DeSantis signs off on $139 million for Manatee County, vetoes 7 projects. See the list
Florida’s 2024-25 state budget will include about $139 million for education, road and infrastructure improvements and community programs in Manatee County.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the $116.5 billion budget on Wednesday, but only after vetoing almost $950 million in funding approved by lawmakers — including over $13 million in Bradenton-area projects.
“Few other governments in the world can claim they are reducing overall spending while at a time when governments can only seem to know how to grow, bloat and waste. Florida proves government can do better,” DeSantis said in a statement.
Key local items that made the final budget include $18 million for State College of Florida’s new Parrish campus, over $25 million for early childhood education programs — including a voluntary pre-Kindergarten program — and $6 million for the continuing expansion of Moccasin Wallow Road.
The budget also includes $8 million for another try at purchasing Rattlesnake Key in Tampa Bay for conservation after the state’s previous efforts failed.
Projects that didn’t make the cut included millions in Bradenton-area infrastructure improvements, including $5 million for the City of Bradenton to make transportation safety improvements and $5 million for Manatee County Government to expand Fort Hamer Bridge.
Funded Manatee County projects
Operating funds and approved baccalaureate programs at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota — $33,434,210
University of South Florida, Sarasota/Manatee — $20,216,515
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Parrish Center Phase I — $18 million
Manatee County School Readiness Program — $17,509,408
School District of Manatee workforce education programs — $10,347,179
Manatee County Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program — $8,259,519
Rattlesnake Key conservation purchase — $8 million
Manatee County Moccasin Wallow Road Expansion Segment — $6 million
Manatee County Clerk of Court — Child Support Services — $4,689,694
Palmetto Utility Infrastructure Improvements in Low/Moderate Income Area — $2.5 million
Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority Regional Transmission System Expansion — $2.5 million
Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota — $1,708,676
SRQ Emergency Operations and Public Safety Complex Phase 1 — $1,350,000
State Road 64 Project Development & Environmental Study — $1.2 million
44th Avenue East Connection — $1 million
Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) Fund for school district postsecondary technical career centers — $787,778
Centerstone of Florida — Manatee $714,729
Bradenton 25th Avenue West and 22nd Street West Stormwater Improvements — $400,000
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota 2+2 Student Success Incentive Fund — $315,392
NAMI of Sarasota and Manatee Family Peer Navigation program — $300,000
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Work Florida Student Success Incentive Fund — $222,918
Student Success in Career and Technical Education Incentive Fund — $127,826
Anna Maria Lake LaVista Channel — $94,000
Manatee County Rural Health Services — $82,283
Academy at Bradenton - Supported Employment for Adults with Mental Illness — $75,000
$5,000 salary raise for Florida Highway Patrol officers and non-sworn employees — undisclosed total cost
Total: $139,835,127
Vetoed Manatee County projects
City of Bradenton - Transportation Safety Improvements — $5 million
Fort Hamer Road 4-Lane Design Permitting & Construction — $3 million
Bradenton Sanitary Sewer Lining Program for Infiltration/Inflow Reduction — $2.2 million
Fort Hamer Bridge Design Permitting & Construction — $2 million
Bradenton Beach Seagrass Protection & Boating Access — $625,000
City of Anna Maria - Multi-Use Path Expansion — $250,000
City of Anna Maria - Public Comfort Station — $250,000
Total: $13.3 million