Bradenton City Hall could temporarily move into Manatee County Administration Building as sale nears closing

BRADENTON, Fla. - After two years under contract, the sale of Bradenton City Hall is approaching its final stages, and city officials may have found a temporary home just a few blocks away.

The city is exploring options to lease space within the Manatee County Administration Building. The move would allow the city to vacate its prime waterfront property on the Manatee River as the sale of City Hall is expected to close by the end of the year. 

The backstory:

The proposed plan involves the city occupying approximately one and a half floors of the county building. Mayor Gene Brown noted that the space is "ready to go" and comes fully furnished.

The opportunity came as Manatee County shifted its own operations.

"The county has obviously moved out from their public works over on 26th Avenue East. A lot of their staff is in their new building in the Lakewood Ranch area," Brown said. "It opened up some opportunities for short-term lease. That is what we are looking at."

Brown emphasized that his goal has always been to keep City Hall within the downtown urban core. The lease would provide the city with a buffer period to determine a permanent location.

"This rental part or leased part will give us an opportunity to actually have some time to flow into that," Brown said.

Dig deeper:

The city entered into a contract to sell the current City Hall site about two years ago for $14.1 million. That deal is expected to close by the end of this year.

A developer has proposed a project called "The Vias" for the site. The plans include apartments, condominiums, a hotel, retail and restaurant space. 

Brown said the project is intended to reenergize the downtown area and appeal to a younger demographic of locals.

"It’s exciting because we are looking at opportunity for the younger generation to have, ‘Hey, I want to stay in Bradenton,’" Brown said. "‘I don’t want to go to our friends to the south or north. I don’t want to move from here. There’s things for me and my family.’"

What's next:

The move is not yet official. The Manatee County Commission must first approve the lease agreement.

"Our staffs are working together to try to come up with a plan and lease some property for a couple of years," Brown said.

The Bradenton Police Department is expected to move to their new location on 6th Avenue West by December — the same time the City Hall sale is slated to close.