Living in North Port FL - Pros and Cons 

Do you find this happening regularly all over or are you referring specifically to just during a massive hurricane that dumped a ton of rain in a short period of time or are you talking about after the storm when the canal wall collapsed after the storm?

Glad it was helpful. Please let me know how I can help.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Will do. Thanks!

Thanks for all the info. It seems like they are trying to think ahead and set up areas where multi-family homes make the most sense and set up zoning accordingly which leaves room for that in those areas while there is still a ton of land left for single family homes throughout the city. I haven’t heard anything about phasing out single family homes. And the addition of multi-family housing will help to reduce the prices of housing both buying and renting to help bring it back to more in line with the income in the area. The addition of more commercial and even industrial is also a huge plus because large businesses add to the tax base in multiple ways and help to resist major fluctuations in the tax base like most of Southwest Florida has experienced in the past when the municipalities have relied solely on residential property taxes for their revenue. I didn’t know Staples and Office Max were still in business. I can’t remember the last time I saw either of those.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ yes indeed. There is a constant undertone that single family homes in the AC areas will eventually be bought up and bulldozed, making room for other land uses. One must read the ULDC guidelines and printed information the city has put out like one related to the Lady Slipper area. Yes, if one wants to live in a neighborhood with a small yard, there will be some lots. Personally, I like my 1/4 acre! If you review the wording of the apartment complexes that are currently being proposed, the word 'luxury' comes up frequently....in my experience this means mucho money for rent $$$$. Affordable housing needs to be 80% AMI, or less, to be called 'affordable', however, many developers are targeting the 125% AMI. for an individual working for minimum wage, this means their rent would need to be around $800.00 per month....ain't going to happen in Florida where most rents are over $1,800.

@@deborahplasencia1833 yes, in those AC zones it will be smaller lots and more multi-family which will allow the areas to be more walkable which is a huge benefit to people who prefer to live in walkable areas. This will allow a bit more variation in life style which is severely lacking currently. And if you prefer your 1/4 acre lots there will still be plenty of those outside of the AC zones. I would hope city council will require some affordable housing to be included. I know in Naples they require developers who build communities over a certain size to designate part of the community or another nearby community as “affordable housing” (though in Naples that means $500k townhomes 🤦‍♂️). My point is, no one will build “affordable housing” of their own free will because they can make more money off “luxury homes” using the same land. So they will either need to require some of “B” in order to get approved to build “A” or they will need to offer enough “incentive” (see tax breaks) to make it make financial sense for builders to build them. Then either of those regulations will bring out the haters who fight against them because “stifling business” if they go with #1 or “socialism” if they go with #2. And many people from both of those groups plus the group that doesn’t fight those rules will all throw a fit about affordable housing being built near their homes because while they might agree that affordable housing needs to be built somewhere, they don’t want it in their backyard. 🤦‍♂️

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ Staples has multiple sites in Sarasota/Bradenton and at least one in Port Charlotte. Office Depot (not Office Max) also has multiple sites. I know UPS is used in North Port for printing yet does not offer the wider range of business services which would be highly important the more businesses come to NP.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ indeed. The City Commissioners declined monies from the 'Live Local Act' due to the language forcing cities to allow lands to be used for affordable housing projects and NP has limited land for increasing the tax base through commercial and industrial land uses. The zoning for multi-use land uses can add to single/multi family neighborhoods. I lived in one of these neighborhoods in which an apartment building was behind me with a large field area as a buffer and the housing on my block was townhomes and single family. Ideas for use of apartments above the commercial use is also a very viable use of space. The city I left redeveloped many downtown warehouses and commercial buildings into these types of combo business/home use....the lofts are beautiful and helped those that worked downtown be able to walk to work. Win-win! I agree with Commissioner Langdon and Mayor Alice that the incorporation of a city center with a boutique style feel, small business shops, eating places, and eclectic shops, similar to Main St. by downtown Sarasota, would be a big draw to NP. Just personal opinion, the use of the word 'socialism' is overused and incorrectly used, much like the word 'woke'. People need to research the meanings and use discernment in when it is appropriate to use. FYI: the original meaning of 'woke' means 'be aware'; much different than what a certain State leader has changed the meaning into a negative.

Sorry to hear about your son’s friend.

Houses are definitely selling in NP. They just need to be priced right for what they are and marketed properly. I’d be happy to discuss what we can do to help you make the move if you would like to get out of NP and into somewhere that has more for you to do. Give me a call or text at 239-201-9583 or email at jerryniesman@gmail.com and let’s see if we can get you somewhere that you will be happy.

Interesting

Thanks for your insight. While I don’t disagree that insurance is a problem, rates didn’t go up because of just 1 hurricane. They were still going up every year from 2017 losses. 2004 bright 4 major storms and $45 billion in losses. 2017 had 6 major storms and over $200 billion in losses or more than 4x 2004 and hurricane Ian along caused over $50 billion so by itself more than all 4 2004 storms combined and right after Ian we were also hit by hurricane Nicole on the east coast that caused a ton of damage as well. But even with all of that it is still one of the most affordable places to live in all of Florida and also still more affordable than many other places in the country.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_we are out of here next year for much cheaper north Alabama! Fl is pricing its locals out!

@@user-xj3ck5oy2x congrats on finding somewhere you want to go that works better for you. I’d be happy to help you get your home sold when you are ready to make the move and I’ve got great Realtors in northern Alabama that I can connect you with if you need someone good to help you find a new place there as well. Let me know how I can help.

Not all of North Port is on well water. But it is expensive to put in city water and I think part of the issue is North Port is such a large land mass and homes are so spread out that it becomes difficult to justify the cost until more of the space is filled in.

Great question! It’s going to depend on what type of job you are looking for. I am constantly hearing business owners and managers saying they are having a hard time finding good people. Now, many times that is because they aren’t paying enough to attract those good people but not always. There are lots of options in healthcare. Many IT positions pay well and allow remote work. There are lots of opportunities for skilled workers in construction trades as there is still a ton of building going on. And Sarasota County School District is one of the higher paying districts in the state and there are teaching openings from what I’ve been told. If you tell me what you are looking for, I might be able to point you in the right direction.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ I mean honestly I’ve been driving trucks for over 20 years. I don’t know if I want to do that anymore but I’m a jack of all trades master of none and in order to live there you have to make a good wage because of homeowners insurance auto insurance is high.

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ construction, local truck driving that type of thing

The point of these videos is to show pros and cons to help people decide if they are is right for them or not. Sounds like you decided it wasn’t right for you. Hope you found a place that was right for you.

What makes you say it’s too many?

@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ All areas being turned to to high density development by zoning changes against the will of the people to appease the developers..increasing traffic..

Exactly. NP is rezoning the entire city next month. Single family neighborhoods will now have mixed use in the middle along with apartment buildings.

Stop my videos? This is your 3rd comment on 1 video. Sarasota County School district is one of the highest rated school districts in the state. Granted Florida is closer to the bottom of the 50 states but that’s another story. 😂 Not sure what I’m lying about. I said home prices are much higher than they used to be but that still doesn’t change that it is more affordable here than many other states and many other areas in Florida.

Sorry for going off You have your opinion and right to think that Again glad for leaving when I did My son is now a US Marine and state trooper

@@user-hn2gi7tm4v100 percent! We are out of here next year! Moving to Alabama where we can actually live cheaper!

😂 the pros and cons of freedom to buy your lot and build your home where you want when you want, right? Sounds like you need to be in a neighborhood that is already built out. What don’t you like about the infrastructure in North Port? North Port has better infrastructure than many SWFL cities do in curious where you feel the issues are.

Yes, I’ll take a built up, properly developed community all day. Infrastructure? Flooding is rampant, no water and sewer available in most of the city. Internet options?, good luck. Freedom to build with no development plan? If you want to live in a city where the constant tap tap tap of hammers, heavy equipment noise and dump trucks running up and down residential streets for years and years THEN YES, you are in the right place! It will be happening for generations to come….enjoy!

@@mchell I understand. And that is why there are different options for different people. Some people prefer the freedom to build what they want when they want and others prefer a planned out and timely built neighborhood and yet others want a fully thought out and developed master planned community. In North Port you actually have all 3 available to you. The majority of North Port is option 1 where there are lots everywhere and anyone can buy one and build a home whenever they want with proper permitting of course. And you can’t truly build whatever you want either because there are zoning guidelines and building codes that must be followed otherwise the city won’t issue the permit or will stop work if the project isn’t done properly. But if it’s a residential home on a residential lot and meets code requirements it’s ok. Then you have planned neighborhoods like Heron Creek, Talon Bay, or Cypress Falls that were developed and built in a designed way over a period of a few years. And you also have fully master planned communities like Wellen Park which has a complete town center and dozens of neighborhoods which were all planned together and the whole thing is being built in stages over decades. I haven’t seen what I would consider rampant flooding. Where in North Port is that happening? There was some serious flooding after Ian due to the massive amount of rain further north from the storm coming back down the rivers and canals. This caused the Mayakka River to overflow and one of the canal walls failed and areas near it to flood. The Myakka does have an issue when there are massive storms but this was the first I’ve heard of a canal wall collapsing in North Port. And this was probably the largest and strongest storm this area has ever seen. True, city water and sewer is something that is missing from the majority of the areas where you can build what you want when you want and some people would prefer to have city water and sewer but many people actually prefer well and septic. It means no water or sewer bill each month which can be quite costly and maintaining well and septic equipment is quite simple and inexpensive. Plus with North Port being such a large area of land with more of it vacant than built, it would be a massive expense to put in and who would pay for it? Now, in those developed neighborhoods and master planned communities that is all factored in from the beginning as you referenced so they include central water and sewer systems. As far as internet goes, I haven’t heard many complaints from my clients in the area as there are a number of high speed internet providers there now. Though I do know it was an issue not that long ago.

😂 sure. Technically by definition any government at all is socialist. If they collect tax money and redistribute in the form of a service to everyone that lives there just because they live there even if they don’t pay in to the tax fund it’s socialist. Police-socialist, fire dept-socialist, public parks-socialist… which socialist program are you unhappy with? And where do you think is better?

@@LivinginSouthwestFlorida_ that's why they are traitors and soon will be in the lake...