North Port board unveils environmental scorecard draft; draft of 2024 data expected by end of March

Stefan Califf, the Environmental Advisory Board liaison, presented a draft environmental scorecard the board will use to track the city’s environmental health over time.

Califf said the scorecard will draw on existing drinking-water metrics reported by utilities — including turbidity, total coliform, bacteria, lead concentrations and asbestos — and incorporate surface-water indicators such as dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. “Our goal is to better understand the state of these natural resources and ultimately ensure the health and well‑being of the community,” Califf said.

Califf described current and planned air-quality monitoring, including a PurpleAir sensor recently installed at City Hall and proposed expansion to track particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide in real time. He said the scorecard will also include tree-canopy measurements produced by the natural resources division twice every two years to produce percent‑coverage estimates and identify areas needing plantings.

On wildlife, Califf said methods will be refined but could include documented sightings, listed‑species permits and existing research datasets. He also announced the division plans to hire a floodplain coordinator to assess flood-prone areas and help incorporate storm-drainage parameters into the scorecard.

Board members emphasized the scorecard should be a "living, breathing" document that evolves. Califf told members he expects a draft compiling 2024 data to be available by the end of March for review and invited feedback as the project is refined.

Next steps: Califf will assemble the draft data and circulate supporting materials to board members; stormwater parameters were confirmed for inclusion on the scorecard and the board agreed to discuss the annual report and scorecard in a future meeting.