Manatee County commissioners heading to White House

Aug. 2--MANATEE COUNTY -- Three members of the Manatee County Commission will be part of a delegation representing the Florida Association of Counties to visit legislators in Washington, D.C., and attend a session at the White House about issues affecting the Sunshine State.

Commissioners Vanessa Baugh, Stephen Jonsson and Misty Servia will take part in FAC's "Federal Fly-In" on Oct. 15-17. On Oct. 16, they will meet with the county's congressional delegation. On Oct. 17, they will attend an event at the White House.

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Baugh, an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, said the White House staff will determine the agenda for that session, which has not yet been released.

Baugh said FAC asked her to be "a policy leader" for its committee working on federal issues. She also serves on FAC's water policy committee.

She hopes Trump attends the White House session and that she has an opportunity to make water quality issues, such as red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks, a topic.

"It's a complex problem," Baugh said. "It affects the entire state."

Baugh hopes to capitalize on her personal connection with Trump.

She delivered a speech promoting his candidacy at a campaign rally at Robarts Arena in Sarasota prior to his election in 2016.

The White House invited Baugh to join Trump when he toured Lake Okeechobee in March to talk with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott about repairs to a badly damaged dike. The massive lake is a source of toxic algae that also threatens the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

The White House invited Baugh to join Trump next Tuesday in The Villages, a retirement community in central Florida where he will deliver a talk about his administration's work on Medicare.

Baugh said the White House staff will have a conference call with her on Aug. 14 to talk about arrangements for the FAC meeting two months later.

The Republican commissioner hopes FAC members will also have an opportunity to talk with the Trump administration about the importance of maintaining transportation infrastructure and, as the number of electric vehicles grow, an alternative to the gas tax to pay for those projects.

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