A donor island? With Longboat Key in 2 counties, it wants better partnership with Manatee
Manatee County leaders want to foster a better partnership with the Town of Longboat Key, but that commitment comes with a price tag.
Being split between Manatee and Sarasota counties leaves Longboat Key in a tough position. The split creates several difficulties, especially in terms of asking for money to fund joint projects, according to Town Manager Tom Harmer.
“Knowing that we’re kind of a donor island to the counties by nature of the tax base out there, how do we all benefit from working together? That’s kind of where the commission has looked to me to advance discussions with the county on cooperative and collaborative things we can do together to help Manatee County residents on that side and Sarasota County residents on that side,” Harmer explained. “If Longboat Key is successful, I think the counties are successful.”
Wednesday’s meeting was the first time the county has met with Longboat Key since a 2019 meeting that Mayor Ken Schneier described as “chilly.” In that meeting, Commissioner Vanessa Baugh pressed town leaders to express whether they wanted to leave Manatee County.
“If your only purpose is that you want to be in Sarasota, say it,” she told Harmer at the time, following a similar presentation about Longboat Key’s challenges.
But the conversation has shifted gears since then. Manatee and Longboat Key leaders agreed that the working relationship has greatly improved in recent years. Citing law enforcement assistance on Greer Island and red tide cleanup in Longboat Key, Mayor Ken Schneier said the two governments are getting along much better than before.
“My first meeting with the county was chilly, and it’s warmed up significantly, so thanks for all the good work that has gone on and we look forward to more,” Schneier said.
“I think the relationship has improved,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge added. “I think the lines of communication are more open.”
Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability completed an independent study of the problem. The report came up with several findings that could support the town’s decision to move into one county.
Only four municipalities in the state of Florida are split between two counties, and Longboat Key is the largest of them. Town leaders contest that sharing two Supervisors of Elections, Sheriffs and Tax Collectors is a burden on residents and government staff.
Longboat Key makes funding request
Speaking with the Manatee County Commission on Wednesday afternoon, Harmer asked board members to consider sharing the cost of several projects, including a crucial roundabout, a major wastewater pipe replacement and beach renourishment projects.
“If there’s a way to partner, now is the time that we should be looking at it,” Harmer said.
Several commissioners said they had no problem with the smallest funding request – $150,000 to pay for half of a roundabout design – but stopped short of committing to support the wastewater project.
Following a major breach in the town’s underground sewer pipe that cuts across Sarasota Bay, the town is looking for ways to come up with the $21 million needed for the repair. While the town recently raised utility rates to contribute to the cost, they also said they hoped the county could assist with $800,000 for a funding match from the Florida Legislature.
“We’re taking this incrementally, trying to eat the elephant one bite at a time,” Harmer said. “If there’s a quick opportunity for the county to partner, it’s helping us meet that $800,000 match.”
The county would normally tap into budget reserves to address a sudden spending request, but County Administrator Scott Hopes reminded commissioners that those reserves were spent down in order to pay for other infrastructure needs throughout the county as part of the 2022 budget that was approved earlier this year.
What happens if Longboat Key leaves Manatee?
Harmer said the town would prefer to work together when Commissioner James Satcher asked Longboat Key if they were still considering leaving Manatee County. That action would require special action from the Florida Legislature.
“Sometimes in negotiations, you need to know what the real issue is,” he said.
If the town does leave Manatee County, Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she would prefer to include a special stipulation in the funding assistance that the county provides Longboat Key.
“If we do figure out some long-term funding, I would want a deal in place that says if you ever secede, you have to pay us back. If we make that investment, you pay Manatee County back,” Whitmore suggested.
Manatee board members are expected to vote on Longboat Key’s roundabout funding in January. Funding for Longboat Key’s sewer project is expected to take place at a later date.
