Manatee's proposed $23.5 million purchase raises transparency issues

So first, a brief understanding of "transparency" with a definition from Merriam-Webster.

"Transparency means the quality or state of being transparent, free from pretense or deceit, and readily understood. In essence, it describes the ability to be seen through or understood easily, without hidden elements."

I wanted to be transparent if I was going to write about transparency.

It was a word used often during the last election, when Manatee County Commission candidates were campaigning. As voters, we were told that we weren't going to be subjected to back-room deals that would be raced on to an agenda at the last minute and pushed through without the citizens having a chance to offer feedback.

Following the 2024 election, it has been refreshing that we have seen less last-minute additions to agendas. The current Board of County Commissioners has restored ways for the residents to offer feedback as well. Thank you very much.

On May 6, though, transparency took a hit.

Item 55 on the agenda was "Execution of Contract for Sale and Purchase from CMHC 9000 JV LLC, for property located at 9000 Town Center Parkway, Lakewood Ranch."

It appears Manatee County is going to move many of the offices in its administration building to Lakewood Ranch.

Wowza.

Now this doesn't qualify as a huge surprise as most of us know the growth of East County has demanded more services be moved this way. The county has talked about placing more services on the Premier property, or on the property the county owns off Lena Road near the landfill. It was a matter of time before we had more county administration offices come to Lakewood Ranch.

But raise your hand if you saw coming a $23.5 million purchase of a 101,312-square-foot building at 9000 Town Center Parkway?

Now you might say, that's what the May 6 regular Manatee County Commission meeting was all about, letting the citizens know about this possible purchase and giving them a chance for feedback.

Ah, no.

Perhaps I have become jaded by previous county antics, but I don't think anyone cares what we, the residents, think about all this. My reaction is that this sale is a handshake, done deal that is being trotted out to be rubber stamped. The meeting was held just after the East County Observer's deadline for this issue.

I hope I am wrong. I hope there was serious discussion on the purchase, and a vote on a final decision whether or not to purchase the property is scheduled for a meeting a month down the road. I hope the commissioners want to hear from their constituents before making a decision.

I want to emphasize that being transparent isn't something that is essential only to bad deals. You have to be transparent across the board.

I would imagine that the knee-jerk reaction of Lakewood Ranch residents is that this is a great move by the county to make services more accessible. In general, I would agree that it seems like a very good thing for East County and I would applaud the work by Manatee County's staff members who are making it happen.

That being said, for better transparency, I would have liked to have heard this out of a Commission meeting following the Jan. 30 site visit by Manatee County administration, property management and development services personnel to determine the potential of the property to serve as the new county administration building.

"We are going to discuss today potential opportunities in Lakewood Ranch we have to move services east. We are considering to buy an existing structure, upwards of $25 million, as opposed to building on land we already own in East County (such as Premier or Lena Road). We can't name exact properties we are considering at this time."

That would have given interested citizens a chance to contact with their commissioners and give their feedback about how their $25 million is being spent.

The county has pulled back in the last six months on some of its major projects, putting them on hold, due to spiraling costs. Is this the time to spend $25 million to make things more convenient for those who live in East County? 

The building was sold in 2021 for $20.3 million so is $23.5 a good deal? Probably so. Probably.

Is the area around 9000 Town Center Parkway a good site for such an enterprise? Maybe.

Transparency always seems to take a hit when negotiations begin on major projects, at least in Manatee County. The reasoning is that the taxpayers will save money if negotiations are done in secret.

Government secrets always cost us in the long run.

The county knows it wants to buy a building. The seller of the building knows the county wants to buy its building. You know what that means? It means everyone who matters knows anyway. Why is secrecy needed?

Everyone knows about the deal except those who are putting up the money.

One school of thought was that the building at 9000 Town Center Parkway has tenants, so putting out the news that the county was thinking about buying the building would affect them. Well, real estate sites have listed the property as being up for sale, so unless the tenants are paying no attention, they already know.

This is just another example of what I consider a lack of transparency by our local government. Another main example is the Premier Sports Campus North, which is made up by the 75 acres Manatee County purchased from Schroeder-Manatee Ranch in 2018, adding to the 127-acre Premier Sports Campus and 75 acres north of it that Manatee County purchased in 2017.

Manatee County finally has broken ground on an aquatics and racketball complex that is due late in 2026. What else is supposed to come — in terms of recreational opportunities — on a property that was essentially supposed to be a park? Who knows? The East County Observer has requested interviews with those responsible for Premier planning several times over the last three years and has been turned down each time.

It's a secret.

This commission has made some positive strides in connecting with the residents. We can only hope that Tuesday's Commission meeting continued that trend. If not, call your commissioners, and remind them whose money they are spending, and their promise to be transparent.