The Manatee County Commission appointed Scott Hopes as county administrator May 25 by a 5-2 vote, removing the interim tag from his title.
Commissioners said the move essentially creates a tryout for Hopes, citing clauses in the contract they said would provide easy outs if they later decide he is not the right person for the job. George Kruse and Reggie Bellamy cast the dissenting votes.
The contract includes a 30-day notice for termination with no severance pay and an opportunity to revisit the contract Dec. 1. If Hopes’ contract is not extended at that date, his term will end June 1, 2022, and commissioners will search for a new administrator in the meantime.
Hours after he was hired to the interim position on April Fools Day, Hopes helped the county declare a local state of emergency in response to the breach at the former Piney Point fertilizer processing facility and spent his first few weeks on the job at the helm of the county s response.
Every commissioner has spoken favorably of Hope s performance during that incident, a sentiment echoed by community members during public comment at recent meetings.
However, some local residents have raised concern over their distrust toward Hopes due to his involvement with controversial decisions at the Manatee County School Board, such as the move to revoke the Lincoln Memorial Academy s charter, and more recent decisions related to the board s COVID-19 mask-related policies.
Attorney fees and costs: $34,150
After a bout of public records lawsuits, Manatee County commissioners voted May 11 to protect themselves against what County Attorney Bill Clague described as a “chilling effect” on their ability to perform official duties.
Before unanimously approving the county s payment of up to $60,000 worth of legal expenses accrued by Commissioners James Satcher and Kevin Van Ostenbridge in public records lawsuits, other commissioners said they were worried leaving Satcher and Van Ostenbridge to pay for the fees themselves would leave commissioners vulnerable to endless public records requests and ensuing lawsuits.
“That s not a good way of getting the best candidates to be on this board in the long run, to put a sense of fear in people, because that s what this is turning into,” Commissioner George Kruse said.