MLK Day 2021: Here's What's Open, Closed In Bradenton

Bradenton FL

17 January, 2021

11:02 PM

Description

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 18 this year, and a variety of services will be closed in the Bradenton area on the day. King's birthday is Jan. 15, but the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Here's a breakdown of how the holiday could impact your routine. City of Bradenton Government Offices: Administrative offices will be closed. Manatee County Government Offices: Administrative offices will be closed. Manatee County Public Schools: All schools and administrative offices will be closed. Downtown Central Library: Normally the only Manatee County library open on Mondays, this library will be closed in observance of King's birthday. G.T. Bray Recreation Center: Closed Monday. Manatee County and Buffalo Creek Golf Courses: Open Monday. Manatee County's publicly owned parks, nature preserves and beaches: Open Monday. Sarasota County recreation centers: All county recreation centers are closed Monday. Post Offices: Closed Monday. State Courts: Closed Monday. Transportation: Manatee County Area Transit and the Anna Maria Island Trolley will operate on normal daily routes. Trash and recycling: There will be no changes to trash collection in the city of Bradenton or Manatee County. The history of the MLK holiday in America is a complicated one. Almost immediately after King's assassination in 1968, activists began pushing for a holiday celebrating his Jan. 15 birthday. However, the official national holiday wasn't signed into law until 1983 by President Ronald Reagan. The first federal MLK Day was observed on the third Monday of January in 1986, but many states held out. Arizona didn't recognize the day until 1992, when the state lost its rights to host the Super Bowl after voters in Arizona failed to make the day a paid holiday. The last state to adopt the holiday? New Hampshire, in 1999.