuminating the fiscal irresponsibility of the the current board of commissioners.
EVERY vote counts!
Readers, please make sure you, your family and friends are registered to vote AND informed!
Thursday, February 22 Report this