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North Port pursues workforce pipeline and advanced‑tech employers, announces June hiring expo
Summary
Economic development staff outlined a three‑pronged strategy — retain, attract, develop workforce — and announced a June 6 career exposition; officials cited growing interest from semiconductor, aerospace and healthcare firms and said an industry alliance has doubled in membership.
Michael Merriman, the city's economic development manager, told the City Commission on April 6 that North Port is pushing a three‑part strategy to build jobs: business retention, attraction and workforce development. "The economic development division has 3 primary purposes and objectives," Merriman said, introducing the workforce focus at the workshop.
Merriman said the city has formed an alliance of regional healthcare and education partners to map training needs and increase clinical placement capacity. "On June 6, there is going to be a career exposition and hiring event hosted by the city," he said, adding that alliance members will bring labs, simulators and buses with healthcare technologies to demonstrate career pathways.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the city needs not only job prospects but shovel‑ready property and more flexible small industrial and commercial space. Merriman acknowledged the limits of local college classroom capacity and said the city is actively recruiting training providers and outreach partners, including Galen School and FGCU, to expand capacity.
The presentation also framed targeted attraction to foundational technologies such as semiconductors, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Merriman noted that alliance partners, including a Florida semiconductor foundation, are receiving federal support: "the Florida Semiconductor Foundation just received a grant in the order of $25,000,000 from NSF," he said, describing that as an indicator of momentum in the sector.
Commissioners pressed staff on two recurring obstacles: the scarcity of mid‑sized "flex" spaces (small, adaptable industrial or office buildings) and a shortage of shovel‑ready parcels with utilities and road access. "We don't have shovel ready space," a commissioner said. Merriman described regular contact with major landowners, site selectors and developers and said an RFI was submitted to a French firm seeking roughly 30,000 square feet of space.
On next steps, commissioners asked staff to return with measurable nonresidential project metrics — lifecycle phase counts, projected tax revenue and job growth figures — to better track whether early‑stage interest converts to built projects. City Manager Fletcher and Merriman agreed to include those metrics in future reports.
Public comment during the workshop reiterated both enthusiasm for hospital‑related growth and concern that the city rely too heavily on health care. Tim Doyle, a resident, said the presence of hospitals does not guarantee broader headquarters or higher‑paying industry moving in.
Merriman said staff hope to make at least one business announcement in July and that the city will continue to develop targeted marketing emphasizing North Port's logistical location between regional airports and its access to a growing regional workforce.
