TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: Peter D. Lear, CPA, CGMA, City Manager
TITLE: An Ordinance of the City of North Port, Florida, Amending the Code of the City of North Port, Florida, to Create Section 34-56 - Makers Market Vendor Permit; Amending Section 34-54 - Definitions; and Amending Appendix A - City Fee Structure; Providing for Adoption; Providing for Conflicts; Providing for Severability; Providing for Codification; and Providing an Effective Date.
Recommended Action
Continue Ordinance 2020-03 to second reading on January 28, 2020.
Recommended Action for Second Reading: Approve Ordinance 2020-03.
Background Information
The National League of Cities recently released a report in conjunction with Etsy, Recast City, and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance on the importance of a City's maker economy. It identified maker-entrepreneurs as a growing subset of residents who sell handmade items for a profit either online or in-person through storefronts, craft fairs, pop-up markets, or to family and friends. These makers have identified a growing need for local homemade goods and sell a variety of items such as clothing, jewelry, baked goods, and more. Often the more traditional support systems provided by local governments for small businesses are not the types of services makers need. These makers are more likely to need assistance with services such as advertising, legal support, and connecting with other makers and potential customers rather than streamlined building permitting or access to loans.
These maker-entrepreneurs provide another opportunity for the City to grow and diversify its economic base. Through these microbusinesses and small-scale operations, it has the potential to develop and build a strong local economy. At present, the City of North Port does not have any regulations related to makers that would assist them with their microbusinesses.
Ordinance 2020-03 would serve to allow a makers market to operate i...
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