Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Naming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Manatee board votes to advertise naming of King Middle School courts after de Palmer in response to public comment
Summary
After a public commenter urged a dual dedication, the Manatee County School District board voted 5-0 to advertise naming the courts adjacent to Martha B. King Middle School the 'de Palmer Volitary Courts'; advertising is a procedural step, not a final naming vote.
The Manatee County School District board on June 23 voted unanimously to advertise a proposed name for the courts adjacent to Martha B. King Middle School, after a public commenter urged the district to recognize two local tennis pioneers.
Fernando Edelstein, a member of the public who identified himself during the meeting, urged the board to expand the naming scope to include Mike de Palmer Sr. alongside the name the county commissioners had proposed. "I ask you to please review all the supporting documents submitted with the naming form to fully understand the entire history," Edelstein said, arguing that both men helped make the area a "tennis mecca" and that a joint dedication would better reflect that history.
The superintendent recommended the board advertise the naming of the courts (recorded in the meeting as the "de Palmer Volitary Courts") and the board recorded a motion to advertise, moved by Mr. Kennedy and seconded by Mr. Chote. The board chair indicated the advertising motion passed 5-0; meeting materials and the board transcript show this vote was to authorize public notice and begin the formal process, not to finalize a permanent name.
Board members did not debate a final dedication during the meeting; the advertising step opens the formal public-notice and comment period before a future decision. The board's vote covered only the advertising action. Edelstein and others who spoke asked the district to consider a dual dedication honoring both Mike de Palmer Sr. and the individual identified in county materials; the names and spellings used in public comments differed in parts of the record, and the board will have an opportunity to resolve the official wording during the formal naming process.
The board also handled routine business during the meeting, including approval of consent items and minutes, and will return to the naming item later in the process once the public-advertising and comment period is complete.
