August 19, 2009, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

MANATEE COUNTY - More than 200 teenage girls give birth in Manatee County each year, and nearly half of them have given birth before.

That rate of teenage pregnancy -- 37 births for every 1,000 teenage girls in the county -- puts Manatee at 13th highest among Florida's 67 counties. The statewide average is 22 per 1,000.

Still, those figures are a dramatic reduction over previous years, something teenage pregnancy experts say shows that county-subsidized prevention programs, such as the PACE Center for Girls, are working.

Yet county officials still consider the birth rate among teenagers too high. So in the year ahead, they intend to start adjusting spending priorities to expand pregnancy prevention efforts and reach more teenagers.

The challenge is a reduction in collections of a special property tax that pays for pregnancy prevention and other youth programs.

For every $1,000 in taxable value for a property in Manatee, the owner contributes 33 cents to a county fund for programs that assist youth at risk of abuse, neglect, pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse or dropping out of school.

In 2007, that tax brought in $11 million. Because of declining property values, it is expected to bring in $9.7 million for the next fiscal year.

But on Tuesday, the county commissioners and their advisory board on children's services spending agreed to make teenage pregnancy prevention a greater priority despite having fewer financial resources to do it.

"Everything stems from the teenage pregnancy problem," County Commissioner Larry Bustle said.

It can influence dropout rates, the need for subsidized day care, the number of families living in poverty and other issues the county addresses with children's services dollars.

Bustle called for the county to conduct a public forum about teenage pregnancy to determine what more can be done. "Call in the experts. Bring in the facts."

Addressing teenage pregnancy, however, is likely to be a hot issue ? especially since many parents object to sex education that emphasizes protection more than abstinence.

"It's been political," Commissioner Carol Whitmore said.

In 2006, the advisory board recommended the county grant $10,000 to Planned Parenthood for a program to prevent teenage pregnancies and limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Having received dozens of messages from angry constituents, a majority of the County Commission refused to award the grant at that time.

Commissioner Joe McClash, who opposed county funding for any agency that provides abortions, objected to making pregnancy prevention such a high priority for future children's services dollars.

"It's not an epidemic," McClash said as he reviewed the numbers.

McClash said he would rather see more attention going toward fighting gangs, drugs and violence - which affect far more youth, he said.

"Where do you draw your battle lines?" McClash said.

Other issues that the commissioners and advisory board decided should be on the "crucial" list for children's services dollars include:

• Child day care.
• Emergency food and shelter
• Before- and after-school care and summer programs.

The commissioners and advisory board said they tried to give priority to programs that are not eligible for dollars from other sources, such as Medicaid, the School Board or the county's indigent care fund.