Notices

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (January 29, 2025) – The Manatee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a low-interest $2.3 Million Catalytic Loan to Community Assisted and Supported Living, Inc. (CASL), to assist with the acquisition of a 1.154-acre commercial development, located at 8076 North Tamiami Trail, redeveloping the site to a 72-unit affordable housing project for low- and very low-income households.

“We’ve worked with CASL before,” said District 4 Commissioner Mike Rahn. “I’m in full support of this for CASL to build workforce housing.”

The BOCC also is using a $2.9 Million grant award through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Economic Development Initiative for the design, property acquisition and construction of the Manatee County Palmetto Trails Planning and Design (PTCMP) project. This grant includes Shared-Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail Segments and Connectors, evaluation of critical trail segments between the Manatee County Area Transit Center, Palmetto Youth Center, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trail, Lincoln Memorial Middle School and Lincoln Park, as well as the rehabilitation of the historic Lincoln Tunnel under U.S. 41. It also includes further development and evaluation of trail segments connecting Lincoln Park and Washington Park through the neighborhoods just east of U.S. 41.

In addition, commissioners submitted a list of transportation project priorities to the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization. This report presents proposed County projects, such as bridge replacements, road widening and trails implementation, and their rankings for 2025. MPO staff will combine the County's adopted list with those of other agencies to create a master list for the MPO and Florida Department of Transportation. In general, any projects selected for funding from this list will appear in State Fiscal Year (FY) 2030 or 2031 of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) five-year program approved by the legislature in 2026.

Commissioners also approved $473,750 to expand the County’s Real-Time Flood Forecasting (RTFF) computer programming, which takes existing static drainage modeling available from Watershed Management Plans (WMP) and incorporates dynamic weather forecasting of potential rainfall accumulation totals to generate predicted flood staging and potential flood inundation coverage. Now known as FloodWise, this program provides advanced modeling of flood stages and flood inundation, which in turn are utilized to determine the timing, sequence and draw-down necessary to create additional flood storage preemptively of a forecasted storm event. Public Works crews have already been able to pre-emptively drain flood-prone areas to help alleviate some of the worst effects of heavy rainfall during recent storms.

For more information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ManateeGov.

Manatee County Information Outreach

NEWS line: (941) 745-6397 (NEWS)

news@mymanatee.org

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Jan. 7, 2025) – Manatee County’s Veterans Services and Transportation divisions have launched a new free on-demand transportation option to help veterans easily reach their medical appointments.

Starting today, ‘Manatee Moves’ will directly connect county veterans to their health providers by utilizing a rideshare service. Accessible through a smartphone app, Manatee Moves is open to all pre-registered veterans who can walk on their own, or who use an assistance device like a folding walker.

According to Manatee County Veterans Services Officer Renee Medina, Manatee Moves will help to remove obstacles that can prevent veterans from accessing the critical care and health services they need.

“This initiative reflects our deep commitment to ensuring that veterans can easily and reliably receive the medical attention they deserve, without the added stress of transportation challenges. Our goal is to make their well-being a top priority, and we are honored to play a role in improving their quality of life," Medina added.

Manatee Veterans do not need to be currently enrolled in other county services provided by the Veterans Services division. However, they must be verified, which can be done by contacting the county Veterans Services office.

Riders are limited to two one-way trips per day (for example to and from a doctor’s office), and trips are restricted to Manatee County boundaries.

Service hours are 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For those unable to utilize the mobile app a trip can be booked by calling (941) 747-1739, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Riders can book their travel up to two days in advance.

The app is now available to download on Apple and Android devices.

For more information about Manatee County Veterans Services call (941) 745-3795, send an email to vets@mymanatee.org, or visit mymanatee.org.

For more information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ManateeGov.

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Manatee County Information Outreach

NEWS line: (941) 745-6397 (NEWS)

news@mymanatee.org