Updated Nov. 23, 2020 – BRADENTON – Newly-elected District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge initiated an effort on Thursday to terminate County Administrator Cheri Coryea.
The Manatee County Commission is scheduled on Wednesday, Jan. 6 to debate and vote on the potential termination of Coryea, who has been on the county’s staff for more than 30 years.
As newly-elected commissioners, Van Ostenbridge, James Satcher and George Kruse were sworn in on Tuesday. They participated in a work session that day which resulted in Van Ostenbridge requesting a special commission meeting on Thursday to discuss the county’s legal rights in the event of a federally-ordered economic shutdown.
Terminating the county administrator was not an item on Thursday’s special meeting agenda, so no public notice was issued to the public, the commissioner, Coryea or county staff.
Commissioners Vanessa Baugh, Satcher and Kruse ultimately supported Van Ostenbridge’s motion to put Coryea on at least 15 days’ notice that a discussion pertaining to her potential termination is now pending. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and Carol Whitmore opposed that action. The 15-day time frame was later extended until after the holidays.
With about 1,900 employees under her supervision, Coryea carries out the directives of the county commission and oversees the operations of the county. She was named acting county administrator on Feb. 26, 2019. On May 21, 2019, the county commission approved removed “acting” from her job title and made her Manatee County’s first female county administrator.
Surprise discussion
As Thursday’s special commission meeting neared what was thought to be its conclusion, Van Ostenbridge said, “There is something else I’d like to bring forward. It’s a serious matter. I want to bring up the matter of our county administrator. I like Cheri very much as a person. I think she’s a great individual. However, I have a different vision for the administrator position. I admire her dedication to the county and her many years of service, but I’m a private sector person and she’s more of a public sector person.
“My vision is that government should, whenever possible, mirror the private sector. I think we need a shift of culture within the county. I saw the direction that she was leading the county and the direction she was steering the committee at times and I disagree with it fundamentally,” Van Ostenbridge said.
Van Ostenbridge then referenced the county’s recent purchase of a 161-acre property in east Manatee County at 8520 State Road 64. The newly acquired property is across the street and slightly north of the county’s Lena Road Landfill.
“Cheri did not make that decision. The board made that decision.” – Commissioner Reggie Bellamy
The decision to purchase that property was finalized by a 5-2 commission vote in October, with Baugh and then-Commissioner Steve Jonsson voting in opposition. According to the sale and purchase contract dated Oct. 13, and signed by then-Commission Chair Betsy Benac, the county purchased the mostly vacant property from Musgrave Real Estate Holdings for $30,185,625.
The warranty deed that transferred ownership of the property from Musgrave Real Estate Holdings to Manatee County was signed by Kimberly Musgrave Schmidt and notarized by Karen Calyer on Friday, Nov. 13, with attorney Caleb Grimes signing as the second witness.
The property was purchased with the intent of creating the Central County Complex that would provide a district office for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and additional facilities for the county’s Public Works Department and Utilities Department.
“I, and some colleagues of mine, value that property at $6 million. The previous commission voted twice to go through with that purchase. I was pretty vocal against it. Commissioner Kruse was incoming at the time – he was pretty vocal against it. Mr. Satcher made public comments that he didn’t agree with it as well. It was pretty obvious that the incoming commission did not want this,” said Van Ostenbridge, a Realtor with Boyd Realty.
“The closing date of that property was hurried to last Friday. Funds have changed hands and it’s a done deal. I feel very saddled now with that cost and that property, as well as the burdens of the improvements that have to be made,” he said.
Van Ostenbridge also mentioned the purchase negotiations led by Utilities Department Director Mike Gore.
“I didn’t agree with the process, having Mr. Gore lead the negotiations. I didn’t feel he was qualified. Day-to-day operations are run by the administrator, so ultimately that falls on the administrator. I think tens of millions of tax dollars were wasted on that purchase. It’s the position of this commissioner that the $25 million in wasted tax money is a fireable offense,” Van Ostenbridge said.
The property is appraised at about $18.5 million, according to a June report obtained by The Sun and written by Hettema Saba Commercial Real Estate Valuation Advisory Services.
“Based on the known factors creating and affecting value, it is my opinion that the market value for the subject property in its ‘as is’ condition, as of June 18, was $18,448,000,” according to a letter signed by state-certified general real estate appraiser Ronald Saba and addressed to Brandie Adams, the real property specialist for Manatee County’s Property Acquisition Division.
”The purpose of the appraisal is to provide an opinion of the market value. The report is intended to be used by the client to make a purchase price decision,” Saba wrote.
The $30,185,625 purchase price equates to $187,488 per acre, with the most recent comparable property in that vicinity at that time selling for $310,218 per acre, according to a staff presentation to county commissioners on Oct. 13. The price per acre in that vicinity over the past 10 years was $496,923.
After a recess during last Thursday’s meeting, Commissioner Carol Whitmore sought insight from Chief Assistant County Attorney Bill Clague.
“Miss Coryea’s service as county administrator is by agreement between her and the county. That agreement has provisions in it that govern the circumstances under which the board can dismiss her. They require that the board provide her with at least 15 days’ notice prior to conducting a meeting to make that decision. The most the board could do today would be to direct our office to provide her with that notice and schedule a meeting to consider that. I would advise the board to be careful in this meeting about going into the legalities or the details of those things,” Clague said.
Whitmore noted the land purchase was actually initiated by previous County Administrator Ed Hunzeker.
Whitmore referenced a Nov. 15 story published at the Bradenton Times website that included the headline, “Are Special Interests Gunning for County Administrator?” The story states developer Carlos Beruff and other members of the development community pushed for Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance President Dom Dimaio to succeed Hunzeker, rather than Coryea.
“I was called, you all were called, by a developer who didn’t want Cheri in the job,” Whitmore said.
She also said that the developer supported Van Ostenbridge, Satcher and Kruse’s campaigns.
“I was hoping you guys would at least give her a chance. You haven’t even been in office for three days. Shame on you for doing that. This is very upsetting,” Whitmore said.
Regarding Van Ostenbridge’s desire for the county government to operate more like a business, Whitmore said, “This is not a business.”
Commissioner Reggie Bellamy began his remarks by referencing something he learned in business school: “When you take over leadership, you don’t come in and make hasty decisions. This sounds like a hasty decision and it’s very unfortunate,” he said.
Bellamy said it’s one thing to be disappointed with someone for carrying out a commission decision, but to say it’s a fireable offense is something totally different.
He also disagreed with Van Ostenbridge’s claim that the land purchase was rushed.
Bellamy said he asked Van Ostenbridge and Kruse during their campaigns if they planned to fire Coryea once they took office.
“And the comment was, ‘No, I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ ” Bellamy said.
“It’s quite clear there’s been some premeditated comments and thoughts about this particular step with her. If the cause is for Lena Road, don’t fire her. Fire the commissioners that voted on it, twice. And that’s not your job, that’s the job of the constituents. Cheri did not make that decision. The board made that decision,” Bellamy said.
“I don’t think you, as a county commissioner, can learn in 72 hours enough to draw a conclusion that you’re going to fire anybody. There is no way in the world that we should be holding a conversation like this three days into it,” Bellamy said.
“It’s kind of piling up now. When you see the information that’s brought to you it almost seems like an attempt to build momentum. This is why I’m saying some of this is premeditated,” Bellamy said.
Speaking next, Commissioner Misty Servia said, “Kevin, this is a reckless move. You have been here actually 50 hours, it’s not even close to 72 hours. Here’s what this move does: The morale of our staff just dropped. Our ability to hire people that we so desperately need has dropped.”
Servia said Van Ostenbridge made a “poor move” when initiating that discussion without giving the public advance notice.
“You’ve just shut them out of this,” she said. “The art of the deal requires finesse. This is not finesse.”
Servia mentioned Coryea’s performance evaluations submitted by six of the seven members of the previous commission, which were discussed at that commission’s final meeting on Nov. 10 – an evaluation process Baugh chose not to participate in.
“Our county administrator just received a glowing review because she has done everything this elected board has asked her to do in a timely and efficient manner,” Servia said.
Bellamy noted Coryea received a 6-month evaluation and a 12-month evaluation.
“Not a 3-day evaluation or a 50-hour evaluation,” he said. “It seems as though there’s ulterior motives. It seems as though there’s something else out there.”
Bellamy told the new commissioners to consider how they would feel about being evaluated after just 50 hours on the job.
Along those same lines Servia said, “Fifty hours on the job? We need to be in a learning mode, not in a firing mode.”
When it was his turn to speak, Kruse said, “I think ‘premediated’ is probably a strong word. I think we all came into this with a common view of government. Any level of premeditation was just a group of us saying let’s look at something a little more from a business standpoint. I’m not saying which direction I’m going. I’m OK with starting a clock, but if this is a vote to flat-out do it today, then that would be a different story.”
Baugh disputed any premeditation.
“I don’t know anything about premediated. I don’t know anything about developers coming to anybody. None have come to me, but I can tell you this – the citizens do come to me and they’re the ones that are important. And by the way, I guess developers are citizens too,” Baugh said.
“I realize this isn’t a topic most people want to talk about. I don’t believe it is fair to make accusations to the new commissioners that have been out there for over a year working to get elected – who might know a little bit more than you think. Everybody take a breath, we’re not making the decision today,” Baugh said.
Clerk of Court weighs in
Aware of the discussion taking place, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court Angelina Colonneso felt compelled to make the short drive from her downtown Bradenton office to the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto to address the commission.
When addressing Van Ostenbridge, Satcher and Kruse, she said, “To the three of you, please take my advice: a little humility doesn’t hurt. Take it from my experience, you’ve got a lot to learn. I am for the people’s records, the people’s business. There are no citizens here. Those people have not been afforded the opportunity to even weigh in on this.
“I think you should take a little time and see how things work. You haven’t even been to a (regular) meeting yet and you’re bringing this up. You haven’t had a chance to work with anybody in this county or see the interactions,” Colonneso said.
“In a way, I feel like I’m up here as that watchdog for the citizens – to tell you that whatever you decide, take a step back. You took an oath. You need to be humble and understand there’s so much to learn. Please, take your time here,” Colonneso said.
“I didn’t expect to make a trip here today. I gave up another meeting when I saw this, it was so outlandish,” she said in conclusion.
Final comments
“This is not terminating Cheri today. I am not eliminating the public process. I’m going to make a motion to give 15 days’ notice of a vote. The public, community leaders, citizens of all types can reach out to us. I just want us to make some fundamental cultural changes,” Van Ostenbridge said.
Baugh seconded Van Ostenbridge’s motion.
Before voting on the motion, Whitmore said, “I knew this was orchestrated. Kevin, I supported you. I am ashamed that I did. You’ve been in office 50 hours. This was premediated. I’ve had the calls; every one of you have. I know what’s going on. There are employees crying right now because of what you’ve just done. Maybe you don’t care, but you should.”
In response, Van Ostenbridge said, “I agree with you, it’s a very difficult decision. It can be very emotional for people, but you cannot run a $1.5 billion business based on feelings and emotion. Unfortunately, it has to be run pragmatically, as a business.”
Servia said, “With all due respect, this is not a good way to do business because there are so many unintended consequences that amount to millions and millions of dollars; and things are shifting right now today because of this action. This is a very dangerous approach.”
Satcher said no one should be surprised about Van Ostenbridge’s positions.
“Everyone that was running for election had very public comments about what was going on at Lena Road. Of course it’s expected. It was a major decision. I was tempted to read my Facebook post: ‘Five reasons why the Lena Road land deal is wrong for Manatee County.’ I should have said 32 million and 5 reasons why it was bad for Manatee County,” Satcher said, citing a figure that was higher than the $30,185,625 sale price listed on the signed contract.
Kruse said the Coryea decision is one of the most serious decisions this commission will make, and he noted it will have implications throughout the entire county and county government.
“If you’re a director and you work directly under Ms. Coryea, please reach out to me – Ms. Coryea included,” Kruse said of his willingness to speak with as many people as possible before making his decision.
“This isn’t premeditated or a done deal. I am going to do my due diligence and my homework. Lena Road, while I disagree with it, that wouldn’t be my decision in and of itself, but there’s bigger philosophical things,” Kruse said.
After the 4-3 vote to put Coryea on notice took place, the commission discussed scheduling that meeting on Dec. 15. Bellamy requested the discussion be delayed until after the holidays and the other members unanimously supported his request.
