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Tag: Cruise port

Proposed cruise port prompts threats to county staff

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Real estate | Development.

MANATEE COUNTY – County staff is reportedly being subjected to harassment and threats related to a proposed cruise terminal project near Rattlesnake Key. 

In a Feb. 4 email distributed to media members, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan wrote, “There has been great interest in a proposal submitted to Manatee County outlining plans for a cruise port on the Gulf side of the Skyway Bridge. That interest has sparked robust discussion, debate and disagreement. Unfortunately, some of that disagreement has spilled over the typical settings of social media posting or petition signing.” 

Logan’s email included a message from Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop: “Manatee County values civic engagement and respects the right of residents to express their views on matters that affect our community. It has come to my attention that multiple county employees, as well as members of their families, including children, are being subjected to harassment, threats and intimidation related to a proposed private-sector cruise terminal project in the very early stages of review.” 

Bishop said no county employee should be harassed for doing their job and no child should be targeted because of where their parent works. 

Bishop’s statement did not specify which employees or which departments were being subjected to “harassment and intimidation.” 

Bishop also clarified the approval process for projects such as the proposed cruise port. 

“As part of routine economic development operations, county staff may send preliminary letters to private-sector entities that meet basic statutory criteria indicating that a project is eligible for economic development incentive programs,” he wrote. “Consistent with Chapters 288, 163 and 125 (of) Florida Statutes, this administrative correspondence does not constitute project approval, guarantee funding or advance a project through the development review process.” 

Bishop stated any proposed project must proceed through the normal development review process that includes technical review, review for code and regulation compliance and public hearings before advisory boards and the Board of County Commissioners when required. 

“These processes are public and provide multiple opportu nities for community input,” Bishop stated. “County staff do not approve projects. The Board of County Commission ers is the ultimate decision-making body for discretionary land use matters.”

The Cruise Port: A Cautionary Tale

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

By now, most of you are probably aware of the proposed cruise port that would be adjacent to Rattlesnake Key and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve.

This port, as it is envisioned, would handle the new class of cruise ships that are not able to sail under the Skyway Bridge. With a clearance of between 175 and 190 feet, depending on the tide, passing under this bridge is awe-inspiring. The thought that ships like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, at almost 250 feet tall, would be diverted to rest at port just north of this vital preserve boggles the imagination. 

I’ve fished these waters for almost four decades and regularly take friends and guests there to show them what I consider the best of Manatee County’s many unique natural resources.

Rattlesnake Key was recently purchased by SSA Marine, through a subsidiary called the Rattlesnake Key Preservation Company, ostensibly “to preserve the island’s natural character and keep it in long term conservation for public enjoyment,” according to a company statement. In my opinion, it appears the real reason was to help justify the destruction that will be required to build the port they are proposing.

How we got here in the first place strikes me as very suspicious. Had Rattlesnake Key been protected prior to this proposal, all this would have become a moot point. 

In 2022, in partnership with State Rep. Will Robinson Jr., Senator Jim Boyd secured $23 million in state funding with the goal of purchasing Rattlesnake Key. The sale then failed due to a low appraisal by the state. 

As Boyd notes in a recent opinion piece, “Buying the property would have forever prevented development, ensuring its protection for generations to come.”

In 2024, they tried again with state funding and a commitment from Manatee County. This failed again due to the disparity between a low state appraisal and the asking price of the 700-acre property. 

The state’s recent purchase of four acres in Destin for $38 million, and a state appraisal that justified it, raise serious questions in my mind about how we value land in Florida and the politics that can influence these decisions. 

The state values land partly due to its development potential, which in this case shows how that system is flawed. Originally purchased for approximately $8 million in 2016-2017, there have been questions raised about the prior owner’s political donations. 

The opposition to the port proposal has been broad and swift, but I worry that deep pockets and political influence might affect the final decision. 

Manatee County’s future depends on the natural resources that define and draw visitors and residents to our county. The long-term health of our natural resources and their connection to our economy cannot be overstated. 

People travel to and settle in this area because of the natural coastal beauty of the  places we’ve preserved – like Neal Preserve, Perico Preserve, Robinson Preserve and Emerson Point. 

In my opinion, the development of a cruise port near Rattlesnake Key and the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve would be a travesty that would degrade this rare coastal habitat and be a long-term negative for our economy. 

It’s important that we stay on top of this unfolding story. Attend meetings to express your opinion, write letters to decision makers, sign petitions and join and support organizations like Tampa Bay Waterkeepers and Suncoast Waterkeeper who will be leading the fight against this misguided proposal.