The Florida House of Representatives unanimously approved a scaled-back bill Wednesday to create a special district around the booming University Town Center area — a proposal that would still give one of the region’s largest developers significant influence over the new entity spanning more than 1,400 acres across Sarasota and Manatee counties.
If the bill becomes law, Manatee County-headquartered Benderson Development Co., which owns much of the land inside the proposed district, would hold a majority voting interest in the new government entity, according to the developer’s Tallahassee lobbyist.
Initially, the bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Lakewood Ranch, in January, would have allowed the district to levy property taxes and exercise broader government powers across the area.
But lawmakers narrowed its scope as it moved through subcommittees.
Among the changes: Land owned by Sarasota Memorial Hospital was removed from the district, though Sarasota County-owned Nathan Benderson Park — which makes up about a third of the district’s footprint — remains included.
Lawmakers also stripped the district of its ability to levy property taxes on landowners. Instead, it would be limited to charging non-ad valorem assessments — fees added to property tax bills — to fund stormwater infrastructure.
Other amendments removed powers not “directly related to drainage and water control,” including the authority to condemn property, according to the bill’s latest House analysis.
The revised bill still allows the district to construct and operate systems for conservation areas, mitigation sites and wildlife habitats.
In all, its boundaries would stretch beyond the 3-million-square-foot UTC shopping corridor, reaching from University Park in Manatee County south to Fruitville Road in Sarasota County, all west of Interstate 75.
Suncoast Searchlight has been examining the growing use of special districts, which allow developers to finance infrastructure through tax-exempt bonds that are later repaid by residents and property owners. The new UTC improvement district would join nearly 90 such districts across the Suncoast, many in the form of the more commonly known community development districts, according to a Suncoast Searchlight review. These districts have fueled an explosion of new development in both Sarasota and Manatee counties.
A recent Suncoast Searchlight investigation found these hyperlocal government entities bonded out $2.9 billion in recent years. The developers can then dictate terms on how the residents and business owners who buy into those developments will pay back the debt, covering the cost of infrastructure historically handled by developers themselves.
An economic impact statement prepared by Benderson Director of Development Todd Mathes estimates the district will spend $440,000 in its first year on hiring staff and conducting engineering studies. During its second fiscal year, the district will spend $2 million.
The bill was initially written by Dave Ramba, Benderson’s Tallahassee lobbyist, who told reporters in January the measure was aimed at improving stormwater infrastructure following the devastating flooding that impacted the region in 2024.
The bill, which did not require a Senate companion, moved quickly through the full House vote with no debate. It now heads to the Senate, where it will require support from three-fifths of senators. Typically local bills require only a majority vote, but this bill incorporated powers more commonly held by water management districts.
If the bill passes the Senate and receives the governor’s signature, landowners within the district will schedule a meeting requiring a majority vote to form the new government.
Derek Gilliam is a watchdog/investigative reporter for Suncoast Searchlight. Email him at derek@suncoastsearchlight.org
This story was originally published by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom delivering investigative journalism to Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
