June 06--MANATEE -- The county intends to hire a consulting firm to help it attract a hotel developer to build near the Bradenton Area Convention Center, officials said Wednesday.

During a discussion about a proposed $6.7 million budget for the convention center's operator, the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Manatee County Commission Chairman Larry Bustle noted there isn't any money included for hotel development.

"We need to start moving on a hotel," he said. "I'd feel much better if I saw an item 'hotel exploration committee,'" in the budget documents.

In late summer or early fall, the county plans to begin looking for a consultant to help jumpstart a hotel near the convention center, Elliott Falcione, the convention bureau's executive director told commissioners.

It would be possible to set aside money for just such a possibility, said County Administrator Ed Hunzeker.

After the meeting, Falcione said a consultant could help with research on hotel size, necessary acreage, financing, public-private partnerships and other associated requirements for a convention center hotel.

"We're hoping to see more quality hotels come into Manatee County as the tourism business continues to grow," Falcione added after the meeting at County Administrative Center.

Manatee County has 187 hotel properties, with total rooms numbering 6,200, compared to about 14,000 hotel rooms in neighboring Sarasota County, he said.

The number of hotel rooms is germane because a regional Sarasota-Bradenton partnership is working to winthe 2017 World Rowing Championship. With the event would come tens of thousands of visitors, officials have said.

The county has just completed a renovation of the convention center at One Haben Blvd., Palmetto.

The convention bureau's budget is funded from visitor "bed taxes" through the Tourist Development Council.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter @sarawrites.

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