Page 4 - John Meisel News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

NORTH PORT – Representatives for the West Villagers for Responsible Government filed a lawsuit in circuit court Friday that would allow voters who live west of the Myakka River to decide if they want to separate from the city.  The litigation seeks a court order that would force the city to accept a petition to hold a referendum on the issue. Residents are seeking the contraction, in part, because they do not feel they receive adequate services from the city for their taxes.  Residents attempted to submit the petition on April 29, shortly after the North Port City Commission unanimous...

Wellen Park spokeswoman Jennifer Hamilton said via email that dismissal made sense after the city’s decision.  “Given the City of North Port Commissioners’ level-headed and unanimous decision in denying the petition to de-annex or contract from the city, we have decided to drop the lawsuit against the City of North Port,” Hamilton wrote. “The lawsuit is no longer appropriate, as the City Commissioners have acted in the best interests of all residents within the City of North Port and Wellen Park.”  Residents of the West Villages subdivisions of Wellen Park are seeking to separa...

The decision hinged on five criteria.  In a motion by City Commissioner Debbie McDowell and seconded and later amended by Vice Mayor Pete Emrich, the board rejected the citizens' petition based on the grounds that the land met the criteria for annexation under state statue 171.043. That law defines the character of an area suitable for contraction. The board also said the commission had to consider the public health and safety for all residents, that it was not feasible to contract the boundaries because of the urbanization of the area, contraction was not in the best interest of t...

NORTH PORT – North Port city commissioners will consider acting on a citizens’ petition to contract the city boundaries and remove more than 15,900 acres of prime development west of the Myakka River, as proposed last year by residents who live in Wellen Park.  The commission will review a citizens petition filed in October 2020, as well as a feasibility study of the idea by Fort Lauderdale-based Munilytics, at a special meeting starting at 9 a.m. Thursday at North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd.  The final study draft suggests that the city could lose nearly $21 millio...

NORTH PORT — Meet John Meisel, president of the West Villagers for Responsible Government. But first the backstory on a contentious North Port “divorce.” The estranged couple are the West Villagers group and homebuilders at Wellen Park, or what had been West Villages at conception in 2002. A political committee, West Villagers for Responsible Government, was started by disgruntled homeowners. The West Villages Improvement District governs Wellen Park. Its board is represented by builders and a homeowner, Victor Dobrin, a founder of West Villagers for Responsible Government. Its...