Warm Mineral Springs Park may be rezoned to pave way for condos
NORTH PORT, Fla. - Florida's only hot spring could undergo a dramatic transformation under a rezoning proposal to be reviewed by city council members in North Port on Monday.
The city's Warm Mineral Springs Park contains Native American history dating back thousands of years, including small artifacts found at the site.
One of the spring's outflows is also a haven for more than 100 manatees to gather during colder winter months, with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission calling it "the most important natural manatee warm water refuge along Florida’s southwest coast."
READ: Visitors dip into Florida’s past, soak up healing benefits at Florida’s only warm mineral springs
But it's the minerals and the near-constant 87-degree temperature that bring visitors to the attraction from across the U.S. Many people swear by the springs' supposed healing properties.
File: Warm Mineral Springs Park
The proposal under discussion Monday morning would re-zone the mineral springs for commercial development, paving the way for condos, a hotel, museum and spa.
It's a move that has raised widespread concerns and criticism among longtime residents and visitors, some of whom had merely pushed to have the springs repaired and reopened after Hurricane Ian.
Coincidentally, the park did reopen on Friday, April 7, mere days before the planned city commission workshop discussing redeveloping the attraction.
File: Warm Mineral Springs Park
Some visitors worry that any future development could bring harm to the site. Others have complained about a perceived lack of transparency in the planning process.
Earlier this year, before reopening, the city said it would only move forward with plans as long as surveys show no harm will come to the springs. Leaders also said the site will always remain open to the public and residents of North Port.
Hurricane Ian damaged Warm Mineral Springs Park forcing it to close for months.
Speaking with Fox 13 News on April 7 at the site's re-opening, city manager Jerome Fletcher said of the public-private partnership, "the goal is to improve the customer service. We can do that through at third party partnership, which is what we are doing. We could have done that ourselves, but it would have taken much longer. We had to raise our hand based on the current conditions of the facilities and say, 'this is not what government should be doing, or government does not do at its best.'"
Monday's commission workshop gets underway at 9 a.m. at North Port City Hall. There will be an opportunity for public comment during the meeting, during which city leaders will also review proposals to re-zone the entire city of North Port, which could have even broader implications than the plans for Warm Mineral Springs Park.