On Monday, June 8, Manatee County Government will reopen some public buildings and services that were closed or suspended in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The Manatee County Administration Building will reopen for regular business hours, 8 am – 5 pm. The Building and Development Services Department offices will reopen for normal business hours, 8 am–4 pm, and online permitting services remain available.

The public is encouraged to continue to do business with the County online and over the phone when possible. Face masks will be required in common areas of the Admin Building.

Face masks will also be required inside Manatee County Public Libraries. Downtown Central Library reopens Monday and other branches open Tuesday. Each branch will close one hour earlier than customary hours and each branch will have capacity restrictions. Library visitors are asked to wear a mask, limit their time in the building, keep a safe distance from others inside and to stay home if they're feeling sick.

Manatee County's public athletic fields will open June 8 for team practice and June 15 for competitive play. G.T. Bray Recreation Center will remain temporarily closed.

Manatee County Public Works Building will reopen June 8 with social distancing restrictions. The Public Safety Center will remain closed temporarily.

Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) will increase bus service beginning Saturday June 6: the AMI Trolley will resume 20-minute service along Gulf Drive, including regularly scheduled evening service. The Longboat Key Shuttle will return to normal operations after being out of service since late-March.

County Administrator Cheri Coryea announced the latest reopening plans today, speaking to County Commissioners during a land use meeting. The plan was announced after Coryea and Public Safety Director Jacob Saur relayed updated statistics that show about 5 percent of all Manatee County residents have been tested for COVID-19. In addition, 90 percent have recovered and currently the positive test rate is about 5.4 percent, right in line with the Florida average for positive percentages.

"Local conditions have improved greatly compared to just three weeks ago," Coryea said. "We are moving ahead with guidelines allowed under the Governor's Safe, Smart, Step-by-Step plan to reopen Florida."

However, the reopening plans came with a reminder from Director Saur that the coronavirus is still "very present" in Manatee County. Administrator Coryea said the County will continue to stress the importance of doing work with the County online and over the phone.

"The public at large needs to continue to practice social distancing," she said. "We will continue to emphasize the importance of wearing a face mask and following CDC guidelines. We're asking our visitors to bring their own face mask which is a way of being considerate and protecting others."

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