Manatee County to vote on purchasing Mixon Fruit Farm Property

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County commissioners will vote next week on the potential purchase of the Mixon Fruit Farms property in East Bradenton. While the farm closed nearly two years ago, its history might continue, according to one county commissioner who already has a vision of what the property could be.

For decades, Mixon Fruit Farms was rooted in the Manatee County community. While their doors closed two years ago, their legacy in local farming may live on.

“Can I get an orange swirl ice cream, please?” a customer asked.

It’s a sweet treat for some — but for Janet Mixon, this is bittersweet.

“We love it, and mostly the stories. This place was a memory maker for people,” she said.

She’s inside the Mixon family’s food truck, which they started operating after they closed Mixon Fruit Farms in Bradenton in the summer of 2023.

“We tried to make it have everything that everybody loves about Mixons,” she said.

Now, the food truck is a way for locals like Alyssa Gay to experience a little nostalgia and still get a taste of the farm.

“Yep, tastes like my childhood. This is what I remember doing on a weekly basis,” she said.

Soon, the community may enjoy this site once more — but in a new way. Manatee County will vote next week on purchasing the property.

“They want most of the equipment that left here,” Janet Mixon said.

Commissioner Amanda Ballard said there would be plans to create a library and community center, with the hope of hosting more community events. But the farmland would stay as is — to be used as an educational tool for the next generation.

“It kind of lets you know that you really did make memories, and the fact that they could do something with that here — making the library and continuing to have weddings and events,” she said.

The day county commissioners will vote — next Tuesday — also marks exactly two years since the farm closed.

Ballard said, “I am hopeful that my fellow commissioners will see the value in preserving this special piece of land for public use.”

Mixon Fruit Farms has been part of Bradenton since 1939, but Janet believes the new vision for the future of the land will lead to new memories for the community — and for her.

“I’m excited to see what it does,” she said.

Janet hopes to see her family’s legacy continue for years to come.

Ballard also mentions they are looking at possible partnerships with local universities for student internship projects.