Elected officials in Manatee County receive raises as population grows

The question of salary came up to Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, who was being asked if the commissioners' current salary is worth the stress involved with the job.

Kruse began to answer, then noted he had just gone through a series of 6-1 votes in the Commission where he was the only vote in opposition.

He said immediately following those votes, he would have said, "No, it's not worth it."

But, the fact is that elected officials in Manatee County do get salaries. Going into the 2024 election year, those who are considering a run for office might be wondering what compensation they would receive if successful.

“We’re a non-charter county, so non-charter county salaries — and this isn’t just us, this is us, the county attorney and all the constitutional officers — are based on a formula based on population,” Kruse said. “We have no say in our salaries. Our salary is a computation by the state of Florida, and we’re a growing community, so every year our pay goes up.”

Kruse earned $98,743 this year while commissioners in Manatee County will earn $104,723 in 2024.

The commissioners questioned did say they didn't run for office because of the paycheck. 

Commissioner Jason Bearden said, on average, the board is working 45 hours a week, and both he and Kruse have careers that can pull in more than their current commissioner salaries. 

Bearden said his marketing and credit card business, along with raising two kids and holding the titles of national vice president and local president of the Full Gospel Business Gatekeepers Organization make for a hectic schedule.

“My wife gets angry with me because I work all the time,” Bearden said. “She says to cut it off around 6 or 7 o’clock, but I can’t.” 

Kruse said that days like the Oct. 10 commission meeting, where the board voted unanimously to convey a piece of county-owned land to Tunnel to Towers, so the organization can build affordable housing for veterans on 66th Street West, make everything worthwhile. 

“I’ve been working on this since May of 2022," Kruse said. "That was a long haul. A lot of effort was put into that, and now, it’s moving forward. When I see Tunnels to Towers get passed, yes, it’s worth it.”

Bearden agreed about the positive feelings that accompany the sense of accomplishment that a project like Tunnel to Towers brings.

He said no one enters politics for the money, but a decent salary certainly helps compensate for the loss of income in other areas. Bearden lives in Lakewood Ranch and supports a family of four so he said $100,000 alone wouldn't cover his expenses.

Commissioner James Satcher also said the salary had nothing to do with his running for office.

“I didn’t run for the money,” Satcher said. “In my life, I’ve always pursued things where I felt like I could make the most difference and help the most people.” 

Here is a look at the salaries of elected officials in Manatee County.