It\u2019s typical for developers to consult with county planning officials as they move through the government process, and the initial correspondence from Slip Knott\u2019s consulting firm shed some early light on a proposal that has already attracted sweeping attention despite its lack of specifics.<\/p>\n
The landowner wants to rezone the property, currently slated for single-family homes and agriculture, to industrial to allow for the development of the port, according to a letter from Stantec Consulting Services Inc. While talks are ongoing, there\u2019s been no formal application submitted for rezoning yet, according to county spokesperson Bill Logan.<\/p>\n
The letteralso claims that the landowner has vested rights, dating back to previous owners in 1955, to dredge and fill the surrounding, underwater lands. The Stantec consultant provided the county with a hand-drawn map from seven decades ago showing where submerged lands could be filled in to create solid ground around the property. The Times reviewed a copy of the property deed,via the county property appraiser, from 1998 that also refers to the purchase agreement from the 1950s.<\/p>\n
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A spokesperson for SSA Marine declined an interview with the Times and referred a reporter to the company\u2019s website<\/a> proposing the idea.<\/p>\n Manatee County Commissioner Tal Siddique said in an interview that he first learned about the plan from reporters and media articles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was quite a surprise to see the whole thing, the media campaign starting from there, especially because it\u2019s in my district,\u201d Siddique said. \u201cIt\u2019s (a) very quiet, sleepy part of the town, and people like it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Siddique said there\u2019s been discussions over the years to bring cruise ships back to Seaport Manatee, which right now operates for cargo ships and is a few miles north of the Skyway Bridge.<\/p>\n \u201cBut those conversations are always limited to what we could do at Seaport Manatee,\u201d he said. \u201cTo see something outside the Skyway is certainly a surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n Siddique said residents are flooding commissioners with emails mostly in opposition to a new cruise port.<\/p>\n Below: See public records the Times obtained from Manatee County<\/p>\n The proposal for a new port is also garnering widespread backlash on social media from the local angling community and environmental groups concerned that an ecological gem could be forever damaged by a nearby, large-scale port. The coastal land that could be developed is beside the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve<\/a>, considered one of the most environmentally sensitive and ecologically important areas in the Tampa Bay estuary.<\/p>\n In the absence of specific plan details from SSA Marine on its website<\/a>, misinformation has spread on social mediaabout what is currently proposed. For instance: An online petition to stop the port development<\/a>, which had garnered more than 7,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, urges officials to\u201cStop Manatee County from building a cruise ship port on rattle snake key.\u201d<\/p>\n But the land where the port is being proposed is northeast of Rattlesnake Key, whichSSA Marine has promised to preserve.<\/p>\n Last week, the company said its subsidiary, the Rattlesnake Key Preservation Co., bought the Rattlesnake Key property for conservation.<\/p>\n