Manatee’s Guardian Angel Cost The County Millions
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Manatee’s Guardian Angel Cost The County Millions

Someone once observed that “roads are the arteries through which the economy pulses.” Decades ago Manatee County had several commissioners who hoped to thwart growth in our county by refusing to build and enlarge roads. Those “ostrich commissioners” made  many poor decisions that set back transportation in our county. Today, we sit in traffic jams…

Scott Hopes Accomplished Much In A Short Time
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Scott Hopes Accomplished Much In A Short Time

There was a shake-up in the county as Scott Hopes resigned his position as county administrator. It appears that certain county commissioners had become disenchanted with Hopes and were determined to terminate his contract. The position of county administrator is difficult on a good day as you are responsible for a billion dollar budget but…

2023 Bradenton Area River Regatta
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2023 Bradenton Area River Regatta

Unique Drone Light Show to Cap Eighth Annual Bradenton Area River Regatta BRADENTON, Fla.— A spectacular and first-of-its kind drone light show in the Manatee County region will cap an impressive lineup of FREE activities during the 2023 Bradenton Area River Regatta, which returns to the banks of Manatee River Saturday, Feb. 11. One of the latest innovations…

Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh Named Chair of Statewide Transportation Planning Council
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Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh Named Chair of Statewide Transportation Planning Council

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (February 3, 2023) – Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh has been elected by her peers as the new chairwoman of the Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council (MPOAC).  The MPOAC is a statewide transportation planning and policy organization created by the Florida Legislature to augment the role of individual Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO)…

Lee Washington Named Acting Manatee County Administrator
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Lee Washington Named Acting Manatee County Administrator

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (February 7, 2023) – The Board of County Commissioners unanimously appointed Lee Washington to Acting County Administrator for Manatee County this afternoon, following Dr. Scott Hopes’ resignation as County Administrator. Washington has served as the Director of Community and Veterans Services since February 2022. A native of Punta Gorda, Washington enlisted and served…

Tales from the Mark Side: Anna Maria Island takeover is a breach of trustTales from the Mark Side:
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Tales from the Mark Side: Anna Maria Island takeover is a breach of trustTales from the Mark Side:

mark.young@manateeherald.com We’re not going to see U.S. Marines storming Coquina Beach or the 82nd Airborne Division parachuting into Holmes Beach. But it’s still an invasion as far as I’m concerned. You’ll never catch me saying a bad word about our state representative Will Robinson, but on Anna Maria Island I will respectfully disagree with any…

Tales from the Mark Side: Vetting books does not make Manatee County ‘Nazi Germany’
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Tales from the Mark Side: Vetting books does not make Manatee County ‘Nazi Germany’

mark.young@manateeherald.com I was a little surprised when the lone liberal on Fox News’ The Five mentioned Manatee County this week regarding complying with the new Florida law that school districts must ensure reading materials don’t contain the continued moral attack on America. I wasn’t surprised to learn that some of our teachers had attempted to…

Look Out The Window, The Yankees Are Coming
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Look Out The Window, The Yankees Are Coming

Today, we learn from our past but we cannot focus on the past. The nightmare of slavery and discrimination has been defeated but problems persist and they always will. The way to attain the goal of the color-blind society that Dr. King described is not by pouring kerosene on any remaining burning embers of past fires.