MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County has just approved plans for a $30 million park, set to be like no other memorial in the area.

County commissioners are pushing forward with plans to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Lucas Haney, who served for 15 years including time in Iraq, think it's a nice gesture but also questions if it's the best use of money.

“I think it's one of the greatest honors you can do," he said of service. "It shows right there when you raise your hand, you're willing to die for everyone there, your family, and other people's families."

Haney spends his time volunteering at the VFW and local nonprofits, helping homeless vets.

“We're going still through an economic issue, and there's lot of veterans just struggling to make ends meet,” he said.

The Veteran Memorial Park would be built on 24 acres of county-owned land on 5431 Buckeye Road in Palmetto. The price tag is a sticking point for Haney.

“That’s a lot of money that could go to help a lot of veterans," he said. "I mean, there’s job stuff, there's school stuff."

"For the amount of money that they're spending on it, a lot of us veterans would just be happy with a couple of our flags up, a flag post."

Haney has better ideas for what the county could do with the money.

“Why don't you look downtown? Why don't you look for dilapidated houses, a couple of lots there, buy them out, and make something there?” he said.

Commissioners say the park would be the first of its kind in the county, honoring all branches of the military and all American-involved wars. That is something Haney agrees is a good idea.

“There’s a lot of Desert Storm, Desert Strike guys. It was a short combat. A lot of Afghan and Iraqi vets don't get a lot of recognition,” he said.

The county will be seeking to find funding through grants to pay for the park.