NEWS BRIEFS: Lake Lincoln hearing continues

County administrator contract gets extension

Manatee County commissioners on Feb. 13 voted to extend County Administrator Ed Hunzeker’s contract by one year to January 2020.

It was set to expire Jan. 29, 2019.

Commissioners have debated next steps regarding a county administrator position over the last year, hiring a head-hunting firm in April 2017 to recruit a new administrator. They canceled the process in September, instead asking Hunzeker to stay a year longer, until Jan. 29, 2019.

The 70-year-old Hunzeker, who had planned to retire, has said he will stay as long as the board wants him, and he enjoys working.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be here and I’m thankful every day to be here,” Hunzeker told commissioners.

He has served since November 2006. In March, he will celebrate his 51st anniversary working in public service.

Judge delays settlement decision

A Manatee County judge will need more time to determine how to resolve a property-rights dispute between Manatee County and Tara’s developer, Lake Lincoln.

Manatee County commissioners in 2010 rejected Lake Lincoln’s request to put commercial development at the southwest corner of Tara Boulevard and State Road 70, and Lake Lincoln filed a lawsuit in 2012 alleging the land was stripped of development rights.

The parties reached a settlement agreement this summer, but it has been challenged by representatives of the Tara community.

Following a hearing Feb. 9, Circuit Court Judge Lon Arend said he needed more time to consider the settlement and other options for settling the dispute. He expects to make a decision within a month.

Balloon festival lands carnival rides

Reithoffer Shows has announced it will join forces with promoter Ricky Garvie to bring 22 carnival rides to the Sarasota Balloon Festival, which will be held March 8-11 at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

Owner Rick Reithoffer said he believes the balloon festival can be a hit.

“I’m hoping so,” he said. “So we’re giving it a try. They have a large population base there.”

Reihoffer Shows is out of Gibsonton and was established in 1896 with a steam-powered carousel as its main attraction. The company regularly is part of the Georgia National Fair and the Peanut Festival in Alabama.

The rides will include “Speed,” a rotating attraction that seats eight guests at a time, and “Freak Out,” a pendulum-stye attraction that also spins.

The carnival section of the Sarasota Balloon Festival also will include attractions for smaller children as well as a giant Ferris wheel and a carousel.

Wristbands will be priced at $25 for unlimited rides while individual ride tickets also will be available.

“We are incredibly lucky to have a carnival such as Reithoffer Shows partnering with us on our event,” Garvie said. “It really takes our event to a whole different level.”

Reithoffer has a good friend in the Myakka City area and said he often drives past Premier on State Road 70.

“I always thought the venue would be an incredible site for an event,” Reithoffer said. “This is going to be a special event for the community and an opportunity to bring our show to yet another community.”

Reithoffer was delighted to add the new event to his route for 2018. Reithoffer said the balloon festival is a relatively short trip from a Fort Myers event that ends the weekend before.

Buchanan visits Lakewood Ranch

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan told a crowd at the Polo Grill & Bar the tax reform bill passed by Congress will have a significant impact on Florida’s economy.

During a Manatee Chamber of Commerce luncheon Feb. 12, Buchanan said the bill already was moving companies back to the United States because it makes the nation’s tax structure more competitive with other countries.

He encouraged business professionals to share how they were being impacted, whether that meant allowing them to increase wages or to hire more employees.

“We need your stories,” he said.

He said the bill is expected to grow the U.S. economy by $5 trillion over the next decade.