Bradenton Area EDC creates task force, seeks new contract with Manatee County

The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp., some two weeks after Manatee County commissioners essentially defunded 26% of its annual budget, now seeks to get the elected officials to change their minds. 

The EDC, after an internal meeting held Thursday, Sept. 25, created a 90-day task force made up of multiple board members to carry out that mission. The goal, says EDC Board Chair Andy Stultz, is to present commissioners with some important information EDC officials believe wasn’t included, or was overlooked, when a motion to approve a new contract — worth $336,900 a year — was voted down 4-3 at a Sept. 16 meeting. And after proving that, the EDC plans to ask commissioners to sign a new contract at the same annual value. (The previous contract, which expired Sept. 30, was $1.61 million over five years.)