Neighbors outside Bradenton won a fight last year when county commissioners turned down a 175-unit rental community. The same ground is now in line for something more than three times that size, and this time there's no public hearing on the calendar. Indianapolis-based Kittle Property Group is proposing 643 apartments on a 29-acre former equestrian center between Tuttle Avenue and Prospect Road, near Bradenton, under Florida's Live Local Act (via Suncoast Searchlight, republished by WUSF).
The plan has two parts, according to Suncoast Searchlight reporter Derek Gilliam. Harborline at Sarasota would have 312 rental units in eight three-story buildings. Luminara Place would add 331 senior apartments in four four-story buildings. The project sets aside 40% as affordable, and all units are reserved for households earning under 60% of area median income, which works out to about $48,000 for a single person in Manatee County.
The earlier project came from Milwaukee-based Homes by Towne. It called for single-story units and stormwater improvements that went beyond county standards, and commissioners rejected it in 2025 after neighbors pushed back.
What changed is the path to approval. Live Local, passed in 2023 and amended since, lets multifamily projects with a big affordable share go up in commercial, industrial and mixed-use areas through staff-level administrative review. Flagler County's summary of the law describes the core requirement as at least 40% of units serving income-eligible households for 30 years, with height allowances tied to the tallest buildings permitted nearby. In Manatee, that means the Kittle project is being reviewed by county staff rather than going before commissioners at a hearing.
There's a wrinkle. The property is zoned agricultural. The developer and county planners say that zoning allows some commercial uses, which is what opens the door to Live Local. Residents argue the county got that call wrong.
Opponents have organized. A new nonprofit, the Southern Manatee Association for Responsible Transition, or SMART Manatee, says it represents more than 1,500 homeowners in nearby neighborhoods. A petition has topped 600 signatures, and the group raised $6,200 to hire a lawyer to challenge how the county is reading the law. Residents point to stormwater draining into Rattlesnake Slough, two-lane Tuttle Avenue, and a bald eagle nest on the property.
County commissioners are split on how to see it. Commissioner George Kruse, who voted for the earlier 175-unit plan, told Suncoast Searchlight that turning it down was a mistake and that the county should trust staff to apply the law. District Commissioner Mike Rahn called the new project out of scale, but noted taxpayers could be on the hook if the county blocks it. Under Live Local, a losing party in a lawsuit can face up to $250,000 in court costs per case.
This isn't a one-off. Suncoast Searchlight's analysis found more than 25 developers and landholders have signaled Live Local plans in Manatee County, which could add up to 5,300 units. Other Live Local proposals in the county, including a 200-townhome workforce project from Hillpointe off Lorraine Road in Lakewood Ranch, have drawn their own neighborhood pushback, FOX 13 reported.
Why it matters for Contractors
Live Local is reshaping where and how fast apartments get approved in Florida, and Manatee is turning into a test case. If more than 25 landholders follow through, that's a long pipeline of mid-rise and garden-style work in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, from site work and stormwater to framing, MEP and finishes.
For small builders and subs, the takeaway is that staff-review projects can move faster than the old hearing-and-vote route, so bid windows may open with less public warning. Watch county development review filings, not just commission agendas.
The legal fight is worth tracking too. If SMART Manatee's challenge to the zoning interpretation gains traction, it could slow or reshape projects on similar agricultural parcels.