Manatee County Commissioners to Consider Cemetery Response, Transit Advertising and Public Safety Items at May 19 Meeting
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners will hold its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19, beginning at 9 a.m., with a wide-ranging agenda that includes public safety initiatives, infrastructure projects, grants, housing recovery updates and discussion surrounding the recent vandalism at Old Memphis Cemetery.
The meeting will open with an invocation by Pastor Mark Gibbens of Mill Creek Baptist Church and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Air Force and Vietnam War veteran Scott Zempel in honor of military family members.
Commissioners are scheduled to recognize the county’s 2026 Summer Internship Program interns and consider proclamations for Manasota Youth Soccer League Day, Memorial Day and National Stop the Bleed Day.
Among the consent agenda items are proposed legal settlements, utility infrastructure improvements, grant applications and agreements supporting workforce development and nonprofit programming. Commissioners are also expected to consider authorizing a grant application tied to opioid-affected youth initiatives and a federal transportation grant for improvements along 15th Street East and U.S. 301 Boulevard East.
Public safety-related items include the creation of a Health and Human Services Investment Review Committee and a letter of non-opposition for the temporary closure of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge during the SUNSKY 10K event.
Commissioners will also review several advertised public hearings, including a proposed ordinance regarding criminal background screening for safety and security critical positions, a resolution to rename the dog park at Blackstone Park as the Christina Turley Dog Park and revisions to water well permitting fees.
Regular agenda discussions include an update on infrastructure projects connected to the federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery program and the Lasting Manatee initiative. Commissioners are also scheduled to consider approval of five years of funding for the Manatee County Task Force.
Two commissioner agenda items focus on the recent desecration at Old Memphis Cemetery, with separate discussions listed regarding the county’s response and future actions. Another commissioner item will address advertising revenue opportunities for the county’s public transit system.
The meeting will be held at the Manatee County Administration Building and includes opportunities for citizen comments throughout the agenda.