The move comes amid slowing property tax growth, and after voters said ‘no’ to additional borrowing.
By Noah Vinsky
Original Air Date: July 11, 2025
Host: In May, North Port voters rejected five special election questions. That left the city unable to borrow to fund the construction of a police headquarters, solid waste transfer station and wastewater facility. Voters also said “no” to allowing North Port to borrow after emergencies. At a time when other local governments are beginning to feel the crunch of slowing growth—or even drop—in real estate values, that puts Sarasota County’s largest city in an especially tight spot. This week, the North Port commission pondered the city’s financial options. Noah Vinsky followed the commission meeting on Tuesday.
Rendering of the proposed North Port police headquarters
Noah Vinsky: The most discussed option on the table to get the infrastructure projects built were public-private partnerships. Also called “P3,” these are agreements between governments and private sector companies. The hope: The private company gets things done in time and at or below cost. The business makes a profit by tapping into a project’s revenue stream, or—in absence of that—charging the government a performance-based “availability fee.” In Florida, P3’s have been used for expensive, large-scale infrastructure projects like roads or bridges.
Commissioners voted for the city manager to further explore partnerships for the construction of the police headquarters and solid waste transfer station.
They will also determine if the city is able to afford these projects. The police headquarters is estimated to cost around $126 million, at a monthly rent of at least $6 million. That prompted this question from Vice Mayor Pete Emrich:
Pete Emrich
Pete Emrich: Tell me honestly: Do we have six and a half million dollars to where we can pay each year to build this?
NV: Mayor Phil Stokes, without explicitly mentioning the city’s budget challenges, also questioned the long-term financial viability of the project.
Phil Stokes
Phil Stokes: I have too many questions about how we’re able to make this project financially fit into our long-term financial plan. I don’t say that it can’t be done. I just don’t know how. And we haven’t gotten enough financial input from our finance professionals to be able to answer those questions.
NV: The city did move forward with one project, agreeing to accept a P3 proposal for the wastewater treatment facility. The project, proposed by Florida Development Solutions will expand and renovate the existing facility at an estimated cost of $17 million. Commissioners say they will explore funding options.
Phil Stokes: Unless there’s anything more to it or anyone needs it read back, let’s vote.
That passes five to zero.
North Port wastewater treatment facility
The city also approved an increase in fees. Most of these increases seem minor, like a 10% increase in garbage collection fees or an increase in facility rentals at public parks. But given that voters rejected paying a little more than $100 extra per year in property taxes to fund borrowing for the police headquarters, there may be pushback.
North Port’s financial struggles mirror the plight of other Sarasota and Manatee County communities. Towns are facing budget challenges fueled by a destructive 2024 hurricane season and real estate crisis. After years of two-digit growth, taxable property values in North Port are expected to grow slower in coming years, and they are falling in hurricane-whipped Manatee towns like Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.
In those island towns, taxable property values are down from last year—about 17% in Bradenton Beach and 8 percent in Holmes Beach, according to the Manatee County Tax Appraiser. Some areas are seeing a small uptick. Taxable property in Anna Maria is up by nearly 3% from last year. Meanwhile, Sarasota County property values are slightly rising. Longboat Key is the biggest riser, up over 13%. Property values in the county as a whole are still up more than 6% compared to last year.
Noah Vinsky reporting for WSLR News.
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