Manatee County warns against harassment as skyway cruise port debate intensifies

Threats over Manatee port plans

Manatee County leaders say that employees and their families are being targeted as debate intensifies over the plans to put a cruise port near the Skyway Bridge.

TERRA CEIA, Fla. - Manatee County leaders are speaking out after what they describe as harassment and threats aimed at county employees and their families over a proposed cruise terminal near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

In a statement released Wednesday, County Administrator Charlie Bishop said staff members have been targeted as debate over the project grows. In some cases, the targets were staff members' children.

"No county employee should be harassed for performing their professional duties. No child should ever be targeted because of where their parent works," Bishop wrote. "These actions must stop."

What we know:

The proposal involves a privately developed cruise ship terminal on the Gulf side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge near Terra Ceia Bay.

According to a January pre-application letter submitted to Manatee County by Stantec Consulting Services on behalf of Slip Knot LLC, the developer is seeking early guidance on a large-scale plan amendment that would shift the land to a 'heavy industrial' designation to allow for a cruise port and related facilities. The property consists of mangrove areas, uplands, and submerged land.

County leaders stressed that those steps do not equal approval.

"This administrative correspondence does not constitute project approval, guarantee funding, or advance a project through the development review process," Bishop wrote.

PREVIOUS: Proposed cruise port near Sunshine Skyway sparks environmental concerns in Manatee County

The grassroots organization Suncoast Waterkeeper is urging residents to oppose the project, warning it could threaten what it calls "the heart of Tampa Bay," including mangroves, seagrass beds, and nearby aquatic preserves.

The group has also criticized job and environmental claims tied to the port, arguing the long-term impacts outweigh the benefits. An online petition against the project has garnered more than 17,000 signatures in three weeks' time.

What's next:

County leaders say any proposal would still have to undergo technical review, meet zoning and environmental rules, and go before the Manatee County Commission. There would be multiple public hearings along the way.

"Healthy debate is welcome," Bishop wrote. "Harassment, intimidation, and targeting of staff or their families is not."