Timothy Norwood, Carol Ann Felts set sights on Manatee County Commission seats in 2022
A pair of Manatee County commissioners are already facing competition after filing for re-election in the 2022.
Commissioners Misty Servia and Carol Whitmore, both Republicans, are challenged by residents who have run for office before. Myakka City resident Carol Ann Felts is aiming for Whitmore’s countywide seat, while Timothy Norwood is trying to win Servia’s District 4 position.
Felts previously ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign against District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh in 2020. Norwood, who is running without party affiliation, ran as a “Tea Party Republican” in 2010 and 2014. He was defeated both times by former District 4 Commissioner Robin DiSabatino, also a Republican.
Commissioner Reggie Bellamy’s District 2 seat is also up for election in 2022. No one has filed to run for that seat yet, according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
First elected to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners in 2006, Whitmore, who lives on Anna Maria Island, has the most tenure of any of her present-day colleagues. In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, she said she looks forward to working with residents and community leaders.
“When you’re an at-large commissioner, you have to look at 411,000 people and choose what’s best for everybody,” Whitmore said. “I have a really good working relationship with the community and that helps.”
Even after serving on the board for 15 years, Whitmore, 66, says there’s still a list of things she wants to get done as commissioner, including an end to the Piney Point disaster.
“It’s early right now, but I have a lot of things I want to finish. The biggest immediate thing is working with the state and closing our pending environmental disaster,” said Whitmore, referring to the ongoing removal of hazardous water at the former phosphate processing plant.
As an outspoken advocate for country living out east, Felts, 63, who is challenging Whitmore for the GOP nomination, says her priorities include putting Myakka City’s concerns at the forefront and encouraging her neighbors to get involved in the governing process.
“I really believe that people need to be involved and informed, starting in their own backyards,” Felts said. “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.”
Leaning on her family’s rich history in the state of Florida, Felts said she plans to offer up plans and advice that can help commissioners welcome new residents while also maintaining the way of life that makes Manatee County a popular destination — both on the beach and in the countryside.
“Florida has always been the place where people went to find paradise, where they went to expect. We have a simple math problem: you cannot fit 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5-pound sack,” Felts said. “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. That’s a big part of knowing the history so you don’t repeat it.”
According to Felts, the environment, growth management plans and engaging local residents will be her top priorities on the campaign trail. Because she’s also running as a Republican, Felts and Whitmore are expected to face one another in the Republican primary election on Aug. 23, 2022.
Servia vs. Norwood
Servia is hoping to hold on to her District 4 seat after winning the seat in 2018. District 4 includes southern parts of Manatee County, including Oneco, Whitfield and Tallevast.
In her second term, Servia, 56, aims to continue building out local roads, improving local parks and providing assistance to Manatee’s homeless population.
“I want to make sure we get the expansion of 63rd Avenue East. under construction between Tuttle Avenue and U.S. 301. That’s important for our industrial community. I also wanted to see John Marble completed because we have such a need for a pool and a gymnasium,” Servia said.
“We also need to work on the homeless problem because my district has a lot of homeless people and just one deputy on the street focused on that,” she added. “I want to make sure she gets help so that we can offer help to people who need it.”
Unlike the District 6 race, Norwood, 59, is set to face Servia in the general election because he is running as an independent. As a small business owner, Norwood says he’s ready to protect Manatee County’s way of life.
Norwood founded Sea Salt Florida, a local company that harvests natural salt from the Gulf of Mexico, nearly six years ago. Pointing to the Piney Point problem, he said protecting the environment has to be the most important issue for every commissioner on the board.
“Piney Point is the ‘red tide Katrina’ for this county,” Norwood said, likening the threat of an algae bloom to the infamous hurricane that ravaged New Orleans and other parts of the northwest Gulf coast in 2005. “And it is that serious because our fishermen rely on these waters and the fish that are in them, our tourism relies on these waters and the fish that are in them and our farmers rely on the people coming here to eat in our restaurants.”
Learning from his previous campaigns, Norwood said he plans to keep many of his cards close to his chest until the election draws closer. If elected, he said he hopes to restore a sense of collaboration on the board where tensions have run high ever since a vote to fire former county administrator Cheri Coryea.
“I’m embarrassed by what’s been happening with the county commission. We sit there and watch the videos. ... I’ve never seen such bickering and arguing in my life,” Norwood said. “You’ve literally got division from one chair to the next and one side of the room to the next, but I don’t hear people bringing solutions to the table or asking for further solutions so we can get things done.”
In response, Servia said she’s confident that her colleagues are prepared to move forward with a unified goal. On Tuesday, several commissioners volunteered at a food bank distribution in Bradenton.
“We are working together. We are a team. Everybody has the best interest of Manatee County at the forefront,” Servia said.
Felts and Norwood said they realize taking down an incumbent commissioner is a tall order. Over the next year, their focus will be reaching out to residents to start a grassroots movement.
“Getting regular citizens involved leads to a better community,” Felts said. “It’s not rocket science, it’s governing ourselves. If we don’t do it, someone else is going to do it for us.”
“I can’t win by myself,” Norwood said. “I tried that once.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
