Manatee commissioners approve termination of roundabout reimbursement talks after public protest, sunshine-law dispute

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voted 4–3 on Aug. 19 to instruct county staff to cease negotiation of changes and to proceed under the existing reimbursement agreement related to proposed transportation improvements at University Parkway and Legacy Boulevard.

The vote followed more than three hours of public comment and extended debate among commissioners about whether the agreement and the process that put it on the agenda complied with Florida’s Sunshine Law. Commissioner McCann repeatedly urged the board to obtain an outside legal opinion on whether public notice and the board’s handling of the item met statutory requirements; Commissioner McCann said, “There is a Sunshine Law violation here,” and urged delay to seek formal counsel.

Supporters of moving forward said the November 2024 consent-item vote that first authorized the agreement had been properly noticed and briefed. Chairman Cruz, who presided over the meeting, told the board that the agreement had been publicly posted and defended staff’s handling, saying the item “was put in at the same time as other ones were with the same information other ones were.” He and other commissioners who supported the motion said terminating or reopening the contract risked costly…