Melvin H Hoffman
Nov 7 · 3 min read

Based on my experience since living here, Manatee County is poorly administered. As for just a few examples, planned roadways have been deleted without factual justification; property has been acquired (repeatedly) without fair objective appraisal and use of the county property acquisition experts; the Board has aligned itself consistently with “developers” who donate to their campaigns; development has been allowed which enhances flooding and environmental degradation, including the coastline; substantial public funds have been wasted; long term planning has been ignored on multiple occasions (without factual justification); etc, etc. It is a nearly continuous cycle of irresponsibility to the public. Take the “preserve” acquired by the County near Braden Woods Subdivision as an example. Instead of acquiring the property by public taking and use of the experts paid by the County, a “sweetheart deal” was “negotiated” using a third party resulting in paying Pat Neal, a favorite of the pols, $3,000,000 for property for which he paid only a small fraction of that amount. Misrepresentations (lies) were used to promote the purchase (e.g. property miles away would have a 10% enhanced value); the County had no alternative other than to accept Neal’s arbitrary price; it would be developed into a “park”; on and on. The County tried to create a special taxing district to pay for the property (claiming “we do not have any money to buy this property), based on the wonderful advice of their attorneys, but after a lawsuit was filed the attorneys decided to abandon that effort. I would have liked to have heard the conversation with their brilliant attorneys about that. Then, miraculously the Commissioners stated the DID have the funds to buy the property, so they taxed everybody for this scrap of wasteland. More wasted time and money. Now more than a year and a half later it remains fenced, undeveloped and ignored. Meanwhile, next door the County, in its infinite wisdom, allowed the restaurant/ mobile home park owner to install additional trailer pads adjacent to a tributary river increasing environmental damage in a legally protected flood plain. So, I suppose they are REALLY interested in preserving this property. And I should add that next door, in Braden Woods, there are multiple lots on which there are old septic systems leaching effluent into the same flood plain. Then we have the “Premier” property purchased for millions with tens of millions more needed for development and operation. I suppose the County could not have anticipated they would need more recreational land and made the purchase years ago rather than wait for “development” and then paying a high price. That would require thinking. Or how about the variance allowed to old Pat N to remove a mangrove estuary on the coast? Or, how about the current “drainage fee” idiocy? They better think long and hard about that one. Who is creating the drainage problems? Could it be the County politicians and their buddies continuously adding more and more hard surfaces and increased developed density? Why not establish taxation for those who actually create the problem? I would suggest the County Commissioners pay out of their own pockets since they create the drainage dilemma. It could be suggested that they are just plain stupid, and that is a real possibility. But, based on my observations, it seems there is more than a little corruption. Maybe you could ask the Commission about the “gating” of the subdivision in which I understand one of the Commissioners resides. The roadways are public roads and obstruction is prohibited, but somehow Country Club Subdivision on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard gates. Check it out. Incredible. Yes, the “attendant” does raise the gate to allow entrance to anyone who insists on entry, but then you cannot get out of any other entrance/exit without a transponder. As a result you cannot use the roadways in this subdivision to travel between Lakewood Ranch and Lorraine and University. I suppose the Commisioners believe all the subdivisions in the County could install gates on the public roads. Where is the County attorney? THIS IS A VIOLATION OF THE CRIMINAL STATUTES OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND THE COUNTY AND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ALLOW IT. I could go on and on, but I would need to start using blood pressure medication. Traffic light cameras, etc, etc.