Manatee County commissioners were scheduled to discuss County Administrator Charlie Bishop’s future on Tuesday, but the conversation is now set for Thursday after the board found itself short of a full roster. It’s the latest delay in a status that has been unsettled since earlier this year, when commissioners extended Bishop’s contract by only six months rather than the longer deal on the table.
Commissioner Jason Bearden is leading the effort to revisit Bishop’s employment, citing public record requests about county spending and contracts that he says have gone unanswered. A memo to the commission also raises concerns about Bishop’s communication, leadership style, and conduct during a public meeting. Holmes Beach City Commissioner Carol Whitmore weighed in, arguing the incoming board, not the current one, should decide Bishop’s fate. The debate carries echoes of 2020, when the county removed administrator Cheri Coryea in a similarly tense stretch.
The practical stakes stretch beyond one office. The county administrator oversees day-to-day operations, budgets, and contracts that touch everything from roads to parks across Manatee County. Thursday’s meeting will test whether this board makes a major staffing call before new members take office, or leaves it to the people voters just chose. We want to hear from you: should the current board decide, or should the new one?
