Sarasota News Leader

07/18/2014

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After years of debate with Sarasota County over the future of Warm Mineral Springs, the North Port City Commission this week voted to put an end to their joint partnership, mov- ing to buy out the county's 50-percent share of the Springs property. The decision puts the future of the property firmly in the hands of the city, whose board has refused to budge in its insistence that the land surround- ing the springs be left largely untouched. The county and city jointly purchased the Springs in 2010, each shelling out $2.75 million for the 81-acre prop- erty. But agreement on what to do with the land has been tough to come by, as evidenced by numerous discussions and one facilitated meeting under state guidelines. The County Commission has pushed for an aggressive redevelopment plan that would potentially include a hotel, while the City Commission recently voted for a lower-impact manage- ment plan to merely renovate and replace existing buildings. That dispute has now come to a head, with Visitors enjoy the focal point of Warm Mineral Springs. Photo by Rachel Levey-Baker ENOUGH'S ENOUGH NORTH PORT VOTES TO TAKE FULL OWNERSHIP OF WARM MINERAL SPRINGS AFTER ALMOST TWO YEARS OF CONTENTION WITH THE COUNTY Think about all the criticism we've heard over the years. Let's make sure we have our ducks in a row. Robert Robinson City Attorney City of North Port By Cooper Levey-Baker Associate Editor

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