Board of County Commissioners

We'll go ahead and get started with an invocation from Reverend Brock Patterson from Longboat Island Chapel, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Bearden. Please rise if you are able. Let us pray. Gracious and heavenly God, we give you great thanks this day. And we thank you, Lord, for the past few days and this past week and all the many things that you have already done for us and the ways that you've cared for us. And Lord, we we ask that you forgive us for those times that we forget and and for the times that we only focus on the difficult and the challenges. Lord, you have blessed us. And Lord, you have blessed us so much by men and women who serve our community. Many of whom, Lord, are gathered here today. We ask your blessings upon all of the men and women who serve in our fire rescue departments, in our police departments and medical personnel. Lord, we ask your blessings upon them and their families as well as they care for us. And Lord, we ask your blessings upon all of the men and women who are serving in our armed forces wherever they may be. and especially Lord those who may be in harm's way. We ask your blessings of safety and protection upon them and upon their families as well. And we ask for safe passage for them to return home. Lord, we thank you for the glory of this day. Fill us with wisdom so that we can do the very best that we can do in your service. We pray this in your holy name. Amen. >> Amen. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Please be seated if you can. >> Administrator Bishop, can you please uh provide a what are the updates for the meeting today? >> Yes, Mr. Chair. All updates were published with the online agenda. Additional public comments were received after publishing the gen generic public comments and item 46, Bishop Animal Kennels. Thank you, sir. If you'll allow me to deviate just for a brief moment, I wanted to recognize the passing of former county commissioner Ken Burton senior on last month. Ken Burton served from 1966 when he was first appointed by by the governor until 1975. His work was integral in shaping much of what we do and how Manatee County functions and operates today. You'll recognize a lot of his impacts. He played a pivotal role in building the county's core infrastructure, centralizing the sewer systems from a community that used to rely on wells and septic. He developed and served on a board of five at the time to work to develop Lake Manatee, established Seapport Manatee, and created the Braden Area Convention Center, then known as a civic center, and centralized played a key role in centralizing the county's library system, allowing it to span from the island to all the way to Lakewood Ranch and beyond. He was also deeply committed to his community life, supporting local schools, preserving historic sites like the old Palmetto Cemetery, and helped to found the North River News outlet in Palmetto. He survived by his two sons, his wife, Ken Burton Senior, Ken Burton Jr., the tax collector, Jeff Burton, his second wife, and many more. If you all would join me in a moment of silence, please. Appreciate it. Thank you all very much. I appreciate that. All right. First, before we get to the proclamations today, I'd like a motion to approve the proclamations. >> That's a motion by Commissioner Ballard, seconded by Commissioner Ron. All in favor, please say I. >> I. All right. We'll begin with the presentation first of the team member of the month award for May. Don't ever move a one. Come on. >> And Commissioner McCann is on just uh for awareness. >> Good morning, board county attorney, uh Chad Butzo, public works. So, we have a great opportunity here today uh to recognize just what I call your your wonderful team member. I mean, we all know that the people behind us as directors are the ones that actually get the work done. Uh but in our storm water group we have taken on over the past especially since the uh the years of 2017 and 2018 and now we've had some more flooding here. These guys are doing a ton of uh field inspections and visiting lots of ponds and other people's ponds because they also investigate every concern that comes in for the most part that isn't just a direct maintenance thing. Should we be doing this? Is this something there? My neighbor did this or that. So it uh they they can certainly find themselves in the myriad of a lot of things, but with civility and ethics, Chris Zitso does a wonderful job. And I want to just stress the idea of I may have even put it on the application uh to review. my uh agreement that he's deserving of this award was I wish I had 20 of him because if you ever deal with the 8020 rule where 20% of your people may use 80% of your time, Chris uses 0% of a supervisor's time. Uh that maturity that he brings to the workforce, his past military experience, just is given a job and performs it and performs it at a high level. I I can't say much more than that for the type of type of person that Chris is. I'll leave Tom to uh speak a little bit more, but one of the very very deserving mature employees that we have, team member of Manatee County, Tom, >> sir. Thank you. >> Yeah. Good morning, Mr. Chair, fellow commissioners, county attorney, county administrator. Um, Christo, he is a to me a model employee of this county. Always does the task at hand. Always reacts as quickly and as promptly as he possibly can to any assignment. Um, his job duties take him everywhere in this county. We have rain and stream gauge stations that are anywhere from Key Royale to Clay Gully Road to Wulola Road to Buckeye Road. So that just gives you an idea of the coverage of what his job, his assignments entail as far as inspecting, as far as maintenance and ensuring that those rain and stream gauge stations that we rely on in this county to monitor for rainfall accumulation and stages are active when we need them the most. So that being said, Chris has served this county for 10 years. Um he also served in the Marine Corps and in the Air Force reserved. He served in Afghanistan and he res received the meritorious medal and the air force accommodation medal and as Chad stated he always accomplishes those tasks. There are he has very little questions. He gets the job done. So with that said, I'm glad to be here today to honor and to award the team member of month award to Chris Sit. So thank you. I just like to thank my leadership who who uh mentored me in in doing my county job. I'd like to thank my team members Darren, Mark, Ken, especially Ken. Ken's the one who nominated me and um I'm just glad to work for Man County. That's all I have. >> Thank you, sir. We greatly appreciate your service and really your team service to our community. When any time people have an issue, nine times out of 10 or eight times out of 10, it's usually public works that's there are boots on the ground filling in the potholes, working with property maintenance, cleaning dishes, and and and many more things to come, many more things in the county. So, thank you very much. It's welld deserved. Congratulations, sir. >> All right. We'll begin with the proclamations first with ALS awareness month. Oh, you gave me one, too. >> All right. >> We get signed by the chairman. All right. Do I have anybody here to accept the proclamation? >> All right. Then I will just read it. Whereas amotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS also known as Lou Gerriig's disease is a progressive and fatal neuro degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord ultimately robbing individuals of the ability to move, speak, and breathe. And whereas the exact causes of ALS remain unknown, there is currently no cure. And certain populations, including military veterans, face a higher risk of developing and dying from the disease. And whereas individuals living with ALS require access to comprehensive care, including advanced therapies, assisted technologies, and supportive services to maintain dignity and quality of life. And whereas organizations like the ALS Association and local foundations work tirelessly to provide care, support families, and advance research toward effective treatments. And whereas amotrophic lateral sclerosis awareness month raises public awareness recognizes the impact on individuals and families and supports efforts to find a cure. Now therefore be it proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of Manatee County, Florida that May 2026 shall be known, designated and set aside as amotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS awareness month in Manatee County, Florida. adopted with a quorum president voting this Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 board of county commissioners and it's signed by our chair Tal Sadik. Uh this this proclamation is actually uh really close to my heart this year. Um I have a a friend from high school who I graduated with who died at 37 years old uh leaving two very young sons of this disease, a a very aggressive variant. And so she uh progressed with the disease very very quickly, died within a year and um was a very very sad situation for the community and for her family. And so I'm proud to to read that proclamation and raise some awareness. >> Thank you, Commissioner. While you're up there, I also have you for the National Drug Court and Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Awareness Month. >> Wonderful. >> Right there. Oh, there you go. >> Come on up, guys. So, I have the absolute privilege of reading this proclamation today uh for opioid and stimulant disorder awareness month. Uh this one has also been very close to my heart. I think I've had the privilege every year that I've been a commissioner to read this proclamation and it is one of my very favorites every year because the work that drug court does to help individuals struggling um with this disorder is absolutely amazing. It's one of the best investments that we make at the county to take people who are struggling with substance abuse and uh help build them into productive citizens. So, thank you. Whereas 2026 marks the 29th an anniversary of Manatee County Treatment Court. What began as a stra standalone drug court now includes a veterans treatment court and a healthc care court providing opportunity to more residents of Manatee County. Whereas since 1997, the Manatee County Treatment Court has more than 1,700 graduates who demonstrate that the Manatee County Treatment Court with its 81% success rate, which is amazing, has significantly improved substance abuse treatment outcomes and reduced drug abuse and related crime. And whereas the treatment court has reduced drug abuse and related crime and has done so with less expense than any other justice strategy. Fewer than 20% of Manatee County treatment court graduates recidivate and there have been 85 drug-free babies born during this time. And whereas the drug court movement has grown from 12 original courts in 1994 to a national organization of 3,57 operational drug courts and 3,882 problemsolving courts as of December of 2020. And whereas Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 is designated as the day Manatee County Treatment Court celebrates National Drug Court month and the promise of recovery and restored hope to treatment court graduates and their families. Now therefore, be it proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of Manatee County, Florida, that May 2026 shall be known, designated, and set aside as National Drug Court and Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorder Awareness Month in Manatee County, Florida. Adopted with a quorum present in voting this Tuesday, May 5th, 2026. Board of County Commissioners, Manatee County, Florida, signed by our chair, Talcadik. >> Thank you so much. >> Good morning, everybody. I would like to thank the board of county commissioners for your support for our treatment courts. Uh as we said, we began with just a drug court. Now we have a healthc care court for mental health people and veterans treatment court for vets. Um and and actually from that we've expanded to other courts that are very similar problem solving court. So want to thank you uh because if it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't be able to do the things we do. And what we really want to let you know is that your money is actually an investment in the community because I have behind me some graduates right now. People who've been in the program, who graduated, who giving back to the community. Um, I also have with me my supervisor, Kendra. Uh, she's our uh operations manager for our criminal justice. Uh, so I'd like for her to give a word right now as well. So, >> thank you. Good morning and thank you to the board uh for your recognition this morning of this. So what's most important is that on behalf of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court um we do really appreciate the continued partnership and support of the treatment courts in general here in Manatee County. Um, one of the most important things about drug court specifically is that it not only reduces the recidivism that we see, but also the most important piece is the impact that it has on so many lives and the families that are rebuilding as those particular clients are going through their path to recovery. And most importantly too, I would like to thank Alfred and the entire team for the endless amount of work and hours that they put into helping these individuals. Um there's a lot of uh transference trauma that they endure during this and um they give back so much to not only to you know this program but also to the community. So, um, again, thank you so much for your support and can specifically Commissioner Baler, thank you for everything that you are doing and your passion uh behind supporting certain projects that are underway. >> Thanks. >> Thank you. >> As I stated earlier, I have some graduates with us and uh I'd like to give them an opportunity to just tell you what their lives have been like and what drug court has done for you. James up. >> Good morning. Uh, my name is James Litwin. Um, I am a drug court graduate as of August 2024. Um, prior to drug court, uh, for 9 or 10 years, I was on the streets here in Bradon. Um, not doing any good to the community. Um, multiple hospitalized resuscitations and, uh, brought me to the point of just enough was enough. Um, after the drug court program, um, I was placed into a, uh, recovery home and I am now able to provide insight and help to, uh, others going through that program. I am the, uh, program director for the recovery home. Um, and I'm just able to give back to the community and, um, tell my story. Thank you. from Riley. >> Good morning. My name is James Riley. I uh I got into uh drug court with uh no hope and no direction in my life. And uh by drug court itself giving me the accountability and the structure I needed as well as um my counselor being there for me as well as other people in drug court that helped me along the way. Um, I was able to change my life around and uh, I'm now uh, part I started a business, Old Faithful Home Improvement Services with someone. Um, I'm in my community a lot. I go to a lot of meetings. I try to help people. Um, and it completely changed my life by the structure and accountability that drug court gave me. Thank you. Have Bridges here. She comes almost every year since she's graduated. So, >> good morning. So, I have been coming here every year. This is actually kind of like getting the coin for me. It's super important since I since I started. Um, I have been flying over even to make sure I I the attendance here is important for me. Um, and every year I'm still learning more. So, I was of course running around in Brain Bradon getting in trouble with the rest. um IV drug user was in drug court for approximately two years. I also did the mothers and infants program which is a combined collaboration. So I have my 15year-old daughter who is not here with me today. But what it what we don't show is all the impacts. I was thinking on my drive over here this morning that it's not just me you saved. It's not just my daughter. Now I have two grandkids, right? It's it's trickling into everything else and that makes it so much more important. So, please keep doing what you're doing. I'm out there trying to fight the good fight with the rest of us. Um, I'm now an executive with Centerstone and I've been working to kind of teach the community about what um what drug addiction is and what those impacts are. And I really appreciate you all being here. Thank you. >> Good morning everyone. Um, you know, last night I was writing something to say this morning and uh I just threw that out the window stuck in traffic this morning. Um, as I'm taking my 9-year-old daughter who was born into uh drug court in uh 2017, my first round, um, I'm sitting there and all I could think of was I get to be frustrated in traffic driving with a license that I acquired while in drug court. Um, that was so nine years ago. Um, I got invited to come back into drug court um, in uh, 2024. I was released from jail on January 14th. Uh, since then I hit the ground running um, working parallel with High on Jesus, Hand Up to Victory, and uh, at the root of it, drug court giving me the opportunity to not only change my life, but my four children. Um, I have four kids that have all A's. They have their mother back. Um, I now have the honor to be a mentor for drug court and share with new clients and newcomers to a program um, how we can have a better life through it. So, thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Ballard. And I just can't wait to see what's next. >> I want to read something for us because one of the people that I wanted to be here today was not able to be here. His name is Jason Bennett. One of the things we also developed in the drug court program is uh what we call the hit program, highintensity track. And that track is for people who normally would be headed to prison, but we give them an opportunity to to do the drug court program. It's extended time. They're more responsibilities. They're more things they have to do. But in in lie of that, they get the opportunity of remaining home, getting a job, and not going to prison if they do the things that they need to do. And so Jason was the first person that we gave this opportunity to and he did not miss a beat. And because of him, it opened the door for other people to get this opportunity. But he told me, I tried to get him to be here, but he said, "Hey, I'm in Tallahassee for the next three weeks for business, Alfred." He said, "I'm terribly sorry." He said, "I'll get back with you when I get home." And his wife Ariel was also a drug court graduate. She's not an AR&P and uh she's doing well. He says, "Uh, we just bought 30.53 acres in Mariana." And so we're going to be coming back next week and uh we're going to be building an Airbnb and create a destiny uh that he said that God has placed on his heart. So I just want you guys to understand that when you when you fund us, you're you're helping people like accomplish the dreams that they've always had in their hearts. you're also creating a a situation where people who normally would be on the streets causing havoc are now giving back to the community from which they came. So, we just want to say thank you once again for your support and uh we just want to continue to show you that your money is well spent and we'll continue doing the things we do so that the community can continue to thrive. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. All right. Next, we have the Emergency Medical Services Week proclamation by Commissioner George Cruz. AMS, come on up. >> Are you sir? going to say bought an ambulance trucked more than two. All right, you good? >> All right. Whereas Manatee County Emergency Medical Services is a vital public service for the residents and visitors of Manatee County. And whereas access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury. And whereas Manatee County Emergency Medical Services fills health care gaps by providing important outofhos care, including preventive medicine, follow-up care, and access to telea medicine and innovative community health programs that address the unique needs of our county's residents. And whereas Manatee County's emergency medical services system consists of emergency medical technicians, paramedics, community health workers, case workers, a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a licensed clinical social worker, support service technicians, administrative staff, educators, and an emergency physician. And whereas Manatee County Emergency Medical Services continues to demonstrate excellence in patient care and operational practices by maintaining prestigious accreditations from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services and the Commission of Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems reflecting their commitment to the highest industry standards. And whereas it is appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of Manatee County's emergency medical services providers by designating emergency medical services week. Now therefore be it proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of Manatee County, Florida that May 17th through 23rd, 2026 shall be known, designated, and set aside as emergency medical services week in Manatee County, Florida. adopted with a quorum present and voting this Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 and signed by our chairman, Tal Sadik. Thank you all. Good morning. Sorry. Um, commissioners, county administrator, um, county attorney Sean Dwire, EMS chief for Many County EMS. I'm truly humbled to have such an extraordinary group surrounding me today uh of the small bit of the 250 that we now have of paramedics, EMTs, and those that support us. This week's theme is improving outcomes together. And I can't think of a better way that our organization accomplishes that. The results of our work is not surprising. Um, for those that see our teamwork and see us run calls, they are entrusting us at their most dire moment. We don't take that lightly. Um, our paramedics and EMTs work diligently in this community to make sure that the care that they provide is top-notch. And I don't just say that openly and and willy-nilly. the the state standard for return of spontaneous circulation or when we get pulses back um is 21%. The national standard is around the same. Many county is at 38% of return of spontaneous circulation. So that's kudos to the individuals that do the job every single day. Um some other quick highlights for things that we've done this year. We've delivered 20 babies, which is pretty cool. Um, we've also given blood 20 times this year, which is a new tool in our toolbox to help our community um, and those that need it the most. Um, I am so thankful that you guys are are recognizing this week for us. I'm so thankful that these individuals are here to support it. Uh, we welcome you all to come ride with us um, should you be daring enough to do so. Um, we promise we'll we'll keep you buckled up and you'll be safe. But um we are thankful that you're recognizing this week for us and uh so thankful that you took the time for us today. >> Uh Jody Fisk, public safety director. I really just want to say to the team behind me, you guys are amazing. Um I I couldn't do the job that you do and you do it so well. And the one thing I I think that's really important to note about uh the EMS division is that they could really easily sit back and say we're meeting and exceeding standards and we're doing great and you know we're just going to maintain the status quo. But they ask what else can we do? How can we push the envelope with the blood uh delivery? I you know I'm I'm just now seeing things coming from the federal government about grants for that and this team has been doing it for what a year and a half, two years. you know, they're they're ahead. They set the standard. So, thank you guys. You know, you do all the hard work and you make me look good. So, >> I appreciate you. Um, but for anyone who wants to, you know, the stations are there. Please feel free to come by. Say thank you to the crews. None of us ever say no to baked goods. Um, you know, food, you know, food is key. Um, but thank you so much. Thank you for the recognition. And guys, thank you for what you do. Um, I can't I just can't say enough about you. You know, Chief, I have been in a ride along. Uh, it was a So, staff were well, EMS staff were very accommodating, very gracious. Few years ago, someone ran a stop sign, hit my wife and I, and she's doing well. We're all well, but she sustained more severe injuries than I did, and EMS came by very quickly. I don't remember too much of it. and everything's pretty quick, but they did a great did a fantastic job taking us over to Blake. Just very pleasant, very kind people. So, thank you very much for uh whoever that was uh on that particular ride, but also thank you to all of EMS. The work you do is not uh it's very important. And with that 38% recirculation rate, I was talking to some other some folks in the fire service about this as well. That's that's incredible. That's awesome. 38% is that's that's very difficult. It reflects the level of training and effort you put into your staff. So, congratulations and I'm very happy to see this proclamation here. I have Commissioner McCann on the phone as well. Go ahead, sir. Being head on mute for him. I just want to say a week is not enough. I had the pleasure and displeasure of using your services last Sunday and I want to tell you, you know, your paramedics are very compassionate, caring. Uh they did such an excellent job. I just want to say thank you to all of you and I I'll tell you the thing is that, you know, your services are invaluable and life-saving. Thank you. >> You guys do amazing work. You are on the front lines to save Mante County citizens. We can't thank you enough. I can't thank you enough. I know the citizens can't thank you enough for the this job you guys do every single day. 20 babies. That's pretty cool. Um, you know, I got to ride along when I first became a commissioner and um I don't know what driving course you guys go through, but um I appreciate that. When they hit the lights, it was I was holding on for dear life. Um but um thank you for the job you do. Thank you for, you know, being here and and with Commissioner McCann. A week is not enough for you guys. We need to recognize you guys every day for the job that you do here in Mante County, saving lives and going out there and uh being in the doing the hardest work that has to be done. The things that you guys see are just incredible that most of us will never see in our lifetime. But uh thank you for the job you do. We're so proud of each and every one of you and just wanted uh to say that to you guys today. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you guys. All right. Next, we have Small Business Week in Manatee County read by Commissioner Mike Ron. >> Good morning, Chamber. >> And a very special appearance by our Manatee County Chamber of Commerce. >> Don't be shy. >> All right. Chambers chamber folks are acting a little shy this morning and never really they're never shy. Um this is a this is a great honor for me to to be able to do this proclamation. Small business and small businesses are the backbone of America. They're the backbone of what we do every day. They're the backbone of the state of Florida. They're the backbone of Mante County. Small businesses keep the economy going when the economy starts to fall. And small business owners are not only entrepreneurs, but they're inventors of what they do every day. And it's just such a great pleasure to be standing here this morning with the Many County Chamber folks. But let me go ahead and read the proclamation. Whereas small businesses are a cornerstone of Man County's economy, creating jobs, driving innovation, contributing to the unique character of our communities. And whereas small businesses play a vital role in strengthening the economy, the economic viability and resilience of Mante County by supporting local families, generating revenue, and fostering entrepreneurship. And whereas the dedication and perseverance of small business owners and their employees help sustain a diverse and thriving business environment throughout the county. And whereas small businesses enhance the quality of life in Mante County by providing essential goods and services, supporting local initiatives, and investing in the communities they serve. And whereas the Many County Chamber in partnership with Mante County government plays an important role in supporting, advocating for, and promoting small businesses across the region. Now there let it be proclaimed by the board of county commissioners of Mante County, Florida that May 3 through 9, 2026 shall be known and designated and set aside as small business week in Manatee County here in Mante County, Florida. Adopted a quorum present and voting this Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 signed by our chair Tal Sadique. Congratulations. Good morning. Um, I am Justin Phillips. I'm the chairman of the board for the Manatee uh, Chamber of Commerce this year. And I want to thank Chairman Sadi, fellow county commissioners, county administrator, county attorney uh, for this important recognition of National Small Business Week. As the largest chamber in the Tampa Bay region with over 90% of our chamber members falling into the SBA's definition of a small business, we're dedicated to supporting small businesses from every industry type. We are privileged to work with small businesses every day. They have unique needs and we are focused on helping them grow to be even more successful. As a small business owner myself and several others that are up here, I can personally tell you that when people in our community make the decision to shop locally, it has a tremendous impact not only on our businesses but with our families and on our lives and our team members lives and families. It makes a huge difference and we work hard to return that favor and partner with other people in the community. Our partnership with the county is an important asset in the chamber serving our community. And we truly encourage everyone to shop locally and make it a priority to do business locally. This truly makes our community a great place to live, work, and play. Thank you so much for this honor. Appreciate it. >> Thank you. >> Okay. All right. Chamber folks. All right. At this time, we'll move on with the rest uh with the consent portion of our meeting. Would anyone like to pull items from the consent agenda? >> All right. Seeing none, I'll ask for a motion to approve consent. >> I want to pull something. or Commissioner McCann, you like to pull something? >> Yes. 30 and 31. >> Okay. Let the record reflect Commissioner McCann is pulling items 30 and 31. All right. I'll accept a motion to approve consent minus items 30 and 31. >> Second. >> All right. That's a motion by Commissioner Ron, seconded by Commissioner Ballard to approve consent minus items 30 and 31. At this time, I'll accept public comment for consent minus items 30 and 31. Anyone like to provide comment? Seeing none, I'll close public comment for consent. Nobody's on the phone. All right, you can cast your votes. >> And Commissioner McCain, how do you vote? I >> I All right, that passes unanimously. All right, we'll go on to citizen comment for future agenda items. You have 30 minutes. We have 30 minutes. Uh, please state your name, county of residence, and I have a list. I'll start with Pat Simmons. Good morning, Pet Man County. Um, bear with me just a second, please. Okay, there are now eight states are used to be nine but Indiana pulled out. Yay. Indiana. So now Florida, Alaska, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, Texas are continuing their attack on section and in aggression mandate through Texas versus Kennedy lawsuit. This case targets the ability for people with disabilities to work and participate in their community and with supports that they need rather than being forced into institutions. You all have connections in telly. Please use them. I called the attorney general's office yesterday and left a message. Florida needs to follow Indiana's needs to follow Indiana and pull out this ridiculous lawsuit. They need to start supporting people with disabilities. it not it it's not only about students and their 504 plans. It's about keeping people with disabilities out of institutions. We will not go back. We work too hard to get the Homestead Act passed and to get the ADA passed and to get 5 foot4 passed to turn back now. So use whatever juju and voodoo that you have to get Florida out of this and show respect for people with disabilities. And also those seats back there, they're for people with disabilities and their um caretakers or people that come with them. They're not for the general public. It's just like parking in our disabled parking spots. >> Thank you, ma'am. We have non Ron Nerburgger. Next. >> Good morning. My name is Ron Nerburgger, Manatee County and City of Bradington resident and president of the Bradington Shuffle Board Club at 1525 Ballard Park Drive on land that was originally used for the purpose of shuffleboard and lawn mowing. As some of you may recall, I was here last year at this time looking for help from the county to build us a new shuffleboard facility. Now that the city of Bradington has non-renewed our lease that runs out in March of 2028 and is thus forcing us to relocate. I recently met with the mayor's office, city administrator and CPA director Jeff Burton, as I did last year, asking for any progress being made. The mayor continues to remind us that the city is not a recreation business, but the county is. Therefore, I am hoping you will work with the city in coordinated effort for a replacement facility for the Bradington Shuffle board club. As you know, our club has been a staple and institution in Bradington for 103 years. With the thousands of people moving into this area, adding recreational opportunities available for them is imperative. Shuffle board is just as important activity as pickle ball, tennis, baseball, or horseshoes. Some $30 million are being spent on activities in our county right now. Places such as LMCO Field, GT Bray Park, Bennett Park, or Premier Sports at Lakewood Ranch are all places that have room for a facility. And there is obviously money available. The value of shuffle board is three-fold. One, social interaction. Two, it is a sport for those who wish a more competitive nature or just for fun. It is less physically demanding, thus providing a venue for all ages. At the Bradington Club, we host national, state, and local tournaments for over 100 years. We consistently have well over 100 members and play year round. It is a travesty that the city would close our club after some 100 years with no replacement plan in place. It is also alarming that the county cannot find us a place with all their recent plans for recreational expansion. I hope the city and county can work together on this issue as time is running out. Please find us a place. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. I have Heidi Mikim next. Good morning. Heidi Mahim, Manatee County, Maka City activist. What a beautiful morning it was to come here to wake up, get in that nice hot shower, let the water run, pour a cup of water to make some coffee, take out the nice fresh laundry out of the washing machine. But in reality, we are running out of water, which I think everybody knows. I think we've had this conversation before. Um, Swift Mud has us in a level three um, drought. I guess you know, we're just running out of water. As many of you know, I've spoke before that out east in Maka City, our wells are running low. I've received many phone calls, emails, and private messages on Facebook from residents of Maka City asking me, "What do we do?" And I give them all the advice. Call a well company to come out and maybe lower your your pump or dig you a new well. But we're in a a very critical critical um we're critical right now. And I know that um Manatee County's um their answer to this is I think in 2030 2032 is to pull water from the Peace River. But as you saw the news articles that the Peace River is going dry. I was recently out on the Peace River in Arcadia near the um the campgrounds where you can rent the canoes. Um relatives of ours have a 500 acre lease and run cattle out there. So we were out there. The river is low. There was people on um canoes just pulling the canoes over the sand. There's just not enough water in Manatee County. We have over 30 golf courses that water their golf courses. Do we is anybody monitoring this? We have uh Manatee golf course and that's not even the private golf courses. Manatee Golf Course, Buffalo Buffalo Creek, The Preserve, The Heritage Harbor, Rosedale Golf and Country, Water Leaf, Pine Brook, Img, Maka Golf Course, and Soleta, uh, Greenfield Plantation. There's just a ton of golf courses and they're watering their lawns all the time. Um, not to mention that the Sier community, I think I've mentioned that before, coming in on Makas and Wallow Road, that has a uh 4.5 Crystal Lagoon. That's like millions of water um in there. And how much, you know, with our population for Manatee County, we're over 441,000, I believe, residents. And I think under the statistics that SwiftMUD gave, I believe every residents use about 5,000 gallons a week in water. And yet we were letting future development come. We can't do this, guys. We really have to protect the residents that are here. And our wells are going dry out east. What are we to do? We're not going to accept city water. The county doesn't have money even to bring us water out east. And I think we are the telling we are the telling tale signs. We have a water issue. Thank you. >> All right, that's all I have for speakers signed up. I'll get to the phones in a bit. Is there anyone in person you'd like to speak? Just line up for public comment. And just a reminder, when you come up, please state your name and county of residents. >> Good morning. My name is Andrew Stillman, Manatee County resident for nearly 32 years, taxpayer, and one of the people supposedly protected by the federal constitution in the state constitution of Florida. On July 4th, 1776, our forefathers threw off the shackles of a destructive government and stated in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalenable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. Seems our elected officials have forgotten their number one purpose for existing is to secure our unalable rights. Just for the record, the original phrase was life, liberty, and property. We now have allowed this group of tyrants to send pseudo police to private people's residences and intimidate them into compliance with municipal codes that have nothing to do with private property. Just as absurd as it would be for the health department to tell you how to run your family kitchen, these people go on to private property without a warrant or permission and intimidate people with a fake badge and levy fines illegally. Every person on the BOCC has been notified of this, but they turn a blind eye to criminality for their enforcers. They ignore the fact that we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a property, then a county code enforcer comes along and tells you how to live. The founding fathers would be heating up the TAR by now and running you all out of town. According to the state attorney general opinion 8370 published in 1983, never retracted, code enforcement has zero right to enter onto any property to do an inspection without a warrant or permission of the owner. Yet under oath, the code enforcement chief stated that they never get warrants to inspect property. This board has let these people run rampant over the little guy because it brings in revenue. Notice to the board, your job is not to increase revenue. Your job is to secure unalenable rights of us. That is it. I pray to God that the voters of this county will throw out every one of you that continue to violate your both your oath of office. Tyranny has made its home in Manatee County and the only thing required for evil to prevail is good people to do nothing. Mamine, come on up. >> Thank you. My name is Donna Kaiser. I was here last June 20th, 2024. I did happen to, you know, do the 10-year plan when I invested and looked for my property. It was a very rural area on Terasa and um no lights, not even street lights. Now I have an NFL stadium next to me. Even with their lights turned down low, it invades my bees, causes me I have to listen to their venue. And it is a wedding venue. So indulge me for a second. Ra just by raising your hand. If I went to Epcot and spent the day in Germany, would you have believed that I was actually in Germany? Anybody? Ah, well, just because you go to a farm doesn't mean it's a farm. I don't consider a quarter of an acre or a half an acre of or five acres of land mostly grass that has been watering. My pond has been dry for 6 months when I bought my property. I had to apply for agriculture exemption because it was converted to residential ASF1. I did my research. One house per acre. I could live next to that most rural place I could find. I could live with that because I don't want all that lights. If I wanted all those lights and they're meters, I would have gone down I on 41 and bought my property because it wouldn't have bothered me to have that lights. I would have expected it. I didn't expect it to be put it next to my house. My ponds, I run an agriculture operation. I have bees. I have hundreds of hives. I have cattle which I've had to cut down because my ponds have been dry for over six months. And my well is one of my wells is dry. and you will and the Ammerises came in and put in a 5 inch 360 foot well. And since it's been in there, my ponds have been bone dry. And I've been there 24 years. I've gone through plenty of droughts. And while cleaning my property, mowing my yard, I get a letter from their attorney telling me I'm a malicious mower because my property is dry. I'm not sitting over a dry patch. My property is dry. And it's the only opportunity I had to get back there. And I can't just run over tree limbs and big huge chunks of trees with my mower. And in my barn, I have mowers. I have a tractor. I do not have an elaborate staircase. Is this making any sense to you? Because it sure in the heck doesn't make any sense to me. We do not have the money or we do not have the the water to even keep my ponds full and maintain my agriculture operation. I'm supposed to allow a commercial business next to me. You sure have more sense than that, don't you? I mean, I'm asking somebody I mean, at 7 years old, my grandmother didn't have to tell me I couldn't put three quarts of green bean casserole in a one court dish. And if the oven only holds five dishes, you don't put 20 in it. That's common sense. >> Thank you. >> All right, sir. Come on up. Uh before I start the formal remarks, I'd just like to say that that those machines out there, I I did try to register on the roster. So I was registered to speak, but apparently I'm not registered to speak. So if you can look at that, try to figure out what's going on. It's not the first time it's happened. Um okay. Well, I wasn't too happy with my presentation two weeks ago about the budget and Manatee County surpluses. Uh, so this is budget presentation part two. Mike, me in Manatee County. Um, first off, obviously the surpluses are too high. You've had a total of $818.5 million in surplus over the last two years. Uh the reality was you only needed 20.5 million in property taxes over that same time period to run balance budget, not the 839.4 million in property taxes that were collected. Um two cash reserves are too high. The unrestricted cash is 985.4 million. This is 595.4 4 million above what is allowed by Florida's statute. Furthermore, the funds are sitting in a money market account that provide no benefit to Manatee County citizens or economy. One of the solutions is spend more or tax less or maybe both. If you look at your capex over the last three years, it's 99.2 2 million and this is against 513 million you spent in the three years prior to that. So I guess is there a logistical capability to spend more than you're already spending? I would I would ask that question. Um so let's look at the other side of the equation which is to to reduce taxes and just four quick recommendations. You can look at a millage cut, something that's meaningful and substantial to the county residents. Uh you could just send out tax refunds, send checks to the to the taxpayers. You could increase the property exemption levels, which is a fairly easy thing to do, and I I know that's being discussed in Tallahassee. And finally, you could issue a tax credit against the 2026 property tax bill. So, those are four ideas for how you can spend less when you're running these huge, huge surpluses. As a final thought for budget year 26, I'd ask you to increase the cash allocation to our nonprofit social service agencies who are doing yman work preserving the social fabric of Manatee County. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. We'll go to the phones. Let me let Zoom populate here, though. Actually, first, anyone else in the room? All right, seeing that we'll go to the phones when that populates. We'll start with caller 605. Just a reminder, you have three minutes and state your name and county of residence before you begin. >> Thank you, >> Andrew Griffin, Manatee County. So, my future agenda are going to be three parts. Uh, one is a conversation we've been having for some time about an America first policy for employment. And um, Tal, you keep telling me that we are in compliance. This has nothing to do with statute requirements. This has to do with America first Americans being employed with Manatee County. And it sounds like we have some visa employees. And you keep telling people that this is not happening and this is not true. And so I'm going to start bringing for presenting evidence to the contrary before this board. Um the other thing is online bullying. Uh this is more of a state level that we need support from a local level. As you guys know, George War Daryl Sheets, he lost his life to online bullying and and you know obviously self issues, self harm issues. This is happening more common than not. And while we do have protections for children, we have no adult protection and online bullying affects adults in the same manner. And it is very important. I went through four years of it. I've had to spend over $120,000 suing people because we do not have laws in the state of Florida that protect me. And still to this day after $120,000, I'm still probably on the hook for another $40,000 after this. So this is a very important cause for me that we need to start bringing attention to. And lastly, the most infuriating is our wasteful spending here in Manatee County and how now our cities are saying, "Hey, we're not going to be uh paying for recreation. Go to Manatee County." because they like to wastefully spend up to $112 million. That's not even including uh Mr. Cruz's Commissioner Cruz's $130 million bike path for his rich friends. So, you know, I'm getting really tired of hearing about all this money being spent, all of this money we have in silos. You guys are supposed to be Republicans, less government, less taxes, yet you guys keep charging us more and doing the same thing that Carol Whitmore's board used to do in hiding our money and not giving it back to the people. And uh lastly, the censorship of this board. You guys have censored Carol and Belt Memorial. And we have some attorneys on this board. And I'm not going to talk about my personal commissioner that's an attorney that should know better because we know that anything produced by AI has no copyright affiliated with it. That means that that song could have played whether or not you had the author or not. It was clear that it was an AI music. So you guys censored our county and you're telling me that you're America first censoring our county stealing and wasting our >> I have caller 309 next. >> Hello, my name is Daltton Nelson, Man County resident. Uh I'm coming to you today uh not on behalf of my well semi on behalf of my normal topic which is the flooding the other issues that we've experienced here in Manatee County especially in district one. We've, you know, we've had a lot of issues with developments around us and I have been working very closely with different county contacts to try and rectify and get these situations addressed that these developers are doing to us. the amount of just in my opinion just downright unapologetically uh disrespectful comments and things that have been made my way and have been proven with me walking on site with different individuals and staff towards Manatee County and and their neighbors. you know, these these developers come out here to our county and they say, "Well, we want to be good neighbors." How many times have you had uh Ed Bogler or somebody like that saying, "Well, we want to be good neighbors. We, you know, we want to be a good steward of the community." Well, every time that I've dealt with one of these communities where there's stuff wrong, there's stuff not built right. It's been factual. Every single time that I brought something up, I would say nine times out of 10 has had a factual report made. It's had a repercussion where they had to come out and fix it. And yet, when I call and I have to uh try and get a hold of staff to rectify the situation on their end because it's not only a a county, it's not only a county situation, it's also swift mud and everything else that all tie in together. I can't get anybody to call me back. I cannot tell you how many times I have had commissioner aid forward an email over to county staff and the county staff forwards it down to the person I'm already talking to. That's not the point of why that email was forwarded to you. And I'm actually I'm going to say who I'm talking about. Cory Study, the Brian Parnell, the guy that took over for uh Evan Pilichowski will not call me back. the inspector for uh Manatee County Storm Waters, Scott Thompson, the head guy, he will not call me back. The fact that I, as a citizen, had to take county staff out to a site and find that there was Murify paper still on that piece of development when it was already transferred into operation stage is a downright dereliction of duty. It is wrong. And that should have been caught when he went through and did his inspection to transfer it into operation. And I can't get nobody to call me back. It's a It's a game of forwarding emails and missed phone calls. That is downright Excuse my friend. >> All right, your time's up. We're not tolerating that language. >> 445. Caller, you're up. For the record, Glengad Fly Jabina, you better start listening to the people. I mean that they come up there week after week addressing their concern. >> Hi, Caller 445. Just uh the audio didn't come in through. Can you re uh we'll restart the clock. Can you begin from the start from the beginning, please? >> All right. Glendelina, for the record, so you better start listening to the people that come up to that podium. you haven't done it. You're not addressing their concerns and you know you need to you need a different policy because the current one of kipping a can down the road not getting back to people previous caller Dalton he's practically an expert could probably run circles around a couple of your staff there already and you don't give him the courtesy of an email or a phone call back. I even find that with my district commissioner and I've heard other people in other districts say we email we never get an email back and that's that is that is a breach of trust. You should be listening to people who say we send back an automatic hey we got your email you know we'll circle back but you guys don't even do that. You you don't think that getting back to the public or redirecting staff to get back to the public is important to you guys cuz you you you're too you're too busy with the big picture and once you start failing the the small population, the people that voted you in, there's going to be consequences. Water. How many times do we have to go up there and tell you about water and all we hear hear from from the board is, "Oh, we're going to buy from Peace River. Don't worry about it. We're good to 2030." No, we're not. It's ridiculous. You got to you got to take a step back, reevel evaluate everything. The water, the streets, the sewer, the density, everything. Because I've been here 30 years, this county is in the brink of ruin with traffic and aggravation. For the record, Glen Gadly, Jibelina, straighten your act out. >> All right, that concludes public comment. Anyone else? We'll get to you at the end of the meeting. Uh, all right. A couple things. Shuffleboard. I don't see the gentleman in here, but I already addressed his comments offline. We already looked at Bray couldn't accommodate it. So, you know, I think our staff have done the best we can, but it's just not something that's on any of the plans for facility improvements at this time. Um, as far as the cons questions about water, we get this a lot. I get it. It's because we see a lot of plan development applications come through to us. But I I'll just remind the public that you have an opportunity. We don't regulate or control how water permits are handled, who gets how much water, you know, any one party gets to draw from the aquafer or others. So, I would encourage you to go to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, provide public comment there. I just looked at their calendar. They actually have a governor's board meeting on the 19th. There's two meetings today, advisory committees. they're virtual. You can join there. But I think this board is working very hard recognizing, yes, there is a drought. Yes, it's temporary, but we've also worked closely to understand some of the needs, especially in the fast growing community, and slowing the pace of development. I think this year we're at close to 3,000 units denied so far uh for various reasons. So, people tend to forget about that, but it's important to to highlight that we are working hard with it, but water is just not something that we regulate at the end of the day. Not sure where the Peace River information is coming from. This board has talked at length about not trying to spend money to connect to Peace River because of how expensive it is. But we are part of the co-op. It's an option. Not something that's financially feasible. Uh other than that, I'll just remind the public that, you know, a lot of yelling today, cursing. Um we have a code of conduct. No one on this board is disrespecting the public. You all get heard, especially from people who say they're not being heard. But let's just keep it simple. Please, let's be mindful of the clapping and and certainly comments online like some of the language here today. We're trying to make sure we work hard and address your concerns as best we can. Doesn't always mean we get to a resolution. We can agree to disagree, but staff are working very hard at that and then it's not appropriate to disrespect them in that manner. I'll move to items pulled from consent. Item 30, uh, Commissioner McCann. Can we switch to the panelist view there on Zoom? >> Yes. On item 30, I only have one question. Uh I don't have any problem. Uh I it looks to me like they're trying to give us the park minus some easements, but I question why would we pay their attorney fee? >> Uh Peter Marorrow, property acquisition division manager. This was a request made by the city and included as part of this letter of agreement. Uh the letter agreement is presented to you all to approve or not approve. U so that certainly would be a decision you all make whether you approve of that or not. But that was a request the city made. So we did put it in there. >> And would it be a deal breaker if we took it out? >> Uh that would be something I'd have to ask the city. >> Okay. Okay. Well, that's something I'd like to you to ask the city because, you know, $9,500 for them to do their work. We're we're doing similar work with it. You know, this has been in progress for how long? I mean, you know, this is started in 1978. I I I really think that uh you know, again, why why would we pay their attorneys fees, you know, to do work so that they can convey the land to us? That doesn't make sense. They're not paying our attorney's fees. And you know, I don't I don't see where paying their attorney's fees on this would serve a pertinent public interest. >> Was that all, Commissioner McCann? >> That's all. >> All right. Thank you, sir. I'll just briefly comment here. There are some costs that I think are worth the reimbursement. The city did agree to and completed. I'm just looking at the bullet point here. uh they prepared a survey, legal description, sketches for the easements and reservations that they're talking about um that are referenced in this particular application. So, it's $9,500. That's work that we would have had to perform and pay for anyways. And so, they were able to do it. I don't see a particular problem with that reimbursement. >> Are those the easements that they're going to keep? >> Yes. >> Okay. Well, then they're doing work for themselves. They're not necessarily doing it for us. Sure. Well, the easements also help us identify what's county property, county owned, so that we don't encroach on their easements. I think we mutually benefit. >> Why would you pay $9,500 to attorneys to not encroach on their easements, which they are drawing? >> Okay. Any other discussion, comments? >> Commissioner Cruz, >> look, this doesn't expire till 2028, correct? >> Yes, sir. So, this doesn't have to be today. Does it kill us to table this and go back and try to wave the attorney fees to appease Commissioner McCann? >> No. I mean, I certainly can approach the city and present this letter back to them with those changes to see if their city council agrees. >> So, why don't we do that? So, at least we're working off of final information instead of just ignoring Commissioner McCann's seemingly simple request, but that we have time for, but then at least we can come back next meeting or the meeting after or whenever it is before 2028 and say, "We've discussed this. We've advocated to try to get rid of the attorney fees. They've said yes, they've said no, but at least we're working off of fact instead of assumption of what the final terms were." >> Sure. I'll take any motions. >> The direct staff table. >> Second. >> Okay. >> I have a motion by Commissioner McCann to table the execution of a non-binding agreement with City of Bradenon for GT Bray. Seconded by Commissioner. >> It should be to table it to direct staff to go back to the city of Bradon to negotiate the payment of the attorney fee. That was to give them direction of what to do. >> That was going to be my follow on. So >> the word table is at the bottom, but >> Okay. Use a different word then. >> Yeah. So in any event, the recommendation that I would have had to the board is to give staff authorization and direction to negotiate the fee or termination or elimination of that fee. So why