Manatee commissioners, new and old, take oath of office surrounded by loved ones

The county’s newest commissioners took the oath of office surrounded by a packed house of friends and family members.

Reggie Bellamy and Misty Servia, as well as the re-elected Carol Whitmore were sworn in Tuesday morning. County Attorney Mitchell Palmer led the event in the Commission Chambers, kicking it off by ribbing Florida’s latest recount fiasco.

“As I was coming down on the elevator this morning, I thought to myself that so many other Florida counties could learn from the Manatee example,” said Palmer. “No hanging chads, no endless recounts, no lawsuits, just a nice, clean electoral process with nice, wonderful victors in each of these races.”

District 2’s new commissioner, Bellamy was sworn in first, taking the oath alongside his son Arthur while the rest of his family sat in the audience. The last time Bellamy, 47, was sworn in, he did so for the military with only his parents by his side.

“Having everyone around me this time was a very different feeling,” he said.

Bellamy hit the ground running as commissioner, planning to meet with county staff shortly after he was sworn in. He replaces former Commissioner Charles Smith, who accused him of being spread too thin across his various jobs. Bellamy ousted Smith in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Dimitrie Denis in the general election.

Servia, who will represent District 4, was sworn in with her husband and children standing with her.

“It meant everything to have them up there with me,” Servia said. “It’s why we do what we do.”

As Servia, 54, gets acquainted with the board, she said her mission is to “listen and understand.” She also expressed an interest in garnering support from her fellow commissioners for a Citizens Growth Committee that she championed during her campaign against Democrat Melton Little.

Whitmore, 63, was sworn in for her fourth term as one of the county’s two at-large commissioners. She faced Candace Luther, independent challenger, in this year’s general election. At the podium, she had the support of her children and grandchildren, while her husband watched a live stream of the ceremony.

Servia and Bellamy will attend their first public meeting as county commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 27. A county spokesman said the board will vote on new chairs for various boards at the meeting.

This story was originally published November 20, 2018 at 11:29 AM.