Richard P. Green

Q. Considering the rapid population increase and projected business growth in the greater Manatee County region, what specific policies would you support to increase the talent pipeline in our area?

To encourage talent to come to and stay in our area we need businesses to want to be here and be competitive. I am opposed to any policy which would place burdens on small businesses to operate. I would advocate for additional funding for infrastructure in our area to support our growth and also affordable housing initiatives in the downtown corridor.

Q. Infrastructure continues to be a challenge both in terms of existing, aging systems and additional capacity needed for Florida’s significant growth. What are your top infrastructure solutions for our region?

We need to re-examine a route over or around downtown Bradenton to alleviate congestion. Manatee County needs to consider connecting to Peace River Water Supply’s infrastructure for future water use due to growth and the unavoidable need for additional water supply. Finally, ensuring that our agriculture community has the fiber optic infrastructure out east to allow them to adapt their operations to be more profitable by being connected online.

Q. In Florida, and especially in our area, water quality is an essential part of our economy and quality of life; what can the Legislature do to continue to address water quality?

Several state agencies are currently working to create best management practices for several areas around the state to address water quality concerns. But these BMPs often cross several different jurisdictions for one body of water making it difficult to coordinate the level of impacts allowed. The legislature can assist with funding and programming to give the agencies better direction and authority to bring stakeholders together to ensure combined impacts to water resources are limited or that projects are put in place amongst the various stakeholders to improve water quality.

Q. What do you consider to be the state policy issues impacting our region and how do you plan to legislatively address them?

Agriculture policies need further clarification from the state to ensure that farmers can improve and adapt their operations without unnecessary interference from local jurisdictions. We need to clarify how parcels can be classified to avoid conflicting tax classifications and also clarify how agritourism can be utilized by the farmer. These policies should not result in local restrictions or added costs. The purpose is to reduce costs on the farmer and increase revenue to stabilize the agriculture market. The strength of agriculture is a compelling state interest. We also need to address education and how to ensure fundamental fairness while also encouraging competition. Parental choice has been fantastic but due to state regulations of public schools, some mandates have diluted funding per student.