TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: An Ordinance of the City of North Port, Florida, Establishing a Temporary Moratorium on the Acceptance, Processing, Review, Approval, or Issuance of Building Permits, Rezoning, Site Plans, Conditional Use Approvals, Variances, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, or Other City Approvals for the Construction, Establishment, Expansion, or Intensification of Data Centers, Data Center Facilities, Large-Scale Data Centers, and Large Load Customer Facilities Within the Municipal Limits of the City of North Port; Providing Exceptions; Directing Study and Evaluation of Data Center Impact; Providing for Enforcement; Providing for Notice; Providing for Findings; Providing for Conflicts; Providing for Severability; and Providing an Effective Date.
Recommended Action for Second Reading
Commission policy decision.
City Commission Options
Option 1: Approve Ordinance No. 2026-25 as presented and continue to second reading on September 8, 2026.
Pros: Furthers the will of the Commission expressed during the City Commission Regular Meeting held on July 21, 2026.
Cons: Opens the pathway to legal challenges against the City, especially with a pending Data Center development application.
Option 2: Don’t approve Ordinance No. 2026-25 as presented and continue to second reading on September 8, 2026.
Pros: Avoids legal challenges, including any challenge posed by the pending data center development application.
Cons: Does not further the will of the Commission expressed during the City Commission Regular Meeting held on July 21, 2026.
City Commission Options for Second Reading
Option 1: Approve Ordinance No. 2026-25 as presented.
Pros: Furthers the will of the Commission expressed during the City Commission Special Meeting held on August 31, 2026.
Cons: Opens the pathway to legal challenges against the City, especially because the pending data center developmen...
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