Vote on North Port borrowing power could affect Warm Mineral Springs historic preservation

NORTH PORT – The future of three historic structures at Warm Mineral Springs appears to be tied to whether city voters approve a referendum to allow the city to borrow money for specific projects without holding a public vote every time.

City leaders say a longstanding charter requirement to ask voters each time they consider borrowing to pay for projects inhibits their ability to carry out needed work, including reacting to 2022's damage to the historic Warm Mineral Springs structures by Hurricane Ian. They plan to asks voters in November to lift the restriction.

City Manager Jerome Fletcher said Tuesday he has been in contact with various historical preservation groups and others interested in preserving the 83-acre park and/or restoring the three historical buildings, including Jon Thaxton, senior vice president for community leadership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

Fletcher said several of the options discussed rely on the city being able to pay for some or all of those options.

“Use of revenue bonds could go a long way with preservation and the restoration of those buildings,” said Fletcher, who also noted that the results of his discussions will be presented to the City Commission at its May 28 meeting.

Fletcher also noted that the city and Sarasota County are scheduling a joint meeting between the two governments in October or November, with preservation of the parkland at the springs and restoration of the building a topic.

Specifically, he said, if the city were to enact a conservation easement, Sarasota County could participate with environmental preservation funds that would help start the preservation effort – especially if the city could issue municipal bonds guaranteed by revenue generated by profits from the gate receipts at Warm Mineral Springs.

Mayor Alice White noted that she has had similar conversations and, “all their ideas were based on us being able to borrow money and we can’t do that.

“So the conversation sort of stops.”

In April the North Port City Commission had been discussing finances with its bond counsel and financial adviser while considering how to pay for building a new $122.7 million police station when it changed course and directed its staff to craft a referendum for the Nov. 5 ballot. The question will ask voters to allow the commission to borrow money for projects under a certain limit.

The current requirement to ask voters for permission for borrowing is a legacy from when the community was established decades ago by General Development Corp.

Five other cities started by GDC – Cape Coral, Deltona, Palm Bay, Palm Coast and Port St. Lucie – once had similar city charter prohibitions but can now all borrow money up to a certain amount without voter approval.

Invitation for meeting delayed

When City Commissioner Debbie McDowell asked her fellow board members to invite the County Commission, State Sen. Joe Gruters and State Rep. James Buchanan to a “think tank” discussion on how to preserve the three buildings, she was told it was too soon to ask.

The idea failed on a 3-1 vote. Commissioner Pete Emrich, who is recovering from a motorcycle accident, was not able to attend.

Vice Mayor Phil Stokes said he had no issue with extending the invitation, but wanted to wait until after the May 28 meeting.

City Commissioner Barbara Langdon added that she wasn't ready to meet.

“I am very uncomfortable to invite these folks to a meeting where we’re saying, ‘Tell us what to do, because we’re clueless,'” she said. “I want to feel ready … I’m not at all comfortable with a frameless, kumbaya agenda.”

Langdon also noted that the board could always rescind an earlier vote to demolish the three historic structures, if needed.

“We should not leave any stone unturned when it comes to the possible restoration of those buildings,” Langdon said, adding she had a particular fondness for the cyclorama.

Fate of historical structures still in limbo

The March 5 vote to demolish the buildings came up after a proposed public-private partnership to develop 61.4-acres of the park fell apart once the developer learned the potential cost to insure operations at the springs and further explored staffing costs.

As part of that transaction, Warm Mineral Springs Development Group would have taken over operation of the springs and pledged to restore the three structures on the 21.6-acre Warm Mineral Springs historic site.

A sales building, spa and cyclorama – believed to be designed by Jack West of the Sarasota School of Architecture – were used to host the Florida Quadricentennial between December 1959 and March 1960.

The city created its historical register specifically so the three structures at 12200 San Servando Ave. could be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. They achieved that status in 2019.

The spring itself and a protection zone were put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Once thought to be the Fountain of Youth when it was discovered by explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, Warm Mineral Springs is an hourglass-shaped sinkhole primarily fed by an underground stream that pumps in 20 million gallons of 86 degree water per day.

Bathers believe the waters have healing powers.

McDowell thanked her fellow board members for the discussion. White added, “It was a great conversation but it’s not dead.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Future of springs historic structures linked to North Port borrowing