Editing Manatee County, Florida (section)

== Government ==

=== Political history ===
Manatee County is part of the strongly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Sun Belt]]. The area became a Republican stronghold following [[World War II]] and has remained so since: the last Democrat to win Manatee County was [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in [[1944 United States presidential election|1944]].<ref name="americamag">{{cite web |url=http://www.americamagazine.org/content/unconventional-wisdom/how-red-and-blue-map-evolved-over-past-century |last1=Sullivan |first1=Robert David |title=How the red and blue map evolved over the past century |website=[[America (magazine)|America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture]] |date=June 29, 2016 |access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref>

During the peak of the [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]]'s prominence in the early 20th century, Manatee County would elect the only socialist to the [[Florida Legislature|state legislature]], [[Andrew Jackson Pettigrew]] to the [[Florida House of Representatives]] in 1906 for one term defeating John A. Graham (who was a Democrat) in the general election.<ref name=":0">Griffin, R. Steven; [https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/E0/01/33/96/00001/griffin_r.pdf WORKERS OF THE SUNSHINE STATE UNITE!: THE FLORIDA SOCIALIST PARTY DURING THE PROGRESSIVE ERA, 1900-1920]</ref> As a state legislator he would make several proposals that were inline with what the Party reflected at the national level such as making US Senators popularly elected and creating a national income tax. Overall as a state legislator he would make little progress in getting legislation proposed by him passed.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Paul|first=Brad|date=1999|title=Rebels of the New South: the Socialist Party in Dixie, 1892-1920.|url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2270&context=dissertations_1|journal=ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst|pages=129–132|via=University of Massachusetts Amherst}}</ref> Prior to the 1906 race he would run in 1904 for the same position unsuccessfully losing to A.T. Cornwell (also a Democrat) who had served as Bradenton's first mayor and in a variety of positions at the county level. Pettigrew would later go on to run for governor in [[1908 Florida gubernatorial election|1908]] and [[Florida Commissioner of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]] in 1912 being unsuccessful in both races.<ref name=":0" />

In 1970, Governor [[Claude R. Kirk Jr.]] fired Manatee County's superintendent along with the entire school board and appointed himself in their place in an attempt to end [[desegregation busing]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Governor Claude Kirk presides Over School Board Meeting |date=June 19, 1970 |url=https://cdm16681.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16681coll1/id/8153 |publisher=Manatee County Public Library System |format=Photograph, JPEG |access-date=August 4, 2022}}</ref> This situation would last from April 6 to 13 before Kirk left his position as the superintendent.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sanders |first=Randy |date=Winter 2001 |title=Rassling a Governor: Defiance, Desegregation, Claude Kirk, and the Politics of Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy |url=https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4310&context=fhq |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |publisher=Florida Historical Society |volume=80 |issue=3 |via=STARS from the University of Central Florida}}</ref>

=== Law enforcement and justice ===

==== Sheriff's Office ====
Unincorporated Manatee County is served by the [[Manatee County Sheriff's Office]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manateesheriff.com/|title=Manatee County Sheriff's office|website=Manatee County Sheriff|access-date=April 2, 2017}}</ref>

==== Justice ====

===== Circuit Court =====
Manatee County is a part of the [[Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida|Twelfth Circuit Court of Florida]].

===== Court of Appeals =====
Manatee County is part of the [[Florida Second District Court of Appeal|Second District of Appeals]].

=== Recent presidential election results ===
{{PresHead|place=Manatee County, Florida|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{cite web|author=David Leip |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS |title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=April 23, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|140,486|86,674|2,652|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|124,987|90,166|2,319|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|101,944|71,224|7,589|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|85,627|66,503|1,736|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|80,721|70,034|1,712|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|81,318|61,262|1,041|Florida}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|58,023|49,226|3,095|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|44,136|41,891|10,851|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|42,725|33,841|23,654|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|51,187|26,624|302|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|55,793|20,889|6|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|40,535|21,679|3,362|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|29,300|24,342|718|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|32,664|8,058|218|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|18,247|8,286|8,214|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|17,147|13,074|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|16,462|8,814|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|11,904|5,394|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|9,055|4,583|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|3,371|2,766|1,473|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|2,218|4,544|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,983|5,131|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,455|3,487|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,280|2,894|0|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|2,705|1,472|58|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|629|1,064|240|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|884|1,790|193|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|289|1,033|226|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|55|712|269|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|93|644|172|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|91|592|172|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|60|535|93|Florida}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|135|480|20|Florida}}
{{PresFoot|1892|Democratic|0|348|70|Florida}}

===Government officials===

====United States Senate====

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Office !! Senator !! Party
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| Class 3 Senator || [[Marco Rubio]] || [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| Class 1 Senator || [[Rick Scott]] || [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|}

==== United States House of Representatives ====

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! District !! Representative !! Party
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| Florida's 16th Congressional District || [[Vern Buchanan]] || [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|}

==== Florida State Senate ====

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! District !! Senator  !! Party
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| 21 || [[Jim Boyd (politician)|Jim Boyd]] || [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|}

==== Florida House of Representatives ====

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! District !! Representative !! Party
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| 70 || [[Michael Owen]] || [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| 71 || [[Will Robinson (Florida politician)|Will Robinson]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| 72 || [[Bill Conerly]] ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|}

==== Manatee County Board of County Commissioners ====
The Board of Commissioners includes the following:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mymanatee.org/cms/one.aspx?portalid=7588390&pageid=11582828 |title=Board of County Commissioners |website=Manatee County Government |access-date=February 25, 2021}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable
|-
!Position
!Incumbent
|-
||District 1
| align="center"|Carol Ann Felts
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 2
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Amanda Ballard
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 3
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Tal Siddique
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 4
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Mike Rahn
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 5
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Bob McCann
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 6{{refn|group=note|name=noteA|[[At-large]], representing the entire county.}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|Jason Bearden
|-
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |District 7{{refn|group=note|name=noteA}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="center"|George Kruse (Chair)
|}

{{reflist|group=note}}

==== Public education ====
{| class=wikitable
|-
! colspan = 3 | Manatee County School Board<ref>{{cite web |title=School Board Members |url=https://www.manateeschools.net/domain/1115|access-date=July 3, 2024 |website=School District of Manatee County}}</ref>
|-
!Position
!Incumbent
!Term ends
|-
|{{Party shading/None}} |District 1
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|Heather Felton
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|November 2028
|-
|{{Party shading/None}} |District 2
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|Cindy Spray
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|November 2026
|-
|{{Party shading/None}} |District 3
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|Charlie Kennedy
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|November 2028
|-
|{{Party shading/None}} |District 4
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|Chad Choate III
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|November 2026
|-
|{{Party shading/None}} |District 5
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|Richard Tatem
|{{Party shading/None}} align="center"|November 2026
|}

{{reflist|group=note}}

==== Other offices ====

{| class="wikitable" style= margin:10px"
|+Constitutional officers
|-
! colspan="2"  style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| Office
! style="text-align:center;" | Name
! valign=bottom | Party
! style="vertical-align:bottom; text-align:center;"| First elected
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
| Clerk of the Circuit Court
| Angelina M. Colonneso
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party of Florida|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2015†
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
| Property Appraiser
| Charles E. Hackney
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party of Florida|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1992
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
| Sheriff
| Rick Wells
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party of Florida|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2016†
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
|  Supervisor of Elections<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.votemanatee.com/|title=Manatee County Supervisor of Elections > Home|work=VoteManatee.com|access-date=April 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413153216/http://www.votemanatee.com/|archive-date=April 13, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|  Mike Bennett
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party of Florida|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2013
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |&nbsp;
| Tax Collector<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taxcollector.com/docs/gen/kenbio.pdf|title=Biography of Manatee County Tax Collector, Ken Burton, Jr.|date=April 2019|work=TaxCollector.com|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206214334/http://taxcollector.com/docs/gen/kenbio.pdf|archive-date=December 6, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| Ken Burton, Jr
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Republican Party of Florida|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1992
|}

=== Voter registration ===
Information as of March 12, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 12, 2024|title=Manatee County, FL : Supervisor of Elections|url=https://www.votemanatee.com/?nomo=1
|access-date=March 12, 2024|website=Manatee County, FL : Supervisor of Elections|agency=SOE Software Corporation}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable float"
|-
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 127,013
| style="text-align:center;"| 47.11%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 70,444
| style="text-align:center;"| 26.13%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent (United States)}}
| Others
| style="text-align:center;" | 72,141
| style="text-align:center;" | 26.76%
|-
! colspan="2" | Total
! style="text-align:center;" | 273,778
! style="text-align:center;" | 100%
|}