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Commission splits 3–2 to recommend county-initiated Lake Manatee EMS expansion despite conservation concerns
Summary
After a lengthy, often contentious hearing, the planning commission recommended approval of a county-initiated rezoning and GDP to expand the Lake Manatee EMS station to house two ambulances. Supporters cited long response times and operational need; opponents warned rezoning conservation land and adding septic near Lake Manatee could harm water
The Manatee County Planning Commission narrowly recommended approval, by a 3–2 vote, of a county-initiated rezoning and general development plan to expand the Lake Manatee EMS facility and create a new 4,740‑square‑foot EMS station adjacent to the existing county facilities north of State Road 64.
Deputy Director James Crutchfield told commissioners the station area currently averages response times of about 17 minutes, versus the countywide average of roughly eight minutes, and said the county has procured an additional ambulance slated for delivery next year. The expansion, Crutchfield and other county presenters said, would house two ambulances initially and provide capacity for future growth.
The proposal would rezone about 10.16 county-owned acres from agriculture and conservation zoning into PDPI (plan development — public interest) while retaining Lake Manatee watershed and special-treatment overlays. County consultant Dan Bond and staff member Alicia…
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