Manatee County chair lays out 2026 priorities: comp plan, charter, budget workshops and workforce focus

Commissioner Tal Sadiq (District 3) outlined the board’s top priorities for 2026 during a State of the Chair address, urging the commission to transmit a revised comprehensive plan to the state this spring, consider a voter-driven county charter and overhaul the county’s budget-engagement process.

Sadiq said the county has taken a number of concrete steps over the past year and wants the board to build on that work. “We increased impact fees to 100% of 2025 rates,” he said, and the county has “cut the millage rate by 0.05.” He credited staff and fellow commissioners for completing projects including the recent opening of the Bishop Kennels and the purchase of 134 acres for conservation and stormwater purposes.

Why it matters: Sadiq framed the comprehensive plan as the foundation for local development decisions and said state laws such as Senate Bill 180 constrain local authority. He urged the board to approve and transmit the county’s redlined comprehensive-plan draft to the state before the summer recess so the county can begin the formal review process and respond to interagency comments.

On local governance, Sadiq proposed beginning a public conversation about a county charter — a voter-approved document that can set local structure and some policy rules. He said a charter process would be board-initiated but citizen-driven: “The process would be workshop, we pass a resolution, and then… an 11 to 15 person citizen committee” would draft the document and send it to voters, he said, adding that charters cannot override certain state actions and that other counties provide useful examples.

Infrastructure and public safety were also emphasized. Sadiq pointed to a canal-cleaning program funded with roughly $8–9 million and said the board is discussing an additional $1 million for further work. He highlighted the Light Up Manatee street-lighting initiative and reported what he described as 1,664 lights installed, 230 under construction and 1,556 under design to improve safety in underserved urban-core areas.

Budget process changes: With property-tax reform under consideration at the state level, Sadiq proposed an earlier, more civic-focused budget process for FY27 that would include public workshops and an asynchronous citizen survey to gather priorities before formal notices in August. “Rather than wait till June,” he said, the county would hold hearings and workshops beginning in February and run through April so staff can analyze public feedback before final budget decisions.

Economic development and workforce: Sadiq urged shifting some emphasis from cash incentives to workforce development, citing a local apprenticeship program created with Air Products (formerly Honeywell) as a model. He noted low utilization of current job grants and suggested the county could offer one-time supports that leverage regional workforce partners like CareerSource Suncoast.

Commissioner responses: Commissioners offered mostly supportive remarks. Commissioner Carol Ann Felts (District 1) praised the emphasis on public input: “That process is phenomenal,” she said. Commissioner Amanda Ballard (District 2) said she supported holding workshops at different times, including evenings and Saturdays, to broaden access. Several commissioners voiced support for advancing the comprehensive plan and acknowledged that any charter effort would be a multiyear, public-driven process requiring outreach to municipal leaders.

What’s next: Sadiq said staff will circulate the latest redlined comprehensive-plan copy and that the board will schedule policy review at a February 11 workshop, with the goal of transmitting the plan to the state before the summer recess. He also said he plans to bring the charter idea to a future workshop and to invite subject-matter witnesses (the Florida Association of Counties or UF) to brief the board. The commission moved to continue with public comments elsewhere in the building and deferred formal votes on the items discussed.

No formal motions or votes on the comprehensive plan, charter or budget changes were recorded during the remarks; the board requested additional information and scheduled follow-up workshops for consideration.