NORTH PORT, Fla. — North Port voters have rejected a proposal to fund a new police headquarters through $115 million in bonds, with 68% voting against the measure.
The current headquarters, built in 2006, was designed for 109 employees but the department has nearly doubled in size since then. Police officials say some employees are working out of closets while waiting for a new facility.
Christopher Lundberg, a retired New York City police lieutenant who lives in North Port, said his vote against the measure was based on concerns about the city's financial management.
"They did it because they don't trust the city government with their money. It's as simple as that. This would have passed anywhere else, okay? But the fact is that this particular city commissioners are spending money at a ridiculous rate without having any plan on how to pay for anything," Lundberg said.
Voters also rejected four other referendums, including a debt issuance that would have allowed the city to borrow money for disasters without voter approval.
Click here to see community correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with City Manager Jerome Fletcher about the referendum results.
"It's just really not a great time, in my opinion, to ask our citizens to endure more burden than they are, but we still have a need to take care of. So, you know, we'll have to figure out a compromise between what we need to do and what they want us to do," Fletcher said.
Fletcher maintains that the city has been transparent about the need for a new facility.
"We showed renderings and drawings of what the new police headquarters would entail. There were two studies done, one of which, the last one in 2023 was very descriptive of what would be included in the space and the amenities that the police department need," Fletcher said.
Despite these efforts and town halls about the facility, Lundberg disagrees with the city's approach and thinks that the communication between the city and its residents needs to be better.
The North Port Commission will discuss next steps at their May 27th meeting to determine where funding for a new police department will come from.
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