Steve Metallo

Q. What will be the top issue impacting businesses in the coming year? What role should the County play in addressing it?

Commerce is the life blood of the health and well-being of any community. Making trading of goods and services efficient will be my number one goal. Expanding roads and infrastructure is paramount for our area’s continued growth. Additionally, at no time should we ever consider decriminalizing petty theft or institute no bond crimes. A sure way to decimate a community’s market is to hamstring and demoralize the police. A thriving market needs law and order. The county should adopt an all of the above policy in addressing these funding deficiencies. This includes state and federal grants, issuing bonds, and or public-private-partnerships.

Q. Manatee County continues to lack a sufficient supply of affordable, workforce housing to support the local workforce. This impacts businesses in terms of attracting and retaining talent as well as the community’s quality of life. What role should the County play in addressing this issue?

At no time should county or any government be directly involved in building or financing affordable housing. Government agencies do not have the experience and proficiency to take on such projects. Governments that expand beyond their minimum mandates result in negative unintended consciences. I believe in the market places ability to assess and provide for any need. Local government should review its policies and evaluate whether current regulations are having a negative effect on building affordable housing. If such regulation exists then it should be eliminated if applicable.

Q. Adequate infrastructure is critical to our County’s economic development and quality of life. What are your top two infrastructure priorities and how would you prioritize funding for them?

The main growth area of our county is primarily district one. We are currently playing catch up in the building of roads. Transportation and mobility is a necessity for both quality of life and commercial activity. In addition to transportation needs, we require greater water and sewage capacity. Our current system is straining and we need additional water supply. A pipeline and pumping stations to the Peace River is one possible proposal to provide adequate additional supply for East County’s future growth. Funding sources should include state and federal grants, bonds and or public-private partnerships.

Q. The Manatee Chamber serves as the voice of business. What challenges or opportunities would you like to see greater business involvement in to move our County forward?

Creating an environment that encourages business relocation would stimulate growth, not only in the jobs of the relocated business, but the ancillary businesses. High tech or manufacturing businesses would be the most coveted. Those businesses tend to have quality high paying jobs. Determinants that entice a business to choose an area would include; access to other markets, efficient transportation, low taxes, tax incentives, low regulation and education. This area has many of those attributes and the county commission, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, should develop polies that would attract businesses to relocate.