Manatee County Commission, District 2
County commissioners set the county budget and property-tax (millage) rate, adopt land-use and zoning rules, and oversee county services such as roads, parks, libraries, fire/EMS and utilities. Term: 4 years.
Partly verified. Either the November opponent could not be confirmed from available sources, or only a few positions are documented. Confirm the full candidate list on your county sample ballot; unknown positions are shown as such.
How we verified who is on the ballot
Republican primary result per Suncoast News Network; November opponent (if any) not verified.
Debates and forums
- 2026-09-17 · League of Women Voters of Manatee County — Zoom; recording at https://youtu.be/ec79hNxazoU (held)
amanda_ballard, charles_b_smith_sr
Candidates
Report an error ↗Charles B. Smith Sr.
Democrat Charles B. Smith Sr. is a Palmetto businessman and former Palmetto city commissioner and vice mayor. He won the Manatee County Commission District 2 seat in 2014 with 71.2% of the vote, and he ran for the District 2 Democratic nomination again in 2022. He is a founding member of the Manatee-Sarasota chapter o…
Side-by-side on the major issues
Each row is a statement. The chips show how each candidate's stated positions or record relate to that statement. Expand a row to read the evidence and sources. "No public position found" means we could not find a statement or record on the topic, not that the candidate has none.
| Issue | Amanda Ballard Republican | Charles B. Smith Sr. Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Taxes & spendingCutting taxes should be a top priority, even if it means less government spending on services. | No public position found | No public position found |
| Property taxesFlorida should eliminate or sharply reduce homestead property taxes, even if local governments must cut services or find other revenue. | Leans agree· stated position Says she is dedicated to continuing to lower the millage rate and give families property-tax relief. | No public position found |
| Housing affordabilityGovernment should do more to make housing affordable (subsidies, zoning changes, rent measures). | Leans agree· stated position Prioritizes affordable housing for seniors in District 2 and backed the Tunnel to Towers project of 122 homes for homeless and disabled veterans. | No public position found |
| Environment & waterProtecting water quality, conservation land and climate resilience should take priority even if it slows development or raises costs. | No public position found | Leans agree· stated position At the June 2026 Tiger Bay debate he criticized the incumbent for votes he called against the environment and in favor of phosphate company Mosaic, and said the county should pursue economic development rather than building that destroys the environment. |
| Growth & developmentGrowth and development should be slowed or more tightly regulated (higher impact fees, density limits, stronger local control). | Leans agree· stated position Spearheaded the county's purchase of Mixon Fruit Farms to keep it from development and wants to preserve agricultural land. | Leans agree· stated position At a June 2026 Tiger Bay debate he said infrastructure should be built before new building permits are awarded and criticized building that destroys the environment. In a 2022 questionnaire he said the public should not pay for development's infrastructure and criticized his opponent for supporting every development that came before the commission. |
| Crime & policingCriminal penalties should be tougher and police funding increased, rather than emphasizing reform and rehabilitation. | Leans agree· stated position Treats homelessness as a public-safety issue: supports enforcing anti-camping and loitering laws, a juvenile curfew and a ban on unregulated designer drugs, alongside free treatment programs. | No public position found |
| VeteransExpanding VA services and veterans' benefits should be a top priority. | Strongly agrees· stated position Highlights the Tunnel to Towers veterans' housing project and the Valor Commons veterans' services initiative. | No public position found |
Where they sit on the map
Each candidate is placed by the average of their documented stances. It is a summary of the table above, not an extra judgment.
How the axes are computed
Each axis is the average of a candidate's coded stances (+2 to −2) on a fixed set of statements, so it comes straight from the documented positions and nothing else. A candidate needs at least three documented statements on an axis to be placed.
Economic issues (toward "Smaller government (lower taxes, less spending)"): Taxes & spending (agree), Property taxes (agree), Health care (disagree), Housing affordability (disagree), Property insurance (disagree), Energy & utilities (disagree), Social Security & Medicare (disagree), Teacher and staff pay (disagree).
Social & legal issues (toward "Conservative side of the statements"): Immigration (agree), Abortion (disagree), Guns (disagree), Education & school choice (agree), Elections & voting (disagree), Crime & policing (agree), Gender identity laws (agree), Marijuana (disagree), Environment & water (disagree), Trump administration (agree), Library and classroom materials (agree), School safety approach (agree).
| Candidate | Economic issues | Social & legal issues |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Ballard | not enough data | not enough data |
| Charles B. Smith Sr. | not enough data | not enough data |
Other issues the candidates have raised
Priorities each candidate has brought up on their own, beyond the major-issue list above.
Amanda Ballard
No additional issues found in public statements as of the last data review.
Charles B. Smith Sr.
- Homelessness — At the June 2026 Tiger Bay debate Smith said he had 'no intention of putting homeless people in jail if elected.'