Manatee commissioner tells LWR CDDs he has seen the county waste funds

The property tax referendum was the topic that rose to the top during Commissioner Bob McCann's joint workshop with Community Development Districts on June 30 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

Representatives of each CDD were able to submit questions to the commissioner beforehand.

The referendum would increase homestead exemptions up to $250,000 by 2028 and could cost Manatee County over $149 million in annual revenue. 

McCann’s response was that property taxes are too high. 

“If you don’t vote to get rid of the property taxes, then have your commissioners drop the millage,” he said. “We could have lowered the millage rate last year much more significantly than we did (millage was reduced by .05 mills).” 

McCann noted too many overpriced directors are employed by the county. 

He questioned why Manatee County has a county administrator and three deputy county administrators when Florida only has a governor and a lieutenant governor and the United States only has a president and a vice president. 

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

He slammed the purchase of a second county administration building when there’s a termite-infested courtroom that can’t be remediated as the judiciary is growing. 

“They’re saying the county has no money, but the county has a budget surplus,” he said. “That’s unbelievable. I’ve seen a lot of funds wasted.”

The second property tax question the CDDs submitted was in regards to how Manatee County services would be impacted. 

To that, McCann responded that “county governments find a way to make their money,” whether it be a tax or a fee. 

“The sky is not falling,” he said. “We have a billion dollars in reserve.” 

He noted that he was not advocating for or against the referendum, but said if it was voted in, “maybe we would have to cut all the top heavy salaries that we have.” 

In response to another question — What is the county’s capital expenditure plan for the next three years for the Lakewood Ranch area? — McCann expressed frustration at not being able to get funding for District 5 because the county government views Lakewood Ranch as “the playground of the rich” that doesn’t need funding. 

Some of the projects CDD members would like to see completed are the resurfacing of Lorraine Road between University Parkway and State Road 70 and intersection improvements where Nature's Way, Market Street and Vision Drive meet. 

McCann listed funding for the Lakewood Ranch area as a roundabout at University Parkway and Legacy Boulevard “that people don’t want” and an ice rink at the Premier Sports Campus North that residents didn’t “get any notice” of beforehand.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

A few members of the audience also expressed frustration over the ice rink calling it “useless.” 

McCann said he probably will not be able to stop the rink from being built, but he will advocate to stop it. 

He noted other "failed" ice arena ventures, such as the DVA Arena that was never completed off White Eagle Boulevard, and said the county will be competing with the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex.

McCann also referenced Tropicana Field, which was built as a baseball stadium, as a failed iice arena venture. The Tampa Bay Lightning played three ice hockey seasons at Tropicana starting in 1993 until Amalie Arena opened in 1996.

Out of 31 NHL arenas, The Athletic rated Amalie Arena the fourth best arena to watch a game. 

“We’re probably going to put them out of business,” McCann said of the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. “Tropicana failed because they had slush instead of ice. It’s hard to keep ice going in Florida; it’s not cheap.”

Reviews of the Ellenton ice complex have cited slushy ice. 

McCann added the ice rink at Premier to the July 28 commission meeting’s agenda for further discussion. 

His questions range from “How much will it cost (residents) to use it?” to “How much of the money will come back to (Manatee County)?”

As of the most recent information, Manatee County will collect 20% of the revenue generated from the parking garage starting in the second year of the facility's opening. Elliott Falcione, the director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau for Manatee County, told commissioners June 16 the multiplex would have a projected $30 million economic stimulus impact annually, according to Tallahassee market research firm Downs and St. Germain.

The town hall meeting also included Alan Roth, chairman of CDD1 (Summerfield/Riverwalk Village), expressing his thanks for Lakewood Ranch Boulevard being repaved. 

He noted that prior repairs resulted in "potholes three months later."

He told McCann that he was "informative," however, Roth was also “discouraged” by the commissioner’s comments.

"You seem to be just one of us who's unhappy with things," he said.