Jennifer Hamey

Q. What will be the top issue impacting businesses in the coming year? What role should the County play in addressing it?

I believe that due to the cost of living in Manatee County the top issue for businesses will be finding employees. The County should work at offering incentives to developers to build more affordable housing options. Additionally, the county can provide more or extended transportation options, especially for entry level positions where it may be a challenge to get to work. Finally, I believe the port area can be an additional resource to tap into for more employment opportunities. The county can also offer incentives for businesses to want to come to Manatee County, creating more jobs.

Q. Manatee County continues to lack a sufficient supply of affordable, workforce housing to support the local workforce. This impacts businesses in terms of attracting and retaining talent as well as the community’s quality of life. What role should the County play in addressing this issue?

As I stated in my response to Question 1, the county can provide incentives such as tax credits, waived permitting fees and gap funding to developers willing to build affordable, workforce housing. Having commissioners that are cohesive and present a united front in showing how great it is to be in Manatee County will also go a long way in creating an environment drawing in businesses to the area.

Q. Adequate infrastructure is critical to our County’s economic development and quality of life. What are your top two infrastructure priorities and how would you prioritize funding for them?

My focus is District One and our district priorities are the Fort Hamer Bridge expansion and improvements to the roads. I plan on looking to federal and state resources for the bridge. I plan on looking for commercial growth in Parrish to help decrease the travel on the roads while looking for additional funding revenue to build the roads needed. I have also been advised that Myakka City has internet service issues and road improvement needs as well. The east part of the county is experiencing the most growth but is still not being given the resources and infrastructure it needs to accommodate the growth.

Q. The Manatee Chamber serves as the voice of business. What challenges or opportunities would you like to see greater business involvement in to move our County forward?

I served as the President for the Parrish Civic Association president for a few years and watched as more businesses grew in the area. We created the Parrish Area Business Alliance to help serve the network and advertising needs of those businesses. I always believe in strength in numbers. I would love to see more collaboration between the Chamber, Parrish Area Business Alliance, Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and other networking organizations as it relates to events. I believe this would help businesses make more connections within the county. I also believe that more pressure should be applied by the business community to the local, state and federal government levels expressing the need for more affordable housing in the area so employers can flourish in their businesses.