NORTH PORT, Fla. — Tuesday night's commission meeting in North Port lasted nearly nine hours. It ended around 3 a.m.
A big part of that had to do with the future of Warm Mineral Springs.
North Port Community Correspondent Victoria Scott met up with resident David Iannotti to get his takeaway from it.
"I think the commission is behaving completely dis-functionally," Iannotti told Scott. "They don't seem to get anything done."
City leaders said around 150 people showed up. The massive turnout brought about change. The commission voted to preserve the historical buildings on the property in a 5-0 vote.
"It just shows that my fellow commissioners were willing to listen to what some of the people were saying, listen to various options, and pivot," North Port Commissioner Debbie McDowell told Scott.
Those buildings include an old Cyclorama.
"The Cyclorama is - there are only three or four of them left in the world," McDowell said. "So, this is why we're really trying to preserve this – this is our heritage."
Hurricane Ian only made the deterioration worse.
"There's a lot of uncertainties," Iannotti said. "I feel like at this point, [the commission] just doesn't know what to do."
North port leaders told Scott the city manager will work with the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation to explore restoration efforts and cost options for the project.
