Manatee commissioners review draft 2025 legislative priorities, ask staff to return with final vote packet

Manatee County commissioners reviewed a draft package of state and federal legislative priorities and appropriation requests and asked staff to return with a cleaned-up final packet for formal action at the Oct. 21 regular meeting.

Brent Anderson, Manatee County government relations manager, told the board the packet is organized in three parts: the core legislative priorities for state and federal lobbying, a section aligning with FAC and NACO positions, and an appropriations request list. "The goal of this is to just kind of get a consensus of the document from the Board as to what to bring for bridal vote on the October 21 meeting," Anderson said.

Anderson said the first two pages list the compact set of priorities staff will use as “leave-behinds” when county leaders meet legislators in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.; the remaining items will live on the county website as monitoring/appropriations requests. Commissioners discussed several lines of the draft and asked for specific edits before the packet is finalized.

Key points

- Library-advisory board language: Commissioner Ballard said she supports expanding the advisory board’s geography and size but worried a statutory change could lock the county into a configuration that would be hard to change later. She told staff, "my personal preference would be to take it to just strike it entirely and bring it back so that we can create whatever ordinance we like and then change it as the needs of the community change over time." Staff said they will propose either a strike or revised language.

- Affordable-housing line (“Live Local”): Commissioners asked staff to clarify which Live Local provisions the draft refers to. One commissioner warned the text could be read as supporting broader tax abatement authority than intended; staff agreed to add specificity (for example, whether the proposal targets a 120% AMI threshold or a lower limit).

- Tourist development tax: Anderson said the county is adopting a cautious posture and recommended removing the line that would imply a firm County position because the issue is fluid and proposals vary each year.

Appropriation requests (as presented)

- State requests (staff-recommended amounts): Veterans Resource Hub — $3,000,000; Singletary Road bridge replacement — $1,500,000 (county match expected to reach a roughly $3,000,000 project total on the House side); 50 First Street (West) extension — $3,000,000; Fresh Start Phase 2 (state-side) — $2,500,000; Anna Maria Pier — amount listed but final number to be clarified.

- Federal requests (staff-recommended amounts/notes): Veterans Resource Hub — $3,000,000; Gateway Greenway Trail (phase request) — $3,000,000 this year (total project ~$6,000,000); Gamble Creek flood mitigation and mapping — $3,000,000; Fresh Start Phase 2 (federal placeholder) — staff indicated a $3,000,000 placeholder while they seek final federal guidance.

Board direction and next steps

Commissioners asked staff to clean typos and tighten language, remove or clarify ambiguous lines (particularly the Live Local and tourist development tax references), and prepare a final packet for a formal vote at the Oct. 21 meeting. Anderson said staff will incorporate the requested edits and return the revised materials for board action.

Ending

The board did not take a formal vote during the work session; staff will bring a cleaned-up packet and the appropriation list back to the board for action at the Oct. 21 meeting.