Manatee County parks office wrong to remove playground gear

The Manatee County Parks and Recreation supervisor recently had the playground equipment, including swings for children and baby swings, removed from Manatee Palms park. When the department was questioned, I was told "unsafe" and "too much vandalism."

This is not completely true. Kids would sit and smoke on the playground, but I live there and can view the park from my house. Children use the playground every single day.

The county has no plans to replace the equipment for the children for which all of us pay taxes. Will they remove all playground equipment from all parks for this same excuse?

Problems exist all over Manatee County. No notice was given for this removal and the ones who suffer will be the children. This was a very shameful, sneaky thing to do.

I do not have children and I speak for myself that this was done by people in power, pushing their weight around without considering who pays their salary.

Manatee Palms is in a business/residential area with increasing property values and very close to the new proposed water park. Will the county next rezone, then sell the park to developers? I wouldn't put it past them!

I did call the Bradenton Herald and asked them if they could find out the real reason for what is happening as I certainly do not believe what I was told by the Parks Department. All that is left now is one very ugly park sign (which I am told is being left up).

Linda Lively

Bradenton

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County parks office wrong to remove playground gear ."