Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea Steps Down: Report

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Cheri Coryea, Manatee County administrator, has stepped down from the role, which she’s held since 2019, after pressure from the Manatee County Commission, the Bradenton Herald reported.

Commissioners approved a severance package for Coryea worth about $204,000 in a 6 to 1 vote at their Tuesday meeting, reports said.

The commission also appointed Karen Steward, who has served as the deputy county administrator since 2019, to serve as interim county administrator. She’ll take on the role through March 23 as others are interviewed for the position, reports said.

The new slate of commissioners came in with a mission of replacing Coryea. First-time commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge and George Kruse, joined by Vanessa Baugh, who was sworn in for her third term, led the charge to fire Coryea at the Nov. 19 commission meeting and voted in favor of her dismissal.

Van Ostenbridge proposed her termination, and he, along with Satcher and Kruse, had only been in office for 50 hours at the time. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and Carol Whitmore voted against letting Coryea go.

Ultimately, though, the commission decided Coryea should retain her position at its Jan. 6 meeting.

At the commission's Jan. 26 meeting, Kruse motioned to revisit Coryea's termination, which the commission supported in a 4 to 3 vote. Bellamy, Servia and Whitmore were the "no" votes.

At that same meeting, Kruse admitted to an extramarital affair and accused Whitmore of using that information to blackmail him. Whitmore denied the accusation and has since retained a lawyer.

Commissioners were scheduled to discuss Coryea’s future with the county at a special meeting Feb. 17, but that was canceled to allow her and her attorney time to negotiate a separation agreement with the county.

Coryea worked for the county for more than 30 years.