Manatee County's legislative delegation used its annual local hearing on Friday to bring dozens of community leaders and nonprofit organizations before lawmakers, who heard requests ranging from dollars for water and stormwater projects to concerns about state policy changes that could affect local government authority.

Local governments and regional agencies opened the post-bill portion of the meeting. City of Bradenton officials asked for state partnership on rehabilitation of water, wastewater and stormwater systems and vertical capital projects; the Sarasota-Manatee MPO urged FDOT investment to relieve barrier-island congestion and improve bridge links; the Peace River/Manasota authority gave a construction update on pipelines and a planned reservoir; and State College of Florida, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee and Mote Marine summarized campus and lab projects seeking state support.

County leaders framed a package that included a Veterans Resource Center, SRF requests and an interchange at Fort Hamer, while flagging a broader policy area that dominated public comment: potential reductions to property taxes and clarifications to Senate Bill 180's implementation. "The bill was very well intended," Senator Jim Boyd told the delegation, adding that sponsors are open to fixes where agencies' application of the law produced unintended consequences.

Public testimony covered many topics. Multiple speakers raised alarms about proposed changes to local taxing authority and urged careful public explanation if the Legislature considers constitutional changes to homestead exemptions. Environmental and land-use advocates and some local residents urged targeted protections — including along the Myakka River — and asked that language in SB 180 that freezes certain local plan changes (referred to in testimony as sections 18 and 28) be clarified or repealed.

Other prominent items in public comment and presentations included calls to:

- Keep the iBudget waiver optional for families with developmental disabilities rather than mandate managed care statewide; parents and waiver support coordinators said waiver support coordinators provide continuity of care for those with complex needs.
- Pass legislation allowing family-installed cameras in long-term-care rooms; multiple family members described assaults or suspicious incidents and said cameras can aid oversight.
- Increase funding for behavioral-health crisis services, homelessness prevention and peer navigation programs, which presenters said avoid costlier institutional care if funded at scale.

Delegation members repeatedly said the hearing is a first step and invited follow-up meetings in Tallahassee to refine bill language and requests. "Please call us," Representative Connolly said; delegates urged organizations to provide more detailed documentation for appropriations requests and to work with legislative staff on statutory fixes.

Provenance: Numerous presentations and public comments are recorded across the transcript; see the meeting timeline for specific timecodes and presenters.