Water Park Possibility Makes Hotel-Sized Splash

BRADENTON – At Tuesday's BOCC meeting, commissioners approved a "Request For Proposal" (RFP) for an entertainment water park just off on I-75 and S.R. 64 in Bradenton. Manatee County's Comprehensive Plan says yes to such a park, but asks, what the definition of 'hotel' is.

Commissioner Charles Smith said he thought it was all backwards, regarding the idea to build the water park before having a hotel to lodge those that go there. Smith said the county was short on hotels and asked why the county wouldn't work on bringing a hotel here before approving and building a large commercial water park.

It seems the remedy was in one of the previously submitted project plans. Manatee County's Planning Manager Lisa Barrett said the hotel is a contributing accessory to the water park.

Lisa presented verbiage in the Comp Plan that suggests up to a 70-room hotel could qualify as an accessory to the park, exempting it from Comp Plan restrictions. A Comp Plan change would be an action that would require a publicly announced quasi-judicial process, one of which would be difficult to be accepted by surrounding neighborhoods.

Commissioner Betsy Benac first recognized a puzzling nature about the proposal; and was not convinced of how it could be accepted by the public. That remained Benac's concern. She knew if an RFP to build the park were to be approved, a hotel to accommodate those extra travelers might find it difficult getting through the approval process. But Benac was told the decision, by law, would not have to go through the process if it were considered an accessory to the park. Commissioner John Chappie supported the same concerns.

Representing the company that had constructed the first proposal that included having a hotel in the mix was local attorney Caleb Grimes. Grimes said his clients were well aware of the struggling argument of going through public approval or not, and said that they too would support a final approval that considered public input and representation.

County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said in support of approving the proposed public request to advertise a RFP for the water park project, "Any application can be turned down when it comes before the board."