Manatee County Libraries adjusting hours amid hiring freeze

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) - Braden River, Lakewood Ranch, Island Branch and Central Library users across Manatee County will have to adjust to a later start.Manatee County libraries are cutting back their weekday morning hours, meaning doors will now open at 10 a.m. Officials say the reduction is necessary to manage a limited staff while maintaining high-quality services.The adjustment follows a 20% reduction in library staff and an ongoing hiring freeze as Manatee County evaluates its expenditures and finalized budget for the 2027 fiscal year.To minimize the impact on patrons, library leadership analyzed daily usage patterns to protect the most active times of day.“We have cut back on the hours, we did that based on gate count, circulation rate,” said Andrew Sulavik, County Librarian for the Manatee County Library Program. “We had to figure out what was the busiest part of the day so that we would not reduce the hours during that part.”By opening doors later, the library system aims