MANATEE COUNTY – Tal Siddique is running against April Culbreath in the District 3 Manatee County Commission Republican primary race that will determine who faces Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker in the general election.
District 3 includes Anna Maria Island, Cortez and portions of Longboat Key and Bradenton.
Siddique moved to Bradenton three and a half years ago from the Virginia/Washington D.C. area. He seeks the commission seat currently held by Kevin Van Ostenbridge, who is now running for the at-large District 7 seat instead. Siddique recently stopped by The Sun office to discuss his campaign.
THE INTERVIEW
Why do you want to be the District 3 commissioner?
“I want to bring some fresh perspectives to the commission. I’ve been involved in many local issues. I got involved in county politics and saw there were a lot of decisions made by our District 3 commissioner that I disagreed with. I realized I wasn’t going to have an impact unless I ran for office,” Siddique said.
“I’m running on ethics, preserving our small-town feel and empowering people over special interests. I hope people are paying attention to how we conduct our campaigns. My opponent has conducted hers very negatively and she has very little to offer. There’s a lot of special interest money at play and they have no value. They only care about ensuring that they make a profit at everyone else’s expense.
“I bring the right skills, experience and temperament. I’m 30 years old but I’ve led a career for the Air Force building software and leading software teams. I’ve also managed complex budgets for a number of organizations and right now for the private sector I do the same thing, leading multiple software and product teams.”
Would you like to comment on April Culbreath’s disciplinary record with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office?
“She has a 30-year record of misconduct. A record like that is shameful. Committing those violations was unbecoming of a deputy and is unbecoming of someone seeking a position of power. I don’t think that kind of record reflects the values of our community.”
Do you support the county constructing a parking garage at Manatee Beach against the will of residents and city officials, but with the support of state legislators?
“I do not. I have not since day one and I’ve been at a number of parking garage protests. Parking at the public beach might fill up but you can find plenty of other parking spots the city of Holmes Beach provides, and they have a map and a website that shows where those spaces are. I don’t think parking is the main concern. The main concern is traffic. Building a parking garage is going to be very expensive, at $50 million minimum. I’d rather put that money toward other solutions.”
What are your thoughts on the Island-wide consolidation study requested by state legislators Jim Boyd, Will Robinson Jr. and others?
“I don’t believe the consolidation issue was approached appropriately. There has been a significant breakdown in the relationship between the city of Holmes Beach and the county and I think that’s primarily due to our current District 3 commissioner. I would like to normalize that relationship and the relationship with our state Legislature as well, and I think I can. I have good relationships with all three Island mayors and particularly with Mayor (Judy) Titsworth and Chief (Bill) Tokajer, who both endorsed me.
“The Island city millage rates are significantly lower than Manatee County, which is 6.23 mills. The county also has the least restrictive and most poorly written land development codes and the most poorly written comprehensive plan within our region.
“I do not believe consolidating the three cities into one city is going to provide any benefits. I also don’t believe consolidating the Island cities into Manatee County is the right solution. The Island people elected their city governments and they deserve to have them. As a conservative, I don’t believe in big government eating little government.
“Forcing Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach to get rid of their police departments would put more strain on our Sheriff’s Office. It’s going to be very costly as well. As far as consolidating city services, that’s a decision the residents and city officials should make.”
What should the county commission and school district do to lower property taxes?
“We are a strong Republican county and all these county officials claim to be fiscally responsible conservatives but they gladly spend the taxpayers’ money. From fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023, we saw a $44 million increase in county property tax revenues without raising the millage. As property values increase, the county collects more revenues but doesn’t lower the millage rate. I would like to see us lower the millage rate by at least half, or by as much as we can, and I hope the school board can lower their taxes too.”
Do you feel there’s any excessive or unnecessary spending taking place at the county level?
“Absolutely. With respect to the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), in my district, the 59th Street West expansion project is completely unwarranted and unnecessary. To spend $86 million to widen a road in that location is not a need, especially when there are other streets that need attention.
“Spending at least $50 million for the Holmes Beach parking garage is unnecessary. The county also plans to build new parking garages in downtown Bradenton, at the Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch and at the convention center in Palmetto. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars on parking garages. There’s a lack of focus with what’s happening with our Capital Improvement Plan. The county is also bonded $700 million in debt and it’s costing $40 million a year to pay that off.”
Manatee County doesn’t regulate short-term vacation rentals. Should the county regulate vacation rentals?
“The Island cities have reasonable vacation rental regulations and occupancy limits and Governor (Ron) DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have prevented them from implementing and enforcing local policies. No one likes vacation rentals in their neighborhood except for the investors and large corporations that own them. Commissioner (Kevin) Van Ostenbridge said he has no solution and doesn’t plan to pursue vacation rental regulations. I’d like to see the county adopt something sensible that protects property rights for residents. At least look at what the city of Bradenton has done, which is a phone line residents can use to register complaints.”
What are your thoughts on the Gulf Island Ferry service?
“Having a larger, faster boat that can handle more inclement weather conditions will help, and I support that. I think there’s a desire for a ferry stop in Holmes Beach. The challenge is where? I think the Kingfish Boat Ramp probably makes the most sense. You can walk to the beach from there. And we need to make the ferries more practical for the Island workforce.”
Do you consider yourself to be more moderate than some current commissioners and candidates?
“I consider myself conservative. There tends to be this arms race to prove who’s the loudest and craziest and you see that playing out on the county board, which is why they talk about issues they have no impact on. I’m pro-life, pro-Second Amendment and I support Donald Trump. Those are things I stand for and believe in, but I also recognize that if a county commission gets too caught up in trying to be on TV you won’t get anything done locally. I ran because our commissioners are distracted and they’re not getting things done. I think you’re seeing that with my opponent, who has no policy positions on her website and can’t articulate her positions without help from her special interest backers.”
If elected, do you think you can successfully govern with your fellow commissioners?
“I think so. Fundamentally, most of us believe in the same values but there’s far too much special interest and developer money that swings elections and affects commission decisions. There’s no way they’d approve certain projects if it weren’t for the special interests and developer money. I plan to take a different approach than some of our current commissioners, which is to attack one another on the dais. Personal attacks and being combative with each other shouldn’t happen in board meetings. The negativity in politics has gotten worse and people don’t care for it.”
