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Manatee County low- and very-low income homeowners can apply for financial help for housing rehabilitation and replacement assistance from the Manatee County Community & Veterans Services Department.
Now through April 22, 2024, low and very-low income Manatee County residents can submit entry forms through the Housing Rehabilitation/Replacement Program. The program provides 0% interest-deferred payment 30-year loans to make code-related repairs to single-family homes or replace dilapidated single family housing structures. Through this program, housing conditions can be corrected and modified to improve the health, safety and welfare for the people who live there.
Program entry forms & more information are available on Manatee County’s Rehabilitation/Replacement Program Webpage here:
Those who need help completing and submitting an online entry form can call 941-749-3029.
On April 29, 2024, County staff will use a lottery-style drawing to determine the order in which eligible applicants will be qualified and assisted. Funding will be awarded to households who meet the eligibility requirements until all funds have been committed. To be eligible, households must be located in unincorporated Manatee County or City of Palmetto and be within the program standards for low and very-low income and property value. Read eligibility requirements online.
*Note: Unrelated to this article there is also an informative photo gallery on the web page (from the link below) with a list of restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties that have opened in 2023.
16 Sarasota area restaurants get high-priority violations, 9 ace inspections
*UPDATE: The Zoning Text Amendment to create urban mixed-use zone districts and commercial corridors with incentives for attainable housing passed 3-2.
Sarasota City Commission voting on development plans
Dozens gathered at Sarasota City Hall Monday evening for a special meeting to discuss and vote on amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan.
The amendments would include rezoning of commercial corridors to include residential properties.
“Some doctors can’t afford to live here,” said Sarasota Mayor Liz Alpert when asked about the city’s housing crisis. “Commuting 40 or 50 miles… that’s not affordable.”
Some residents are against the idea of more development, however, Dan Lobeck, President of Control Growth Now, to name one.
“The density will only add to traffic,” Lobeck said.
Sarasota zoning code change gives developers 3x density bonus for including affordable housing
A plan that could change the commercial landscape in Sarasota is getting the greenlight from city commissioners.
The board approved changes to the city’s existing zoning code in a 3-2 vote. The decision could impact more than 700 properties along some of Sarasota’s main corridors including Tamiami Trail, U.S. 301, and Fruitville Road.
The zoning change will give developers a density bonus if affordable housing units are created in the project. The bonus will triple the existing density limits on the properties as long as 11% to 15% of the units are reserved for affordable housing.
Some residents fear impacts of overdevelopment such as excess traffic, noise, and infrastructure concerns.
Others feel the large density bonus for the number of affordable housing units won’t be a fair trade off.
“They are going to get double the height, triple the density for very very little — 11% affordable housing,” longtime Arlington Park resident Flo Entler said. “We are giving a lot away and getting very little back. The less affordable housing we have and the more market value we have, the more affordable we need.”
Commissioner Erik Arroyo, who supports the zoning amendment, says the 15% mark is what has proven to work in other parts of the country.
“The reality is that we don’t operate in a system where you can tell someone to build 100% workforce housing. Other places have tried that and it doesn’t work,” Arroyo said. “We are preempted by the state from just mandating people to say give us 100% workforce housing. That is not how this works. It works as an incentive. We are supposed to provide incentives as a municipality, and by doing this, we are saying we are going to give you an increase in density if you provide us some workforce housing.”
The zoning change has the potential to transform commercial corridors into mixed-use development.
“That includes derelict strip malls and abandoned shopping centers that aren’t doing well,” Mayor Liz Alpert said. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could add housing to that and part of that could be affordable?”
A Bradenton charter school is hoping for a “holiday miracle” to keep moving forward with plans to expand its footprint and create a better learning environment for students.
Visible Men Academy previously purchased four acres along 63rd Avenue East to build a school campus, but those plans are in jeopardy. The Title I school has missed a crucial deadline — twice — that puts it at risk of losing the opportunity.
Based on the purchase agreement, the land is set to be transferred back to Manatee County Government, which sold the land for $85,000 in 2015. Since then, the property’s value has increased to $408,000, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office.
The tuition-free, all-male public charter school serves about 70 children from low-income families, school leaders say. The land would allow Visible Men Academy to relocate on its own campus. It could also boost the school’s population to 400 kids, the principal said. While charter schools are considered public institutions, they are run privately.
'Wonderful partnership.' Visible Men Academy joins forces with another Bradenton school
Visible Men Academy announced plans on Monday to share a campus with another Bradenton school.
A few months ago, leaders of the tuition-free, all-male charter school sounded the alarm about their situation. Visible Men Academy missed the deadline to build a new campus on property acquired from Manatee County Government.
After the school year ends in June, Visible Men Academy will move to the existing Just For Girls campus, 1011 21st St. E., Bradenton. In exchange for rent-free use of the campus, Visible Men Academy will take over bus routes for both student populations.
Just For Girls, a local alternative school, will continue to operate at the school alongside Visible Men Academy. Girls and boys will attend classes in separate buildings.
Visible Men Academy's new campus announcement comes after the Bradenton Herald reported on the school's dire situation. Becky Canesse, executive director of Just For Girls, said she learned about the situation because of the Herald's coverage and decided to lend a hand.
A 65-year-old Parrish man died Monday after his sedan went out of control during a medical episode in the Publix at Lakewood Ranch Gateway parking lot just off the corner of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and State Road 64.
The incident happened just before 1 p.m. The vehicle was traveling west within the parking lot when the driver experienced the medical episode, traveled toward the Wells Fargo Bank, went out of control over a raised sidewalk, and collided with a tree and shrubs.
A refurbished and stronger New Pass Groin is now on the south end of Longboat Key.
At the start of March, the New Pass Groin Tightening Project wrapped up. The project team for this project included First Line Coastal, Sea & Shoreline LLC and Olsen Associates Inc.
Assistant Director of Public Works Charlie Mopps said that the crew finished all of the structural work and final surveys were underway. In all, the project took about four months to complete after beginning in November 2023.
The project cost about $489,415, according to a previous report from Director of Public Works Isaac Brownman.
The groin was originally installed back in the 1970s and was reconstructed in 1998. It was time for another repair and to tighten the structure.
Keeping a groin structure tight is important to prevent beach erosion. This project added rock, as well as brought existing rocks tighter, to hopefully limit the amount of sand that passes through.
Overall, this project helps to keep the sand where it’s intended to be. It also helps to keep the sand from accreting in New Pass, a popular channel for boaters in Sarasota Bay.
Tensions are rising in Bradenton Beach, where some business owners proceeded with the construction and operation of commercial projects without city permits.
Darin Cushing has been chasing down unpermitted issues since becoming the city building official in December 2023.
“I’m trying to get tracks down in front of these moving trains,” Cushing said March 27. “People are doing the work first and then getting cited for it and then applying for the permits.”
He said the result of not following the permitting procedure is a process that takes longer for the applicant while making extra work for city staff.
Most recently, a bar opened at the Bradenton Beach Marina, 402 Church St., owned by developer Shawn Kaleta.
Cushing told The Islander April 1 that the buildout requires “a commercial renovation permit along with electrical, plumbing, and mechanical subs.”
He said the application will need to be reviewed by the city building and zoning departments and the fire district. Cushing added, “Then, if approved, we would issue the permit and work could begin.”
Cushing said he learned of the bar March 26 from a Facebook post that was promoting the bar’s opening.
He then walked over to the marina.
“I went to the back and took a look at it and saw that it was definitely there. So I got a hold of the fire marshal and his inspector and a code enforcement officer and we took a look at it,” he said.
Cushing said he put a cease-and-desist order on the bar.
He said along with permitting, the marina needs engineered drawings showing a separation between the bar and dry boat storage for fire safety purposes.
The city of Holmes Beach took one state representative’s recommendation for parking improvements and ran with it.
Despite facing criticism for a lack of parking over recent years, the city has spent the past year highlighting hundreds of available roadside parking spaces following a suggestion from state Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton.
Parking in the municipality has been a controversial issue since 2020, when the city implemented a park-by-permit system on certain residential roadways in response to an overload of beachgoers pushed to the area from beach closures in neighboring counties during the coronavirus pandemic.
The city restricted parking in about 480 spaces along residential roadways and began selling $15 decals to residents and property owners to allow them to park in those spots throughout the day.
City officials stand by the system, which they argue has improved the quality of life by reducing parking in residential areas and its side effects, such as litter and noise.
Still, Kevin Van Ostenbridge joined the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners in 2020 and immediately attacked the city’s parking changes for being unfair to mainland residents and visitors.
Robinson sided with Van Ostenbridge and filed House Bill 947 last year to allow the county to build a parking structure on county-owned property at Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive without obtaining a permit from the city.
The bill was signed into law June 23, 2023.
Since the bill’s adoption, the county has presented preliminary plans for a $45 million parking garage that would be funded by tourist taxes and provide 1,500-1,700 paid parking spaces in place of the existing 400-space parking lot at the beach.
It is unclear when or if plans for the structure will be realized due to funding limitations and the county’s prioritization of a new downtown Bradenton parking garage.
During spring break last year, the city hosted a ride-along to show Robinson how much roadside parking remained available throughout the municipality despite its changes.
According to Mayor Judy Titsworth, Robinson suggested the city identify parking spaces instead of leaving motorists to infer their location between the spaces defined by “NO PARKING” signs.
A year after Robinson’s visit, the city’s public works department has identified about 95% of the municipality’s available roadside parking within a quarter mile from the beach with bollards, ropes and signage, according to Titsworth.
Code compliance supervisor JT Thomas took The Islander out for a tour March 27 of the city’s parking improvements, which can be found on either side of Gulf Drive.
Each stretch of roadside parking is identified by bollards marked with a circled “P” for parking and connected with ropes.
Motorists are supposed to park alongside each roped section between two bollards — not outside — and in the same direction as traffic.
The city also created parking by filling in a drainage ditch along the north side of 51st Street, covering it with sod and adding ropes and bollards to identify eight new roadside parking spaces.
Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander March 27 that the city was in the process of adding new signage to notify motorists to park between roped bollards, as some have parked outside them and expressed confusion upon receiving citations.
The city has created a map of beach accesses and identified roadside parking throughout the municipality, which is available at holmesbeachfl.org.
Anna Maria city commissioners’ work revising cannabis codes could be a slow burn.
Commissioners reached a consensus March 28 to renew 30-day extensions for a pair of violators — the North Shore Cafe and Cool Beans AMI — to comply with city code as the commission continues work on potential revisions.
City code currently prohibits the growing, processing, distribution and sale of any plants or products derived from the genus Cannabis, which includes marijuana and hemp.
Conversation about the prohibition began in February, when the municipality denied Holmes Beach-based Edibles N More participation in an arts and crafts show at Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., due to the business’ CBD and hemp sales.
Later that month, Nathan Geller, co-owner of the North Shore Cafe, 304 Pine Ave., attended a city commission meeting to speak about a notice of violation the cafe received for using hemp products in some food and drinks.
The cafe has four menu items that feature hemp powder, protein and/or seeds, and the business also sells hemp protein powder as an add-on ingredient to some items.
Geller called for the city to explore code changes to better target unwanted products and allow the use of “harmless” products such as hemp powder, protein and seeds, which feature little to no THC or CBD.
The commission held a first reading and hearing March 14 to discuss a proposed ordinance that would prohibit medical marijuana dispensing facilities and retail establishments with more than 10% of their inventories of cannabis products.
The proposed ordinance also would prohibit mobile sales of cannabis products, unless approved as part of a special event permit, and establish a $500 daily fine for violations.
Anna Maria city commissioners’ work revising cannabis codes could be a slow burn.
Commissioners reached a consensus March 28 to renew 30-day extensions for a pair of violators — the North Shore Cafe and Cool Beans AMI — to comply with city code as the commission continues work on potential revisions.
City code currently prohibits the growing, processing, distribution and sale of any plants or products derived from the genus Cannabis, which includes marijuana and hemp.
Conversation about the prohibition began in February, when the municipality denied Holmes Beach-based Edibles N More participation in an arts and crafts show at Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., due to the business’ CBD and hemp sales.
Later that month, Nathan Geller, co-owner of the North Shore Cafe, 304 Pine Ave., attended a city commission meeting to speak about a notice of violation the cafe received for using hemp products in some food and drinks.
The cafe has four menu items that feature hemp powder, protein and/or seeds, and the business also sells hemp protein powder as an add-on ingredient to some items.
Geller called for the city to explore code changes to better target unwanted products and allow the use of “harmless” products such as hemp powder, protein and seeds, which feature little to no THC or CBD.
The commission held a first reading and hearing March 14 to discuss a proposed ordinance that would prohibit medical marijuana dispensing facilities and retail establishments with more than 10% of their inventories of cannabis products.
The proposed ordinance also would prohibit mobile sales of cannabis products, unless approved as part of a special event permit, and establish a $500 daily fine for violations.
It would not address synthetic marijuana products.
Commissioners had issues with the proposal, such as the questionable enforceability of a 10% inventory limit on cannabis products and the size of the $500 daily fine for violations.
Those issues remained March 28, when the same proposed ordinance was presented to commissioners for discussion on a specific direction for the legislation.
Commissioner Charlie Salem suggested changing the 10% rule to pertain to inventory value, instead of number of items, but added that such a code would still be practically unenforceable.
Commissioners Mark Short, Kathleen Morgan-Johnson and Gary McMullen agreed the 10% limit was unenforceable, but McMullen took it further.
He said he has a “problem with outlawing something that is plainly within the law,” since medical marijuana is legal in Florida.
McMullen, a baby boomer, said most people his age are not concerned about cannabis and the city was unnecessarily raising roadblocks without asking for a vote from its citizens.
Commissioner Jonathan Crane said he had nothing against medical marijuana but would be bothered by the additional traffic from short-term purchases it would attract.
City attorney Becky Vose asked commissioners for their thoughts on the proposed ban on mobile sales of cannabis products, except during permitted special events.
Commissioners agreed to keep the provision since it allowed the board flexibility to effectively approve or deny vendors for special events.
As for the $500 daily fine, Vose said the penalty would be removed from the proposed ordinance and added to a resolution to be presented at the same time of the ordinance’s second reading.
The city has moved many of its fines and fees out of its ordinances and into resolutions to make them easier to change since new resolutions can be adopted upon first reading and hearing instead of a second, as ordinances require.
Crane, who was a vocal opponent of the $500 daily fine at the March 14 meeting, recommended the city instead implement a sliding scale for penalties.
Congestion frustration was like a contagion in March.
Traffic congestion came up in discussions on nearly every item before the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization during its March 25 meeting in Sarasota.
Congestion was a concern for the board members even before the meeting began at the DoubleTree near the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
One MPO board member never arrived.
Another board member acknowledged that while stuck in traffic, she fought the urge to turn back.
Several others briefly shared remarks about traveling an hour to go 12 miles — or fewer — and 60 minutes to leave a barrier island or cross through downtown.
The MPO is updating its congestion management plan, working with the Kittelson & Associates firm on reviewing goals and objectives in a 2020 plan and reworking them for 2024.
The process, said MPO deputy director Ryan Brown, involves analyzing data and performance measures to develop strategies for solving a range of issues.
Brown said congestion during the spring tourist season is a focus, especially at the island bridges.
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