Candidate Profile 2024: Tal Siddique For Manatee County Commission

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Tal Siddique is running for the Manatee County Commission District 3 seat. He faces three opponents in the race.

Patch sent a questionnaire to all District 3 candidates.

Find Siddique responses below:

Name:

Tal Siddique

Age:

30

Occupation:

Principal Product Manager

Political Party Affiliation:

Republican

Why are you running for office?

I am running for office to bring a new generation of Conservative leadership to Manatee County
and build a better future for all residents. My active engagement in local issues long before filing
to run, including speaking before the County Commission, made me realize the need for change
when my and other residents’ voices were ignored. To address this, I decided to run for
Manatee County Commission and am the only grassroots, conservative candidate.
I bring extensive experience from leading software teams with multi-million dollar budgets for
the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, as well as
building IT businesses globally. My deep roots in Manatee County, where my family co-founded
Bradenton Christian School and Ten-8 Fire & Safety, inspire my commitment to our community.
My campaign focuses on ethical governance, economic prosperity, and public safety. I aim to
● Rebuild trust in local government by keeping residents informed and maintaining
transparency;
● Fix our infrastructure and plan smarter for tomorrow;
● Implement new ethics policies for county employees;
● Cut wasteful spending and pay down the county debt; and,
● Preserve our small town feel.

My leadership, community involvement, and dedication to conservative values makes me a
strong, knowledgeable candidate committed to the well-being and future of Manatee County.

What do you think are the top three issues the county is currently facing?

1. Restoring Ethics: Our community needs a commissioner with strong conservative and
moral values to serve as a role model for our community. Over the past few years
residents have witnessed local politicians: steal tax dollars for campaign purposes;
conduct county business on personal devices; and weaponize government against
residents with targeted attacks. As commissioner I will rebuild trust by keeping residents
informed and maintaining transparency; conduct county business only on county
devices; implement new ethics policies for county employees; and restore fair treatment
for all residents speaking before the county commission.
2. Economic Development – To foster economic growth, we need to attract industries that
prioritize infill and redevelopment, creating more job opportunities, amenities, and
housing for residents. This approach will attract and retain both skilled and unskilled
younger workers along with those interested in reskilling that employers need. I plan to
achieve this by eliminating unnecessary county fees, revising our land development
code with clearer definitions for various types of land use, improving our hiring practices for county employees, and working with the community to craft policies informed by data
3. Infrastructure – To keep pace with growth, we must invest in our infrastructure. My
approach focuses on targeting investments in low-cost, high-impact projects that
residents need, such as sidewalks, protected bike paths and trails, and multi-modal
transportation to the island. In town, I will collaborate with FDOT to enhance state roads
like Manatee Avenue and Cortez Road, transforming them into complete streets to
improve traffic flow. Long-term, we should support funding for the Bradenton-Palmetto
Connector and enhance our east-west connectors to ensure efficient transportation
throughout the region. Lastly I would like to see the development of mixed-use trails for
pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as more public transportation options for all to enjoy
our Island.

Learn more about Siddique at his campaign website and on his Facebook page.