Bradenton Beach commissioners voted Feb. 1 to approve the first reading of an ordinance to modify its ward boundaries.
The changes are the work of the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
City attorney Ricinda Perry outlined proposed changes to the wards, which involve shifting boundaries for Ward 1 and Ward 2 and reverse numbering for Ward 3 and Ward 4.
“One and two needed to make some adjustments,” Perry said. “They basically added some additional area from Ward 1 into Ward 2.”
Perry said the SEO found Ward 3 and Ward 4 did not need voter redistribution but should change numbers to run sequentially from north to south.
SEO chief deputy Sharon Stief spoke to The Islander Jan. 31 about the recommendations, made in late 2022 and delivered to Bradenton Beach in 2023 but then delayed by the 2023 election.
“When they did look at it, it was getting to election time. Once you are in an election cycle you don’t want to make any changes to election boundaries,” Stief said.
“It’s a law that every 10 years you do a redistricting,” Stief said. “We redrew all the lines, from congressional districts all the way down. At that time, we had recommended to each of the municipalities to review their districts.”
Bradenton Beach is the only island city with wards.
Bradenton Beach’s redistricting is based on registered voters, not population numbers.
According to the SEO, the registered voter population in Bradenton Beach as of Jan. 31 is 611.
In 2023, it was 672; it was 699 in 2022; and 756 in 2021.
Under the proposed boundaries, Ward 1 would have 152 active voters; Ward 2, 151; Ward 3, 153; and Ward 4, 155.
To view the ward maps, current and proposed, go online to islander.org.
Resident Christine Johnson, during public comment, asked the commission to explain why the ward system is being retained given the city’s population shrinking.
Commissioner Ralph Cole said the ward system distributes voting power evenly. “The beauty about the wards is it keeps you from getting three or four neighbors running the whole city,” he said.
“I like the four wards,” Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said. “The people are more equally represented.”
Mayor John Chappie added, “The ward system really brings out the community and knowing who the people are, you are getting to represent. We are all representatives at-large. We do represent the whole city, but we also have a better understanding of our ward and what’s going on in the ward.”
In the past, some commissioners hosted ward meetings to get opinions from their constituents.
Chappie said the system has served Bradenton Beach well over the years.
Vosburgh motioned to approve the first reading of the ordinance. Cole seconded the motion, which passed 4-0. Commissioner Marilyn Maro voted via phone.
Before the changes can go into effect, the city must hold a second public hearing and a final vote in their favor.
Once adopted, the changes will be submitted to the SEO and the map amendments will be added to county records.
Then the commission can move to fill the Ward 1 seat vacated by Jake Spooner in December 2023. He resigned over a new financial disclosure requirement after being reelected in November 2023 to a two-year term.
In the city’s ward system, a commissioner must live in the ward they represent but the vote for all wards and mayor are citywide.
The second hearing will be at noon, Thursday, Feb. 15, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.