Commissioners unanimously vote to sue, and lobby against law that limits their ability to control development.
Original Air Date: July 30, 2025
Host: It was a busy return for the Manatee Board of County Commission in its first meeting back from a month-long recess. The commission made steps to address the state’s opposition to developer pushback. They also responded to a recent inquiry from Tallahassee’s DOGE committee. And the board agreed to the purchase of two properties to be shielded from development. WSLR’s Noah Vinsky has the details.
Noah Vinsky: The months-long cold war between Manatee County and Tallahassee progressed once more on Tuesday. Commissioners unanimously voted to direct county lobbyists to repeal and oppose Senate Bill 180, which restricts the ability of the county to adopt land-use changes. The county’s approved restoration of wetland buffers and raising developer impact fees have been met with significant pushback from the state. Commissioner Bob McCann spoke about the possibility of Manatee County joining in on a potential lawsuit against Senate Bill 180 that is set to be filed in Leon County in September.
Bob McCann: We do have a lawsuit happy-county. If you say the word “no,” you’re going to be sued. We have to be careful of that. We are in the sights of Tallahassee; there’s no doubt about that.…