Manatee County Commissioner Carol Ann Felts dies at 68, officials say
Manatee County Commissioner Carol Ann Felts has died, sources told the Bradenton Herald Tuesday afternoon.
Felts, a Myakka City resident, served as the District 1 commissioner, representing more than 77,000 people in Myakka City, Parrish and parts of Ellenton and Palmetto. She began her first term in public office in 2024.
Manatee County Government confirmed Felts’ death in a statement Tuesday evening.
“Commissioner Felts was a dedicated public servant and a steadfast advocate for the residents of District 1,” the statement said. “Throughout her tenure, she worked diligently to represent her constituents, strengthen community partnerships, and advance initiatives that supported the well-being of Manatee County and its residents.”
After spending years in the crowds of the Manatee Board of County Commissioners meetings as a concerned citizen, Felts, 68, used her platform on the dais as a frequent opponent to sprawling development and emphasized the importance of preserving agricultural land.
“I really believe that people need to be involved and informed, starting in their own backyards,” Felts said in a 2021 interview with the Bradenton Herald. “If we can’t have a good dialogue, good representation in working together with our local representatives and local county staff, we lose our voice right there — and that’s where we have to use our voices the loudest.”
Felts previously launched unsuccessful bids for the Manatee County Commission in 2020 and 2022. In 2024, she defeated a developer-backed candidate to earn a four-year term on the board.
“I always thought that there would be somebody bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, that would take this on. But the truth of the matter is that I kept at it,” Felts said in a June 2025 podcast interview with Manatee County Government staff. “I wasn’t going to give up.”
Commissioner Felts dies at 68, officials say
Speaking with the Bradenton Herald Tuesday afternoon, Commissioner Mike Rahn mourned the loss of his colleague. “She was passionate about her district and everything,” said Rahn. “She was a great lady, and I can’t say one bad thing about her.”
As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, a cause of death is unknown, Rahn said, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said the deputies are conducting a death investigation but had no further details.
Commissioner Bob McCann, who also won in 2024 alongside Felts, spoke highly of Felts and her passion for the people she represented.
“She was a very special lady. She really cared for her constituents,” McCann said. “She spoke from the heart. And she spoke a common language that the people understood, and she really fought for her people.”
In the statement from Manatee County Government, Commissioner Tal Siddique echoed similar sentiments to fellow board members.
“Commissioner Felts cared deeply about the people she served,” Siddique said. “Her commitment to District 1 and to the future of our county was evident in her leadership and service. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues, County staff, and the community.”
‘Fierce rural advocate’
Felts, a lifelong resident and eighth-generation Floridian, was originally from Little Havana in Miami. She often spoke highly of her Florida heritage and the wisdom that comes with watching the state evolve.
“That’s probably one of my better attributes — observing over the years and being fair about what has been good for us but also being objective about what’s good for us now,” Felt said. “That’s a big part of knowing the history so you don’t repeat it.”
A Manatee County resident for more than 35 years, Felts owned nearly 10 acres in Myakka City, where she tended to an assortment of animals, including horses, chickens and even an African spurred tortoise.
“What happens when a rancher, small business owner, and fierce rural advocate takes a seat on the County Commission? You get Carol Ann Felts — direct, principled, and deeply rooted in the land she represents here,” Manatee County Government wrote in a social media post advertising a podcast interview with the commissioner.
In February 2025, county officials shared a video promoting the Florida Cracker Trail, which Felts participated in to help preserve the state’s agricultural legacy. The video shows Felts give a demonstration of how to crack a whip — the namesake of the cracker moniker.
Earlier this month, Felts celebrated her 68th birthday.
“What an array of memories and characters one accumulates in (nearly) 7 decades on this earth, and I’m blessed by every one of them,” Felts wrote in a Facebook post earlier this month, thanking friends and family for birthday wishes.
The post went on to impart advice on a life well-lived:
“One, be humble, kind and have (a) sense of humor about everything, life (is) too short to not laugh,” Felts said.
Manatee County Government said the Board of County Commissioners will honor Felts during its next meeting on March 3. Information about a memorial will be shared at a later date, officials say.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 4:46 PM.
