Manatee County Commissioners Set to Tackle Housing, Infrastructure, and Public Safety at December 16 Meeting

Manatee County Commissioners will convene for their final regular meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, beginning at 9 a.m. The session will open with an invocation from Reverend Brock Patterson of Longboat Island Chapel, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and announcements, including a scheduled 1:30 p.m. update on the county’s federal disaster-recovery programs.

The agenda features a wide-ranging consent docket covering housing, infrastructure, financial management, and public safety. Commissioners are expected to consider approval of a land-use restriction agreement supporting affordable multifamily housing on Lorraine Road, along with multiple drainage and utility easements across Parrish, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and El Conquistador to support ongoing development and stormwater needs.

Additional consent items include adoption of a budget amendment, funding for garage door service contracts, conversion of development services microfilm records, structural engineering services, and a change order related to the Summer Place Condos waterline replacement. The board will also vote on updated personnel policies and the county’s 2026 stop-loss insurance plan.

Economic development incentives will be presented to commissioners with proposed resolutions for “Project Viking” and “Project Octoban,” as well as the execution of a designated fund agreement with the Manatee Community Foundation to support veterans’ services.

Public Safety items include a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Coast Guard outlining procedures for joint training and operations, as well as an amendment to the shared facilities agreement at East Manatee Station. Transportation-related votes include a state-funded grant agreement for project development and environmental engineering along 51st Street West and several right-of-way agreements tied to Buckhead Trails and Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District projects.

Commissioners will also consider an agreement with Forty Carrots of Sarasota to support library programming.

During advisory board reports, the board is scheduled to receive the FY25 Annual Report from the Infrastructure Sales Tax Oversight Committee.

Several legislative public hearings will take place, including a proposal to designate Prospect Road from Whitfield Avenue to Tallevast Road as “PFC Christopher Cobb Memorial Parkway,” updates to countywide speed limits, and authorization to submit the federal Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The regular agenda includes voting on emergency funding to allow the Boys & Girls Clubs to expand youth services at the Rubonia Community Center beginning in January, discussing the Animal Services Advisory Board's membership structure, and appointing a new representative to the Investment Policy Advisory Board.

Commissioners will also consider adoption of the Manatee County Strategic Plan and changes to the county’s legislative funding priorities—including removing the Anna Maria Pier request from the state list and adding support for the SUN Trail Network at the federal level.

At 1:30 p.m., staff will present an update on the county’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and the Lasting Manatee initiative.

Later in the meeting, commissioners will review community outreach results and discuss the next steps for the conceptual design and rezoning of the proposed Cortez Marina redevelopment.

The board will also vote on a resolution establishing the Opioid Abatement Coordinating Council as the county’s official opioid task force, along with approving an amendment to an interlocal agreement with the City of Bradenton and confirming member appointments.

Commissioners will close the meeting by addressing several end-of-year agenda items, including cemetery discussions, adjustments to the 2026 meeting calendar, committee assignments for next year, considerations for panhandling prevention signage, and the 2026 work session schedule.

The meeting will conclude with final comments from county leadership, followed by adjournment.