‘Unacceptable.’ Manatee staff face threats over cruise port, officials say
Manatee County officials say staff and their families have received threats and harassment related to the proposed cruise terminal near Rattlesnake Key.
The harassment comes after Slip Knott LLC submitted paperwork to the county for the proposed Knott-Cowen Cruise Port. The plan is to build a terminal on over 300 acres of land known as the Knott-Cowen tract adjacent to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
County Administrator Charlie Bishop condemned the harassment in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald, calling it “unacceptable.”
“It has come to my attention that multiple county employees, as well as members of their families, including children, are being subjected to harassment, threats and intimidation related to a proposed private-sector cruise terminal project in the very early stages of review,” Bishop said.
Manatee leaders condemn staff harassment
“No county employee should be harassed for performing their professional duties. No child should ever be targeted because of where their parent works,” the statement continued. “These actions must stop.”
In an interview on Thursday, Deputy County Administrator Courtney De Pol said public comments had risen past a healthy debate and civic engagement. De Pol said children of some county employees were getting harassed by other children at school over this project.
“This is an opportunity to take a quick pause and just to remind everybody to be civil and kind,” De Pol said.
Cruise terminal development still under review
County records show Slip Knott LLC submitted plans for the proposed cruise terminal on Jan. 16. The project team met with county staff on Jan. 30 for a “very informal meeting,” according to De Pol.
De Pol said a project could take anywhere from nine months to a year before it goes before the county commission, but a large-scale cruise terminal is not a project the county reviews regularly. She said the county doesn’t have subject-matter experts on hand for a proposal like this.
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“It’s likely that we’ll hire a consultant, and the review timeline could take even longer than that,” De Pol said.
There has also been misinformation spreading on social media about what it means for the project to receive a “rapid response designation.”
De Pol clarified that this does not mean the project is automatically approved. State statute requires county staff to review a formal application within 30 days of submission. However, with a rapid response designation — like what was given to the proposed cruise terminal — county staff has 21 days to review it.
While the county is denouncing the threats and harassment, officials welcome healthy debate.
“There will be many, many opportunities for the public to comment in a very constructive way and get their voices heard,” De Pol said. “And it’s just not appropriate to harass staff or staff’s children.”
De Pol said there will be several opportunities for the public to have their voices heard. She said there will be several neighborhood meetings required during the process, as well as a hearing before the Planning Commission before the project heads to the Board of County Commissioners.
