Manatee County is committed to providing a safe and convenient multi-modal transportation system to accommodate all users, including, but not limited to motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, transit and school bus drivers, delivery and service personnel, freight haulers, and emergency responders. Manatee County collaborates with various stakeholders to plan, engineer, design, and implement transportation projects and programs throughout the County. Achieving traffic and roadway safety for all users is complex and requires a comprehensive approach.

• Always wear a helmet.
• Ride in the same direction of traffic on the street.
• Be visible, especially at night. Always use a white front light and a red rear light and reflector.
• Obey traffic signs, signals, and markings.

Florida Department of Transportation standards require trees to be trimmed to a minimum of 14 feet over travel lanes and a minimum of 8 feet over sidewalks. This height clearance is necessary to allow for safe traveling of the roadways by emergency response vehicles, school buses, commercial vehicles, and recreational vehicles. If you have a tree near the side of a road or sidewalk, crews may come trim your tree to meet these requirements.

The reason for this is to provide longevity of the cut and account for the growth that will occur during the long interval between trimmings (currently 5-7 years).

To meet ANSI Tree Trimming industry standards on pruning for overall tree health, it is sometimes required to trim a branch all the way back to a trunk.

• Focus on the road.
• Avoid distractions while driving.
• Always watch for pedestrians.
• Slow down! Speed is the cause of 27% of crashes.
• Pass bicyclists safely, allowing a minimum of three (3) feet between your vehicle and the bicyclist.

• Always use sidewalks and crosswalks.
• Be visible. Wear bright, reflective colors on your clothes, shoes, belts, and wristbands.
• If no sidewalks are present, walk on the shoulder a safe distance from the travel lane, facing oncoming vehicles.

A Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) is a non-ad valorem assessment district established to provide new services or improvements in a specific geographical area within the County. Property owners within the MSBU share in the cost of the provided benefit by an annual non-ad valorem assessment on their property taxes. The annual rate, boundary, and duration of assessment are set forth in the ordinance establishing MSBU district.

Assessments which are not based upon millage and can become a lien against a property. Non-ad valorem assessments consist of two categories:

• Maintenance (levied annually) such as for street lighting
• Capital (levied for a set number of years) such as sanitary sewer line extensions.

A Special Assessment Project offers property owners within unincorporated Manatee County the opportunity to obtain new services or infrastructure that are not currently being provided. Examples include:

• Street Lighting
• Road Paving
• Sanitary Sewer Line Extension
• Potable Waterline Extension
• Reclaimed Waterline Extension
• Stormwater Ditch Piping

These services are paid through non-ad valorem assessments levied annually on the property taxes of the owners within a Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) district that is established for special assessment project.

Manatee County adopts the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s Safe System Approach. The objectives of the Safe System Approach are – Safer People, Safer Road, Safer Vehicles, Safer Speeds, Post-Crash Care.

A Safe System Approach incorporates the following principles:

• Death and Serious Injuries are Unacceptable
• Humans Make Mistakes
• Humans Are Vulnerable
• Responsibility is Shared
• Safety is Proactive
• Redundancy is Crucial