Manatee County School Board moves MTI building to SR 70

Manatee County School Board moves MTI building to SR 70

The Manatee County School Board has approved moving a planned new Manatee Technical Institute facility to property it owns on State Road 70 and Caruso Road.

The school board had originally planned to build the facility and a new high school on the back portion of a 195-acre parcel behind Braden River High School. The original site was plagued by opposition from local residents, and the county denied the School Board application for a special permit.

Although the county's decision was eventually overturned by the circuit court, the school district decided to move to the proposed site to avoid the likely continued litigation and soothe some of the controversy.

The move to the State Road 70 property means the school district will only have 10 acres for a future sale. The 46 acres behind Braden River High School is planned as the future site for an elementary and middle school or for a K-8 school.

As part of the decision to move the facility, the school board decided to start a master plan for the entire 195-acre parcel looking at access, traffic and water-retention issue. The master plan is estimated to cost $205,935.

The redesign is expected to cost the school district an additional $500,000 and $800,000.

“The piece of this that's most important to me for the next 50 years,” Superintendent Tim McGonegal said. “(These schools) aren't going to be developed overnight ... but sometime in the future, we are going to need elementary and middle school student stations in this area.”

— with reporting by Pam Eubanks