S.M.A.R.T Manatee
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$7,415 raised of $15K
41 donations
S.M.A.R.T-South Manatee Association for Responsible Transition
S.M.A.R.T is a Coalition Against Overdevelopment of areas surrounding South Manatee -immediate focus protecting the community from Kittle Property Group and protecting our local communities, infrastructure and environment.
This fundraiser is for the local community after Manatee County Development Services processed the site plan for Kittle Property Group, which is using Florida's Live Local Act to bypass local zoning boards. Multiple HOAs in the surrounding areas have met to form this coalition to fight for our community.
The concerns are serious and immediate: potential environmental damage, more traffic, increased flooding in the surrounding single-family residential communities, and declining home values. For the people who live nearby, this has raised real concerns about protecting the place they call home and the future of the surrounding community. This effort was started to help the community respond in a clear and organized way.
- Key documented points:In June 2025, Manatee County denied a 175-home proposal near Prospect Road and Whitfield Avenue due to population density, inadequate road infrastructure, and environmental protections. The community is now facing approval of a 673-apartment project in the same area, despite those same concerns.
- The core argument is now fully documented: the Live Local Act applies only to land zoned to allow a business use by right, without a variance, and the developer relied on office use.
- County code Section 531.61 allows offices on this land only if they are located on an arterial road.
- Four independent records show that every road at the site, including Whitfield Avenue, is a collector, not an arterial: the county road table, the county road map, the county's April 2026 eligibility letter, and FDOT's 2026 regional traffic model.
- The commercial node argument also fails because it is a review process rather than a by-right use, and the project does not meet the 75 percent frontage test at the nearby intersections, at about 41 percent and 59 percent.
A formal request is ready in follow-up communication to the Development Services Director asking for a written finding that the site does not qualify, requiring the county to identify any use it relies on, and asking for a Board of County Commissioners interpretation if staff rely on plan policies.
Donations will go toward lawyer fees, community education, and starting a nonprofit organization. Right now, support is needed to retain a lawyer and begin building the nonprofit so the community can take action.
For further background on this initiative see below video: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2026/10/13/kittle-property-affordable-apartments-manatee.html?csrc=6398&link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6ace4783c61c750001fca24c&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
Any contribution or share will help strengthen this effort and support the community's response at a critical time. Thank you for standing with this community.