Did Manatee County make ‘wasteful’ hires as population spiked? See the numbers
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia called Manatee County Government’s hiring “wasteful” spending, but the head of the county’s citizen review committee says that’s not the full story.
At a press conference in October, Ingoglia unveiled the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) audit and said Manatee County hired 472 full-time equivalent (FTE) personnel in the last five years, while the county’s population rose by about 61,000. In his blistering commentary on Manatee’s budget spending, he said that number is far beyond what he expects, even for a growing municipality.
“They’re hiring librarians, administrators, clerks and expanding government at a rate that is probably unprecedented in this area,” Ingoglia said at the press conference.
The Bradenton Herald analyzed the county’s budget books to learn which departments have grown over the past five years to account for a surge in population growth.
The Bradenton Herald submitted a public records request for a list of all new personnel hired from fiscal year 2020 to 2025, but public records staff instead provided links to the county’s budget books.
As population boomed, who did Manatee County hire?
In the Bradenton Herald’s review, the county’s staff increased from 2,000 in FY2020 to 2,472 in FY2025.
Among the employees, there were 126 added to the public safety department, which includes new staff for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s office personnel account for at least 90 — or 19% — of the additions, not including FY2025.
Public safety also includes lifeguards, emergency medical services and emergency management.
Here’s how other many personnel other departments added in the five years:
- Board of County Commissioners: 8
- County Administrator: 11
- Community & Veteran Services (new department in FY2022): 81
- Convention & Visitors Bureau: 4
- County Attorney: 4
- Development Services: 35
- Financial Management: 86
- Human Resources: 10
- Information Technology: 6
- Property Management: 30
- Public Safety: 126
- Public Works: 13
- Sports & Leisure (new department in FY2024): 42
- Utilities: 38
There were two departments — Neighborhood Services and Redevelopment & Economic Opportunity — that were disbanded or incorporated into other departments in FY2022.
According to Director of Government Relations Stephanie Garrison, Neighborhood Services was incorporated into Community and Veteran Services, while the Redevelopment & Economic Development team diminished to two employees before combining with the Development Services department.
County efficiency team looking at bigger picture
County leaders said County Administrator Charlie Bishop would not comment on this matter, and instead directed the Bradenton Herald to Mark Stanoch, the chair of the county’s Government Efficiency Liaison Committee (GELC).
Stanoch said the committee recently sent a letter to Ingoglia’s office requesting clarification on the FAFO audit.
The committee, composed of five volunteer members, was formed to internally audit the Manatee County Government’s budgets and processes. It started before Ingoglia launched a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit into the county’s finances.
When asked about the FAFO audit calling out the 472 full-time equivalents, Stanoch said that’s merely a snapshot.
“There are three components of every organization — people, processes and technology,” Stanoch said. “You can’t just look at bodies, but that’s a good start.”
Stanoch said it’s important to look not only at the number of new hires, but also the processes and technology of the organization, which is what the GELC is doing to get a fuller picture.
He also noted that there’s more to the number of positions. For example, some grant programs require a certain number of staff members to handle the program.
“There’s always kind of a string attached, and that’s the thing you really got to drill down,” Stanoch said.
The GELC has identified three areas of interest that Stanoch said they will investigate further: the tourism tax, grants and purchasing. The committee is also supposed to connect with the state’s agency on the efficiency measures.
Stanoch said the committee doesn’t see themselves as “cutters,” but rather focused on the process of re-engineering processes to find synergy.
“We’re all devoted to make sure we do the right thing for the county,” Stanoch said.
This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
