Manatee County legislators are set to head back to Tallahassee after hearing from their constituents.
Manatee County Commission Chair Vanessa Baugh presented the county’s priorities Nov. 23 to the area’s legislative delegation, state Reps. Tommy Gregory of District 73, Michele Rayner of District 70 and Will Robinson of District 71.
State Sen. Jim Boyd, District 21, was absent.
Baugh said most of the county’s priorities are infrastructure improvements.
“We are growing at a rapid pace, with traffic as our No. 1 issue,” Baugh said. “We are requesting funding to widen roads and improve some of our bridges, which will also help our workforce to work every day.”
The county commission’s three top legislative priorities include:
- Up to $100 million in continued funding to ensure the safe and efficient closure of Piney Point reservoirs to protect local water quality and ecosystems;
- A $7.5 million state appropriation to match local funding to widen Moccasin Wallow Road from two to four lanes, as well as add bicycle lanes and sidewalks;
- Expediting the state’s Bradenton-Palmetto Connector project development and environment study to replace the DeSoto Bridge.
Baugh said the county projected to spend up to $350 million on infrastructure improvements and asked the state to work as a “strong partner” to the county.
Anna Maria Island did not come up during her presentation but Baugh said she would be “remiss” not to mention the county’s “beautiful beaches and environment are critical to our way of life” when asking for help closing Piney Point.
While she only discussed the county’s three top priorities, a draft of the county commission’s state legislative priorities include:
- Support the “expeditious” replacement of the Cortez Road, Manatee Avenue and Longboat Pass bridges;
- A $2.3 million state appropriation for island beach renourishment;
- A $950,000 appropriation for an oyster and clam research-and-restoration pilot project to test the marine life’s impact on water quality.
Baugh also presented the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization’s legislative priorities, which included replacements for the Cortez, DeSoto, Manatee Avenue and Longboat Pass bridges.
She said the Florida Department of Transportation’s Barrier Islands Traffic Study provided recommendations for improving traffic flow on and off the islands, and, while some municipalities could begin taking their own steps, many items require state funding and assistance.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie presented the ManaSota League of Cities’ priorities, including support for the repeal of preemptions of vacation rental regulations to the state and expanded uses for tourist development taxes.
“We love the tourists. We need the tourists, but the challenges are great when it comes to public safety,” he said. “Some of the things we could use the funds for, for our infrastructure, is greatly needed because of the influx of people.”
Chappie added that the ManaSota league also supports legislation funding improvements in water quality and to handle issues with rising sea level, as well as the preservation of revenue sources, like local business taxes.
Holmes Beach City Commissioner Terry Schaefer presented the city’s top legislative priorities, including:
- Opposition to further limitations on local government authority in regulating vacation rentals;
- Support for legislation providing a recurring funding source for programs and projects to mitigate the negative environmental and economic impact of red tides and other harmful algae blooms;
- Opposition to efforts limiting municipalities’ authority to levy or collect local business taxes;
- Support for legislation to expand usage of tourist tax revenue for public safety services and infrastructure improvements where “substantial portions of a county’s tourist taxes are collected.”
The 2022 session will convene at noon Tuesday, Jan. 11, and is scheduled to conclude March 11.