The Manatee County Commission, meeting on July 28. | Courtesy Manatee County
Newly-elected Manatee commissioners unlikely to shake up direction
Even with two new faces joining the Manatee County Commission, the November elections are unlikely to sway the board’s direction on top issues, like the county administrator’s contract and the debate over the Bishop Animal Shelter.
Last week, voters elected newcomers Tara Poulton and Elizabeth Arnold, while incumbent commissioners Amanda Ballard and Mike Rahn won the races to retain their seats. Poulton will replace Commissioner Jason Bearden, who did not seek reelection after one term, for an at-large seat, while Arnold will represent District 1, formerly held by Commissioner Carol Ann Felts, who died in February.
When the commissioners are sworn in next week, they will face crucial decisions that range from expected budget restraints following the passage of Amendment 3 to a surge in new real estate development proposed across the county.
Over the past several months, tensions also rose among commissioners on topics like County Administrator Charlie Bishop’s performance and mounting opposition from the public over the Bishop Animal Shelter expansion. After commissioners learned replacing the facility would cost around $22 million, they opted to instead make a $1.4 million upgrade to add permanent shade structures.
The newly-elected commissioners are unlikely to make any major decisions right away that would alter the board’s position.
The Manatee County Commission has long been held by a Republican majority, and that didn’t change with this election.
Reggie Bellamy and Charles Smith, the last Democrats to serve on the commission, sought to reclaim seats in this election. Current commissioners McCann and Bearden broke party lines by endorsing them, but both Democrats lost.
Bellamy was elected to District 2 in 2018, while Smith won District 2 in 2014.
McCann did not respond to Suncoast Searchlight’s requests for comment.
This year, Ballard won 50.4% of the votes for District 2, beating Smith by just 165 votes. Poulton had a larger margin of victory for the at-large seat, winning 58% of the votes and besting Bellamy by more than 28,000 votes.
One thing that will change following this election cycle is the addition of representation for District 1, which includes parts of Parrish, Myakka City and Palmetto.
Arnold won the seat handily with 66% of the votes. After Felts died in February, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not appoint anyone to fill her seat.
Arnold said District 1’s representation has long been “very spotty,” also pointing out that former Commissioner James Satcher was picked by DeSantis to fill the Supervisor of Elections role in 2024. The seat was vacant until Felts won the election later that year.
“A lot of people in District 1 are feeling like they haven’t had a voice in a long time,” Arnold said. “And District 1 happens to be where all the growth is occurring, but the infrastructure’s not keeping up. So I want to try to bring that voice for them.”
Commissioner-elects unlikely to change direction on key issues
When asked about two key issues — the debate over the county administrator’s contract and the Bishop Animal Shelter options — the commissioner-elects said they would largely maintain the direction of the current board.
Volunteers walk dogs on a shaded pathway at the Bishop Animal Shelter, 5718 21st Avenue West in Bradenton. Tiffany Tompkins | Bradenton Herald
Regarding the administrator’s contract, Poulton said the current board should have made the decision rather than delaying it.. Earlier this year, commissioners debated the terms of his contract, ultimately extending it through February rather than signing a new one. This move left the decision about his long-term future to the incoming board.
Since then, Bearden and McCann repeatedly questioned the administrator’s performance, with Bearden pushing to terminate his contract early. In October, Bearden asked the board to discuss terminating Bishop after county staff denied Bearden’s requests for procurement-related documents, and a yelling match ensued between the two.
Poulton said she would not consider taking further action until Bishop’s contract expires early next year, arguing that the current commissioners are better positioned to evaluate his performance.
“It was disappointing that the board did not deal with it at the time,” Poulton said. ”I feel the current commission is most familiar with the performance of the county administrator. They are the ones that know if he’s meeting his goals, if he’s a strong leader.”
Arnold shared a similar sentiment.
“I’ve never been on the other side of the fence,” Arnold said. “It’s easy to make quick judgments without knowing the whole story. I’d rather know the whole story.”
Ballard also said the natural time to revisit those talks would be in February, though an audit that McCann called for at the Oct. 20 commission meeting may soon investigate purchases that the administrator made without board approval, which is allowed as long as it’s under $500,000..
The Bishop Animal Shelter expansion — a $12 million project that added 120 kennels and a new adoption center to the Bradenton campus — has also faced considerable public scrutiny.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard narrowly won her election last week. | Photo courtesy of Manatee County
Ballard said any movement on a new multi-million-dollar structure to replace the Bishop Shelter expansion would be “extremely difficult.” Poulton said she is optimistic the permanent shade fixtures will be a benefit and would be open to looking at less-costly improvements.
“I want to do everything in my power to make the facility that we currently have as best as it can be,” Poulton said.
Arnold said she’d like the county to consider a new shelter in East Manatee County in the long-term, which could bring animal services to a growing area that’s farther away from the main hub at Bishop.
“Driving to Bishop seems like it’s the other side of the universe,” Arnold said. “If we could do something in East County we’d get a lot more traction and maybe help a lot more animals.”
Amendment 3 looms over new board
Possibly the most pressing topic the new commissioners will need to address is Amendment 3.
The new constitutional amendment will raise the homestead property tax exemption to $250,000 by 2028. For months, local officials warned the public of the potential impacts. Some estimates say local governments in Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties could lose a combined $1.6 billion in revenue over five years.
“Frankly, the next year, I think, will be heavily dominated by streamlining changes in the budget, and things that we need to do to make sure that the county is financially secure with the passage of Amendment 3,” Ballard said.
The amendment passed with 62% of voters statewide. In Manatee County the amendment received similar support, with 65% voting in favor of the tax break.
“Amendment 3, and the things that we need to cut, I think are going to be at the forefront for quite some time,” Poulton said. “It could potentially be the biggest issue that we are focused on over these next several months.”
Florida voters passed Amendment 3 Tuesday, raising the cap on homestead exemptions and reducing property tax collections for local governments. | Suncoast Searchlight photo illustration
Poulton and Ballard said county officials are already preparing for future discussions about the amendment’s impacts.
“I can tell you it’s already top of mind at the county and amongst all of our municipalities,” Poulton said. “I’ve already had multiple conversations with county staff.”
Arnold said Amendment 3 will be “challenging,” but hopes to bring her financial background as a former director at Florida Power Corporation to help. She said the county’s existing hiring freeze is a good start, and sees value in talking to county staff to find further efficiencies and cost-savings.
Poulton added that there will likely need to be further cuts in response to Amendment 3, but her goal will be to ensure it is as painless as possible for residents.
“We need to make some tough decisions, but at the end of the day, local government(s) will need to figure out how to do more with less,” Poulton said.
Carter Weinhofer is a contributing writer for Suncoast Searchlight and previously was a government accountability reporter for the Bradenton Herald. Email Carter at weinhofercar@gmail.com.
