Cheri Coryea Delivers 2020 Annual Report in Final Duties in Her Role as County Administrator

February 24, 2021 – Sarasota

Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea detailed a host of government accomplishments during a year of unprecedented challenges as she delivered her 2020 Annual Report to County Commissioners yesterday. 

Coryea was Manatee County’s first permanent female County Administrator and served in the role from May, 2019 until yesterday. She accepted amicable separation agreement with County Commissioners to conclude her two years as County Administrator. Later in yesterday’s meeting the Board named Karen Stewart as the acting County Administrator until an interim selection can be made next month. 

“Whether you’ve been in one of the departments, a hero on the front lines, or you took on new challenges as a result of the pandemic, you’re all heroes to the citizens of Manatee County,” Coryea said after delivering the report. “I want to thank the Commission for entrusting all of the the operations of these important department directors, division managers and tireless working staff. No matter who leads this County forward, they’ll be so fortunate to have a team of this caliber.” 

View the video Annual Report or download copies of the PDF atwww.mymanatee.org/annualreport  

The Annual Report includes a section on the County’s community response to the pandemic, but it also summarizes the top accomplishments of Manatee County Government in 2020. Some highlights: 

• Manatee County Property Management Construction Services team remodeled the former Supervisor of Elections office downtown, 1401 3rd Ave W, Bradenton, into new office space for Manatee County Veteran Services. The new space provides ground level parking within steps of the building, a feature not available with the prior space, enhancing access for veterans and seniors to the benefits they earned in service to our country.
   
• Infrastructure Sales Tax dollars went to replace weathered old lifeguard towers with new lifeguard stands at Coquina and Manatee beach, plus nine portable towers at Coquina Beach. The new towers help to improve safety for thousands of residents and visitors who flock to public beaches and for the lifeguards who watch over them. Blackstone Park in Palmetto received a new dog park, new soccer field and new concession buildings for both soccer and softball fields and six new baseball dugouts. G.T. Bray Park received a complete makeover with investments from the Infrastructure Sales Tax with a new concession stand with a press box, restrooms, shade canopy, and storage for football, softball and baseball fields. At Lakewood Ranch Park, basketball courts were converted into popular new pickleball courts. 
   
• A new 311 call center launched on March 11 (3/11) only days before the statewide Stay at Home order went into effect. The new call center has become one of the primary ways residents communicate with the county to request service or relay concerns. 
   
• Manatee County Public Works completed the first phase of a long-awaited drainage and parking lot improvements to Coquina Beachwhile the County-sponsored a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to restock the shores of Anna Maria Island with fresh sand in 2020. The $20 million project was the largest beach renourishment project in a decade. 
   
• The Parks and Natural Resources team continued progress on theexpansion of Robinson Preserve and last August opened a newCanopy Zone for kids to play on a safe and challenging ropes course.
   
• County Commissioners designated the eastern portions of 44th Avenue as the President Bill Galvano Parkway in honor of the hometown Florida Senate President who helped obtain $20 million for the road over the past year. The honorary designation comes at a time when construction began on the final remaining major sections of the road, crossing the Braden River to connect to bustling residential areas just west of I-75. 
   
• Manatee County Public Works brought long-needed street lighting to theSamoset neighborhood in the heart of Manatee County. Samoset residents worked with our Neighborhood Services Department to request street lights to help address neighborhood safety. That effort brought about a unique pilot program to bring lighting to fiscally constrained areas. Manatee County Commissioners paid for the costs of installing street lights, providing a lower monthly cost for Samoset residents to pay for electricity. 
   
• REO’s Community Development Division worked with local builders to bring on new affordable housing units for working class families through our Livable Manatee incentive program. In 2020, Livable Manatee helped bring about the construction of 308 rental affordable units and 12 new single family homes for low to moderate-income families. 
   
• A critical public safety project years in the making was completed in 2020 when Manatee and Sarasota counties activated the new P25 Regional Radio System. The radio communications network allows for better first responder coordination between the two counties. It will improve emergency response times along the University Parkway corridor and in other areas with historically poor radio signal reception.

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter @ManateeGov.