Manatee leader proposes renaming ‘piece of paradise’ after late commissioner

A Manatee County commissioner is proposing a special tribute to fellow board member Carol Ann Felts, who died suddenly this week.

Commissioner Amanda Ballard is asking the board to name a portion of Crane Park, a community gathering place in Felts’ home of Myakka City, after the late commissioner. The park offers a playground, picnic shelters and views of the Myakka River in rural East Manatee County.

Last year, commissioners voted to buy land to expand the park to around 40 acres, where the county plans to restore wetlands along the river and improve public facilities.

“We hadn’t had a lot of county facilities out east until this type of purchase,” Felts said at the time. “I hope that we will enjoy that additional part of the park.”

Ballard told the Bradenton Herald that she would like to name the expansion after Felts, possibly as the Carol Ann Felts Preserve at Crane Park.

“It was a park that she really loved in Myakka, which was her home,” Ballard said. “She was a huge proponent of the wild places in Florida.”

Despite Felts’ time on the board being cut short, Ballard said she made a lasting impact on the community.

“Carol was very fiery and spunky and energetic,” Ballard said. “She was as citizen activist for so long prior, everyone knew her really well, and knew what she cared about.”

Tribute proposed for late Commissioner Felts

“During her many years as a citizen activist, a grassroots political candidate, and Manatee County Commissioner for District 1, Carol Ann Felts demonstrated commitment to old Florida, its wild places, its history, and the preservation of rural lands and traditional Manatee County industries and lifestyles,” Ballard wrote in an item added to the board’s Tuesday, March 3 meeting agenda. “She was a strong advocate for the residents, nature, environment, and animals of rural Manatee County, and worked tirelessly on their behalf, both as a citizen and an elected official.”

“Her untimely death cut short her representation, but her memory will remain a blessing to people throughout the County, especially those she represented,” Ballard’s agenda item continues. “She loved Crane Park as a little piece of paradise in the country, and in 2025, as part of the ELMAC Board and Board of County Commissioners, expanded the park by 13 acres, contributing to the health of the Myakka River and supporting species like gopher tortoises, sandhill cranes, and crested caracaras.”

The board will consider the item during its next Regular Meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Patricia M. Glass Chambers in the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.