TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Potential Development and Implementation of an Unimproved Lot Registration Program.
Recommended Action
City staff requests direction as to whether the City Commission desires to proceed with development of an Unimproved Lot Registration Program, including whether to assess fees through the non-ad valorem process.
Background Information
In May 2024, the City Manager's Office provided a memorandum (Attachment 1) to the City Commission regarding problems associated with impinging growth and dangerous trees on unimproved lots. The memorandum also discussed the potential to develop a Registration Program for unimproved lots with an annual fee that would provide funding to abate these issues. This memorandum was briefly discussed by the City Commission during the Fiscal Year 2025 budget meetings and the Commission directed staff to bring back more details regarding this potential program.
The City previously had an Impinging Growth Program, whereby the City required owners of unimproved property to keep overgrown vegetation from impinging upon neighboring developed lots. During 2017 - 2020, the City processed almost 2,700 complaints for impinging growth, with approximately $570,000 in expenditures for abatement costs and over 300 liens against vacant lots. There was no special fund for enforcement or abatement costs, resulting in a direct impact to the General Fund. The unrecovered costs to the City were so excessive that the City Commission was forced to discontinue the program in 2020.
Although impinging growth is no longer abated by the City, the City continues to receive an average of 35 requests per week from homeowners requesting the City take enforcement action for vegetative growth intruding from neighboring undeveloped lots. Additionally, the City receives about 15 requests each week...
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