Manatee County approves plans for new high school despite traffic concerns
Manatee County commissioners narrowly approved a new district high school after a lengthy discussion about nearby infrastructure concerns.
On Tuesday, the board voted 4-3 to approve the School District of Manatee County’s plan for “AAA High School,” an unnamed high school in Lakewood Ranch that is planned to open in 2027. The school is planned for the southwest intersection of Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard, near Premier Sports Campus.
Representatives from the School District of Manatee County and its planning consultant, Stantec, presented the plans for the AAA High School, a nearly 300,000-square-foot facility that will serve 2,500 students.
Commissioners Jason Bearden, Carol Ann Felts and Bob McCann voted in opposition of the site plan, mainly over concerns about traffic safety on Lorraine Road, which abuts the planned high school. There was also concern about increased traffic congestion.
Plans include three classroom buildings, an auditorium, a gymnasium, administrative offices, a media center and a cafeteria. There’s also space for a plethora of sports including a football stadium; fields for baseball, softball and soccer; and courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Following approval of the site plan, the School District of Manatee County will begin construction in 2026. School officials expect the school to open for ninth and 10th grade students in 2027. The school is planned to be fully-open to all four grades by 2029.
Commissioners raise concerns about safety, traffic
While most commissioners said they agreed there is demand for a new school, several concerns were raised about the school’s proximity to Lorraine Road.
The site is surrounded by Lorraine Road, Rangeland Parkway, Post Boulevard and 59th Avenue East in Lakewood Ranch. It’s also near Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.
Commissioners decided to move funding from the Lorraine Road improvement project in September when deciding priorities for the county’s capital improvement plan. McCann was the only vote in opposition to that plan.
“I know we need schools in that area, badly. But I’m also looking at Lorraine Road and how we didn’t fund it,” Bearden said. “So is this just dumb…not to build our infrastructure around the development that’s being put in these places.”
Bearden later said during the discussion that he would not vote to approve the site plans before there was more discussion on improving Lorraine Road.
“We need to have a serious conversation about this,” Bearden said. “That road is dangerous. Let’s just call it for what it is.”
Felts shared similar concerns, including the potential increase in traffic congestion.
“I just have some concerns if this is the best location for the school site with everything else that we have going on in that area, and with the condition of Lorraine Road,” Felts said. “It’s just very concerning.”
New high school planned in Lakewood Ranch
Frank Domingo, a senior project manager for transportation with Stantec, said schools don’t usually add to traffic congestion during the peak afternoon hours, since schools dismiss around 2-3 p.m.
Domingo estimated that the high school will add 1,275 cars in the morning and 800 cars in the afternoon.
Commissioner George Kruse addressed traffic concerns, emphasizing that the new high school would be bringing in students who are already driving on Manatee County roads.
“These aren’t new kids,” Kruse said. “These kids are already here … What they’re doing now is driving further … What you’re doing is you’re capturing traffic. You’re capturing traffic closer to where they are.”
Kruse also said he would defer to the school board’s judgment on the placement of the school.
“They know more about where the kids live and what’s going to be overcapacity on any given parcel of land, than all of us collectively up on this board will ever know in our lifetime,” Kruse said. “I’m 100% going to approve this because I’m going to trust that our school board knows what they’re doing about educating our children.”
One of the strongest opponents to the site plan was McCann, whose district includes the proposed high school. He shared similar concerns about safety and placement of the school, and also questioned district officials about the demand.
The closest existing high school, Lakewood Ranch High School, is over capacity by about 170 students, according to Mike Pendley an executive planner with the district. Pendley said that number would grow once the new high school opens to incorporate 11th and 12th grade students.
“This is not an administrative thing. This is before the board for a reason,” McCann said. “There are a lot of safety issues here, and public health and safety is what the board is supposed to do…it’s just an inopportune time with all the building that’s on here.”
McCann motioned to deny the site plan, which was seconded by Bearden before failing to pass by a 3-4 vote. Felts was the only other commissioner who supported the denial.
District leaders reaffirm need for high school
Following the commission’s two-hour lunch break, the board reconvened to finish the discussion.
Commissioner Tal Siddique raised his main point, which was the need for increased collaboration with the school board. Specifically, Siddique asked for more conversations going forward about how the county and school district could share facilities like the sports complexes.
“My concern is, I’d just like to see some better collaboration with this board and the school board when it comes to planning,” Siddique said. “For myself, it’s beyond the hard infrastructure … some level of public utilization for the sports facilities is, I think, where I get hung up on.”
While commissioners debated deferring the vote, School Board Chairman Chad Choate III said delaying the project was not in the district’s best interest, but he said he would be open to more collaboration with the commission.
“This school and this site has been the five-year plan…we’ve been constantly talking about it for about a year and a half on the planning of it,” Choate said. “We’re already at a crunch time to build this. We’re beyond where we need it. We’re over 100% capacity in the schools that these high school kids are being housed now.”
Kruse backed Choate’s argument that the school has been in the works for several years, despite McCann’s argument that the site plan has only been in front of county commissioners for 45 days.
McCann was hesitant to make a “snap decision,” but Commissioner Mike Rahn’s motion to approve the site plan garnered enough support to pass the plan in a 4-3 vote.
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
