North Port commission OKs seeking court review to borrow for police headquarters, community service center

The North Port City Commission on April 7 directed staff to pursue court-validated borrowing authority for a focused set of capital projects, including $25 million to begin a phased police headquarters and funding for a community service center and the Dallas White Park facility.

The motion, made by Commissioner Stokes and approved as amended 4-1, asks staff to work with legal and financial advisers to prepare a borrowing schedule and supporting materials for judicial validation. Commissioner Petro cast the lone dissent. The vote came after several hours of discussion about priorities, legal constraints in the city charter and competing funding pathways.

City Manager Fletcher told commissioners that listing projects in the court‑validation process would preserve the option to borrow later but “Listing a project on the court validated schedule does not constitute approval to move forward, with borrowing. It does not authorize funding. It does not obligate the city to issue the debt,” and that any actual issuance would require further commission approval and detailed financial analysis.

Commissioner Stokes said the motion was designed to start work on projects that lack other clear funding paths. “If PD is saying $25,000,000 gets them going, there’s 25,” he said, arguing that beginning the police headquarters in phases is necessary to avoid higher costs later.

Police Chief Garrison told the commission that $25 million would allow the department to begin building a property-and-evidence facility and address critical space and storage issues: “It would help me start addressing the need that I have for the property evidence and crime scene” and allow staff who handle evidence to work out of an appropriate, dedicated facility.

The commission amended the original slate during debate. Commissioners ultimately directed staff to seek validation for the police headquarters ($25,000,000) and the city’s community service center/Dallas White Park projects (two buildings the staff slide estimated at about $9,000,000 combined). Commissioners and members of the public repeatedly underscored that a validated schedule would not itself obligate issuance; the commission would return to approve any borrowing.

Public speakers, including Scott Smith, vice president of the Southwest Florida PBA, had urged commissioners earlier to make the police facility a priority, saying the current building is outdated and poses safety and operational issues.

Next steps: staff will work with bond counsel and financial advisors to prepare the court validation materials and return to the commission with proposed resolutions and detailed debt-service schedules before any borrowing occurs.