‘It was never about the kids to them.’ Tallevast remains cut off from community center
It used to be a place where kids could crawl across playground equipment, shoot hoops on the basketball court or waste the day away on the swing set, but nobody has fun at the Tallevast Community Center anymore.
In recent years, the center has gone from a playful paradise to a shadow of the sanctuary it once was.
Even after Tallevast residents spoke out against restricted access to the community center, the gates remain locked and plastered with signs that warn against trespassing. The playground’s swing set is knotted up with padlocks to prevent its use.
Two years after raising their concerns, neighbors in Tallevast, a historically black neighborhood just north of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, are still fighting for the keys to the building that was made for them.
“I’ve sent endless emails, telephone calls,” said Debra Smith-Coleman, who first organized a group of residents upset with the changes in June 2019. “There’s no working phone at the community center to reach someone. It’s like trying to get in touch with a ghost. They’ve done more than turn their back on the neighborhood. They betrayed their oath.”
Among the many transformations at the community center is a total name change that took neighbors by surprise. In 2019, leaders at the Tallevast Community Center officially renamed it to the Centers for Success. Since then, a number of restrictions have kept local kids away.
In a 2019 filing with the state, Centers for Success leaders said the purpose of their non-profit organization is “to provide our clients and families served a safe, fun learning environment with the necessary tools for successful day-to-day living in Manatee County and surrounding communities.”
First built in the 1970s, the Tallevast Community Center served as a neighborhood hub that welcomed everyone, but its current state is a far cry from what the adults who grew up there experienced. In interviews with the Bradenton Herald, residents recalled a host of activities that the center provided.
“When I grew up, we had a softball team, a baseball team, a football team. We had all that,” said Donna Smith, a Tallevast resident for more than 30 years. “With the center closed, we don’t have any of that. If the kids had somewhere to go, that keeps them out of trouble. If we had our community center open for the kids, that would be great.”
“We used to be able to go every single day. We had a summer program and it was a place of fun and learning every single day — we had cooking classes, arts and crafts, field trips to the pool and the movies,” Smith-Coleman added, noting that her time at the center created lifelong friends. “That kept us all tight-knit together.”
In 2019, Tallevast’s protests caught the attention of the Board of County Commissioners, who had been funding the center’s after-school program with $90,000 per year. After county staff took a closer look at the operation and found evidence of nepotism and questionable salaries, commissioners voted to pull that funding.
How the county-provided funds compared to the center’s overall finances is unclear, but the funding change led to the complete shutdown of the center, according to neighbors who said the center has been dormant for at least two years. In that time, the playground and basketball court have remained locked up.
“That was not something we expected,” said Commissioner Misty Servia, whose district includes Tallevast. “The Tallevast Community Center was always the heart of that community, and I feel so sad that it’s locked up for no reason.”
State records list Melissa Robinson, a Tallevast resident herself, as the president of Centers for Success. She’s been a part of the organization for at least 23 years and her husband Morris Robinson recently joined the four-member board. Neither Robinson could not be reached for comment.
Before the center was abandoned by the owners, residents said they found evidence of Melissa Robinson using the building for her own gain. Robinson operated Red Drop, LLC, a private catering company, which was prominently featured on the Centers for Success website in 2019. Photos on Red Drop’s website appeared to show events hosted inside the center, which residents called an abuse of authority.
As of Tuesday, websites and Facebook pages for the Centers for Success and Red Drop have been deleted or taken down. Smith-Coleman believes the restrictions at the center are a form of retribution against the community for exposing Robinson’s operation.
“It was never about the kids to them. It was only about the money to her and once that was cut off, the center was cut off,” Smith-Coleman said, referring to the county’s 2019 decision. “It’s been two years since anyone set foot in there. I personally believe it was a vendetta from (Melissa Robinson). I can’t think of anything else as to why it’s not operating for the kids.”
Now, residents are concerned about the upkeep of the building. The tags on the community center’s van expired two years ago. A dumpster has also been removed from the site. There are no signs that the building is being used for any purpose.
“We’re concerned about the building itself. Is there any maintenance? Are the taxes being paid?” Smith-Coleman asked.
Despite the lack of public activity, Centers for Success leaders have continued to renew their business registration with the state of Florida. Property taxes at the center are also up to date, according to the Manatee County Tax Collector.
Moving forward, residents continue to beg for a chance to sit down with community center leaders to come to an agreement over access to the facility.
“We just need to know what the next step is at this point,” Smith-Coleman said.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
