You are invited to an exciting and groundbreaking virtual presentation regarding the area north of the Manatee River in Manatee County. Amber Lamerson, Director of Community Impact at the Bishop-Parker Foundation will be the featured speaker.

North River Manatee County is one of Florida’s fastest-growing regions. Yet, rapid change is fueling local concerns. Today, North River Manatee County faces a fundamental choice: Will the community further fragment amid the pressures of growth and change or come together to shape a shared future?

The Bishop-Parker Foundation kicked off and funded the North River Manatee County Initiative several months ago. Amber will explain the Initiative, what has been accomplished to date, and present a report on what is hoped will be the future of the Initiative. The report is entitled Growing Together in North River Manatee County: Shaping a Shared Future. The report explores how people across North River Manatee County see and experience life and offers key areas for strengthening civic culture so the community itself can come together to determine how best to move forward. 

Wherever you live in or near Manatee County, you feel the impact of change in our county. Please join us in learning about and exploring a strategic option for shaping positive change.

Click here to register

Invasive plants in Florida pose a massive threat to the state's unique ecosystems by outcompeting native species, choking waterways, reducing biodiversity, increasing flood risks and costing billions annually to manage. Florida’s subtropical climate and status as a global trade hub position it as one of the most vulnerable states in the U.S. to biological invasions      

Contributing to this overall threat is the use of invasive plants in our landscaping. Emily Bell, Communications Coordinator for the Florida Wildflower Foundation, will offer an introduction to invasive plants, review some of the most commonly used invasive plants in landscapes and discuss native alternatives.



Click Here for More Information and to Sign Up

Twelve Things to Look for as You Prepare to

Vote for School Board Candidates

Adapted with Permission: Education Matters in Manatee County

You will vote for Manatee District School Board Members in the August 18, 2026, primary. It is possible that the race will end with the primary if a candidate gets more than 50% of the votes from their district. It is imperative you vote in the primary to have a say in who will represent you on the School Board. As you meet and read about the candidates there are certain topics and issues you may want to ask questions about and seek the candidate's stand on. The article linked below will provide a full discussion of each.



To learn more about these 12 issues and topics follow the link below for more details on each and be sure to check out the handy printable LWV checklist with important qualities for School Board candidates at the end. 

Shared with permission from Education Matters in Manatee County.

https://educationmattersinmanateecounty.substack.com/p/12-hot-topics-for-school-board-candidates

Voting for School Board Members

A Checklist for Making Smart Choices

As the field of candidates running for School Board continues to increase, you may be wondering how to decide who to vote for in your district. This handy brochure may be of help as you have opportunities to meet, question, listen to and read about the candidates. 

Please note that the 2026 election dates are:

Primary August 18; General November 3.  If no school board candidate within a district wins over 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two vote getters go to the general election.  

On April 13, 2026, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a bill making the Commonwealth of Virginia the 19^th jurisdiction to enact the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). The bill was passed by the Virginia House of Delegates during the 2026 legislative session.

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is a constitutional alternative to the current Electoral College system of electing the president of the United States. The states that are part of the Compact have committed to casting all their Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate that wins the nation-wide popular vote. Under the current system the presidency is the only elected office out of 519,000 elected officials where the plurality does not rule. The person who wins the most votes is not guaranteed to win the presidency.  



Adoption of the NPVIC would offer many advantages over the way electors currently cast their votes. Presidential candidates would have incentive to campaign in every state because every vote would count. Today, candidates campaign only in the 5 to 7 battleground or “swing” states. Since Florida is now considered solidly Republican, our state and the concerns of its citizens are virtually ignored during a presidential campaign.

NPVIC would likely increase voter turnout in all 50 states since every vote would count equally. Larger turnout reduces risk of voter fraud having an impact on the outcome of the election.

NPVIC has bi-partisan support among voters. A Pew Research Study (graph at left) conducted in 2024 indicated that 63% of Americans favored the NPVIC over the current system. Similarly in Florida a poll conducted by Florida Atlantic University resulted in 57% of Floridians in favor of the change.

Eighteen states plus the District of Columbia (map at right) have already passed the NPVIC, for a total of 222 Electoral votes, or 82% of the 270 electoral votes needed to elect the president. They are shown in green on the map below. Six additional states with a total of 65 electoral votes (Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) are especially promising for joining the coalition. They are yellow on the map below. It would take just 48 more votes for the Compact to be implemented as early as the 2028 or 2032 presidential election.