A Florida newspaper promised independent local journalism to its community.
But something changed along the way that caught everyone's attention.
And The Bradenton Times chose two words that prove where their priorities really are.
Local paper pivots from neighborhood news to national partisan attacks
The Bradenton Times started as an online newspaper covering Manatee County, Florida with a promise to deliver independent local journalism.¹
Founded by former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash, the outlet marketed itself as "Manatee County's online newspaper" focused on community news and local issues.²
But readers searching the site today find something very different from what was promised.
https://twitter.com/RightLineNews/status/1985803820903887181
The paper's front page now features a steady stream of opinion pieces attacking national conservative figures while giving minimal coverage to the biggest financial scandal in county history.
Recent headlines tell the story: "Stephen Miller Is the Architect of Our American Nightmare," "Republicans Need to Save Our Democracy From Trump," and "From Washington to Bradenton: MAGA's War on Free Speech."³
Other pieces accuse Charlie Kirk of "weaponizing disinformation" and describe Governor Ron DeSantis' leadership as "authoritarian."⁴
The paper even ran an editorial defending its national political coverage by claiming readers need to "see the connection between Trumpism, extremism, and local governance."⁵
That's a long way from covering neighborhood news and county commission meetings.
Paper buries massive county overspending scandal
Here's what makes the shift so revealing.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia just exposed what he calls "probably the worst" local budget audit his office has encountered.⁶
Manatee County overspent by more than $112 million in a single fiscal year.⁷
Ingoglia didn't mince words about the severity of the problem.
The county's general fund budget increased by $269 million over five years — a staggering 69% jump that Ingoglia said was "the largest we have seen so far."⁸
During that same period, the county hired 472 new full-time employees while the population grew by 61,545 residents.⁹
"They're hiring librarians, administrators, clerks, and expanding government at a rate that is probably unprecedented in this area," Ingoglia explained.¹⁰
This is a disaster for Manatee County taxpayers who are footing the bill for government bloat.
The CFO's audit found that property taxes could have been reduced by 1.09 mills if the county had controlled spending, saving the owner of a $500,000 home $545 per year.¹¹
That's real money out of real people's pockets while their local government expanded unchecked.
Times gives minimal attention to audit bombshell
You'd think The Bradenton Times would be all over this story.
Their own readers are getting hit with higher property taxes to fund government waste.
But readers searching the Times' website for in-depth coverage of the audit find very little.
The paper did run a brief report on Ingoglia's press conference.¹²
But that coverage got buried beneath partisan opinion columns attacking Trump Administration officials and conservative media personalities.
Meanwhile, the paper devoted front-page space to essays praising Senate Democrats as "the adults in the room" while portraying House Republicans as "hostage-takers."¹³
Another piece accused conservative media personalities of "corrupting Florida's youth" and "turning free speech into hate speech."¹⁴
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
A massive local financial scandal affecting every taxpayer in the county gets minimal attention.
National political controversies that have nothing to do with Manatee County dominate the coverage.
Paper's focus exposes priorities
The Bradenton Times bills itself as serving Manatee County's residents.
But the editorial choices tell a different story about where the paper's priorities actually lie.
Manatee County voted Republican by overwhelming margins in the last three election cycles.¹⁵
Yet the paper's coverage reads like it was written for a San Francisco audience, not Bradenton residents.
When Florida's Chief Financial Officer exposes $112 million in wasteful spending in your backyard, that's the story.
When county commissioners are hiring bureaucrats at unprecedented rates while jacking up property taxes, that's what matters to readers.
Instead, The Bradenton Times chose to focus its energy on attacking national conservatives and amplifying progressive messaging.
¹ Wikipedia, "The Bradenton Times," Wikipedia.org, accessed November 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Frank Kopylov, "The Bradenton Times pushes radical left agenda while Manatee County faces $112 million overspending scandal," Bradenton Beach Review, November 4, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ MySuncoast, "Florida CFO calls Manatee County's budget 'the worst' so far in FAFO audits," MySuncoast.com, October 16, 2025.
⁷ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Announces Over $112 Million in 'Excessive, Wasteful Spending' in Manatee County Budget," MyFloridaCFO.com, October 16, 2025.
⁸ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Announces Over $112 Million in 'Excessive, Wasteful Spending' in Manatee County Budget," MyFloridaCFO.com, October 16, 2025.
⁹ Your Observer, "Manatee 'overspent' $112.4 million to grow government, Florida CFO says," YourObserver.com, October 16, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² The Bradenton Times, "Florida CFO Slams Manatee Budget Growth After FAFO Audit," TheBradentonTimes.com, October 16, 2025.
¹³ Frank Kopylov, "The Bradenton Times pushes radical left agenda while Manatee County faces $112 million overspending scandal," Bradenton Beach Review, November 4, 2025.
¹⁴ Ibid.
¹⁵ Ibid.
