Palmetto mayor seeks fourth term. Two government veterans are challenging her
Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant will vie for a fourth term as the city’s leader in the Nov. 3 election. She faces two challengers with experience in local government: current Palmetto commissioner Jonathan Davis and former Palmetto and Manatee County commissioner Charles Smith.
Both men have previously served as vice mayor of Palmetto. The city has a strong mayor form of government, where the mayor serves as a chief executive officer directly overseeing the city’s appointed department heads.
As of 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city’s population at a little over 13,700 people. All three candidates say that they want to see the city grow to attract more businesses, residents and visitors.
During her tenure as mayor, which started in 2008, Bryant has overseen community redevelopment and arts projects, infrastructure improvements and environmentally-friendly waterfront upgrades geared toward meeting those goals. Davis, who was elected in 2012 and has served two terms on commission, has also been a part of many of those decisions.
Smith also contributed to the growth of the city during his previous time in office as he helped to get Palmetto’s Community Redevelopment Agency off the ground and sought housing solutions. During his time as county commissioner, he advocated for the placement of a new pool at Lincoln Park in Palmetto, which was ultimately successful. He also proposed the establishment of a community redevelopment agency, or CRA, for the unincorporated areas of Manatee County near Palmetto, which did not come to fruition.
Smith’s political past includes several controversies. In previous bids for political office, he included a degree in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida on his resume. When the validity of Smith’s degree was challenged in 2014, UCF was unable to find a record of his graduation. However, a person matching Smith’s name and date of birth did study criminal justice at the university for two semesters, UCF confirmed at the time. Smith also declined to provide proof of his degree.
In 2018, he lost his county commission seat to Reggie Bellamy. The defeat came after Smith publicly called for Bellamy to resign from his role as director of the Palmetto Youth Center over claims that proved to be inaccurate. Smith then filed an elections violation complaint against his opponent. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the complaint and found no criminal wrongdoing by Bellamy.
Candidates share their visions for Palmetto
The Manatee County League of Women Voters held an online forum Oct. 1 during which the three mayoral candidates discussed their platforms.
Bryant promised a continuation of projects currently underway that are geared at making Palmetto a more attractive place to live and visit, pointing to several specific initiatives.
“Palmetto has really increased and evolved in leaps in and bounds as far as improvements, infrastructure, different amenities, environmental and so forth,” Bryant said. “We have a good thing going. I’d like to keep that ball rolling. I think we are at the cusp of a lot more changes in Palmetto that are going to improve it even more.”
Davis spoke in more general terms about attracting additional businesses and continuing infrastructure improvements.
“I’ve served eight years on the commission and it’s time to move on — move to the next level,” Davis said. “I hope to make Palmetto a better place to live.”
Smith was highly critical of the city’s current administration, and he argued that projects and growth are not moving fast enough to attract businesses and young people to the city.
“We own quite a few businesses here—exactly five,” Smith said of his family. “The taxes continue to increase, there’s 22% poverty, and the economic base is not existent. We don’t have a hotel today, there’s no infrastructure today, the convention center was changed to the Bradenton Area (Convention Center); we have not had the ability to bring quality businesses to the city. The quality of life does not exist. We need a change.”
Attracting more businesses to Palmetto’s currently underutilized downtown district and outlying areas was a major topic of discussion for the three candidates.
“What I would do is reach out in a public-private partnership and make sure that we bring businesses here, such as hotels, that we don’t have today,” Smith said. “Make the application process a little more easier. Use the Community Redevelopment Agency for incentives, and make sure that they are bringing jobs here and things like that.”
Smith stressed the importance of incentives for current Palmetto businesses to stay. He also promised 100 new businesses for the city within his first term as mayor and a “business summit” to communicate with local entrepreneurs.
“The rubber’s already hit the road on so many of these projects,” Bryant said of attracting businesses, citing It Works! and Detwiler’s Farm Market as success stories. Bryant also touted improvements underway along Seventh Street and several other businesses currently under construction or moving into Palmetto, including a new Sheraton Hotel next to the convention center.
“I believe that we can work with the CRA and attract more businesses to the city,” Davis said. “I know we have been doing some of that, but it can be farther along.”
Bryant and Davis pointed to one major revitalization project that is already in the works for the downtown area with the approval of a Florida Department of Transportation “Complete Street” project. The project will see improvements of 10th Avenue West between Riverside Drive and 17th Street West.
Police force
Recently, the workforce of the Palmetto Police Department has been a topic of concern at city commission meetings. Police Chief Scott Tyler told commissioners in July that he is frequently losing officers to other agencies and has difficulty recruiting due to the department’s uncompetitive pay. An increase in the city’s millage rate to cover salary increases was proposed in July but failed in a 2-3 vote. The city’s 2021 budget includes a small bump of $18,438 for police officer salaries.
“They’re leaving in droves,” Smith said. “It’s a training ground for every law enforcement agency in the area.”
Smith said that if he were elected he would work with state and federal legislators to attain funding to improve salaries and training opportunities at the Palmetto Police Department.
“I will save the taxpayers millions of dollars,” Smith said. “I know how to get money from Washington, D.C., to offset that police department.”
Bryant remarked that the police department is a top priority for her and said that she lobbied commissioners to increase salaries.
“That is critical,” Bryant said of competitive police salaries. “We have to be competitive. It’s a matter of supply and demand.”
Davis said he would continue to seek additional funding sources for the city’s police department.
“We will be reaching out for grant opportunities to help build and fund this police department,” Davis said. “We could have the best police department and the best officers in the area, but it’s going to take money, and we will have to find it somewhere.”
About the candidates
Bryant is a Palmetto native who graduated from Palmetto High School, Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida) and Florida Southern College, studying economics and accounting. Bryant worked for the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s office for 15 years and served as the chief financial officer for Manatee School for the Arts, and is currently active with numerous community organizations and boards, including the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce.
She previously served in Palmetto government as a city council member from 1993 to 2004. Bryant’s campaign has raised $18,107 in contributions, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, with expenditures of $5,865.
Davis is a Palmetto native and Palmetto High School graduate who operates his own fishing charter business in Manatee County waters. His community involvement includes service for sporting events and organizations, charities and serving on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s resiliency coalition. Davis’ campaign has raised $3,225 in contributions, according to the elections office, with expenditures of $1,891.
Smith is a Palmetto resident since childhood and a graduate of Palmetto High School. Smith is the director of the Manatee Harvesting Company, Inc. and a past and present member of numerous organizations, including roles on the board of the Manatee Tiger Bay Club and as a founder of a local Southern Christian Leadership Conference chapter. Smith’s campaign has raised $17,100 in contributions, according to the elections office, with expenditures of $5,270.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 11:47 AM.