Manatee County commissioners record new highs and lows

So here's an offering of the good and the bad from Manatee County.

Let's start with the bad, kind of like eating your Brussels sprouts first.

No matter how it is sliced and diced, Manatee County commissioners, with the exception of George Kruse, turned a deaf ear to their constituents when they voted 6-1 on Aug. 17 to transmit proposed changes to the county's Comprehensive Plan that will effectively weaken wetland protections in the face of encroaching development.

While the commissioners, who voted in favor of the changes, explained their actions by saying they wanted to protect land owner rights and they wanted to align with state standards, which Commissioner Amanda Ballard said would ultimately save taxpayers money, it smacks of Father Knows Best.

So think of those days when your parents made you eat the aforementioned Brussels sprouts, which completely gagged you, because they were good for you. It probably made you yearn for the day when you could make your own decisions at the dinner table.

In this case, Manatee County commissioners are saying they know better than the taxpayers who voted for them. This decision might gag you, but, well, you know, just eat it. 

Now note that we do live in Republican heavy East County, and those here support Republicans who support business and growth. Nevertheless, you would have thought the commissioners would have flinched when support for their move could be measured by using your fingers to make the count.

I personally have not polled a couple of thousand voters to check opinions, but I have talked to dozens of voters on this topic. I have not gotten anyone to say they would support such changes. No one. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

The question that comes constantly is why these changes need to be made now, when the climate in Manatee County favors environmental protections? Was there a line of landowners who were picketing the Manatee County Administration Building because they wanted to build a workshop next to a recognized wetland area? Was Manatee County's staff so overwhelmed because workers needed to go to properties with a tape measure to make sure no construction was within 50 feet of a wetland area?

Of was this just a case of certain builders wanting to use every available inch for construction?

In case the commissioners didn't notice, people are angry.

I get it, the vocal minority can be loud at times, packing the chambers with hyper-irritated citizens who will scream down a proposed move that threatens change in any form. That noise can be drowned out over time because the project is for the greater good.

Whether this noise dies remains to be seen. If it grows, Commission Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge can bang his gavel all he wants and he won't be able to stop it.

It could be a case of getting the generally disinterested residents interested.

The final round of this action will play out Oct 5 at the Manatee County Commission meeting. It will be interesting to see if those opposing the changes will give up, or if they will rally other residents to join them in their desire to change the commissioners' minds.

OK, then, how about the good?

It can be hard to remember, especially when commissioners have made a distasteful decision, that this same group can be making positive changes as well.

Theoretically, the current commissioners were voted into office (with the exception of Raymond Turner who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Vanessa Baugh in District 5) to enact positive change. Transportation is an area where commissioners have been aggressive.

When I have been driving lately from Lakewood Ranch to Anna Maria Island, I have been using the 44th Avenue extension. It's been faster and less hectic than driving State Road 64 or State Road 70.

With the opening of the 44th Avenue Bridge Aug. 7, Lakewood Ranch area residents will now give more than a passing thought to using the stretch of road that runs west from 57th Avenue East to head toward the beach.

While I have enjoyed driving that stretch of road, I do want to warn those who are unfamiliar with it, that although it is billed as an eventual Lakewood Ranch to the beach artery, that's not the case.

Those driving west on 44th Avenue will find that it connects with Cortez Road a good 15 to 20 minutes from the beach. That particular section of Cortez Road, going west, is stressful to drive.

Nevertheless, 44th Avenue allows you to bypass the downtown Bradenton craziness, and for that I am thankful to commissioners (present and past) for putting the finishing touches on a project that was decades in the making. It was first considered in 1968.

We need more such arteries and the commissioners have proven they can deliver it despite the $250,801,879 price tag. We will see how they do with widening of Upper Manatee River Road, the building of another Fort Hamer span, and the widening of Lorraine Road.

My hope is that 44th Avenue, which narrows to three lanes near its connection with Cortez Road, eventually will be widened to four lanes all the way through. Then, if enough cars are pulled off S.R. 70, I can use that road to regularly drive to the beach. S.R. 70 takes you to 75th Street, which cuts out that Cortez Road stress.