City Commission Workshop on 2026-01-06 9:00 AM - Commission Retreat — North Port, FL
Date: 2026-01-06

4970 CITY HALL BLVD
 City of North Port NORTH PORT, FL 34286



 Meeting Agenda

 City Commission Workshop
 CITY COMMISSIONERS
 Pete Emrich, Mayor
 Barbara Langdon, Vice Mayor
 Phil Stokes, Commissioner
 David Duval, Commissioner
 Demetrius Petrow, Commissioner

 APPOINTED OFFICIALS
 Jerome Fletcher, City Manager
 Michael Fuino, City Attorney
 Heather Faust, City Clerk

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:00 AM City Commission Chambers


 Commission Retreat


PUBLIC COMMENT: Properly submitted comments will be accepted and included in the official record of the meeting
pursuant to City Commission Policy No. 2020-04.

Public comment may be submitted in the following ways:

In Person Attendance: Submit a comment card to the City Clerk. Comment cards with completed information may be
submitted until the Mayor closes Public Comment for the agenda item. Public comment is limited to three minutes per
person.

Online: Submit a written eComment using the eComment link at cityofnorthport.legistar.com/Calendar. The link will be
available online at 8:00 a.m. the day before the meeting until one hour prior to the start of the meeting. Your public
comment is limited to 2,000 characters.

Voice Mail Message: Leave a voice mail message via telephone at 941-429-1032. Voice Mail messages will be
accepted the day before the meeting from 8:00 a.m. until one hour prior to the start of the meeting. Please provide
information as listed in the City’s outgoing message. The message must not exceed two minutes, fifteen seconds.


CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

1. PUBLIC COMMENT:

(The purpose of the Public Comments Section of the Agenda is for members of the public to speak to the City
Commission/District Governing Body on any subject pertaining to City Business whether or not it is on the Agenda, with
the exception of Quasi-Judicial Items.)


2. GENERAL BUSINESS:


City of North Port Page 1 Printed on 1/7/2026
City Commission Workshop Meeting Agenda January 6, 2026


A. 26-0275 City Commission Retreat and Governance Workshop

 Attachments: December 3, 2024 Minutes
 Presentation


3. PUBLIC COMMENT:

(The purpose of the Public Comments Section of the Agenda is for members of the public to speak to the City
Commission/District Governing Body on any subject pertaining to City Business whether or not it is on the Agenda, with
the exception of Quasi-Judicial Items.)


4. ADJOURNMENT:

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF REPORTS - The Agenda is a summary of the proposed actions to be taken by the City
Commission. For almost every agenda item, the City staff has prepared materials for Commission consideration and
provided a staff recommendation. All of these materials are available at the City Clerk's Office, during normal
business hours, for inspection and (for a fee) copying. Questions on these materials may be directed to the staff
member who prepared them, or to the City Clerk's Office, who will refer you to the appropriate person.

AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 - The North Port City Hall is wheelchair accessible. Special parking is
available on the west side of City Hall and the building may be accessed from the parking area. Persons with hearing
difficulties should contact the City Clerk to obtain a hearing device for use during meetings.

NONDISCRIMINATION: The City of North Port does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age,
disability, family or religious status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or physical
characteristic in administration of its programs, activities or services.

No stenographic record by a certified court reporter is made of these recordings. Accordingly, anyone seeking to
appeal any of the decisions involving the matters herein will be responsible for making a verbatim record of the
meeting/testimony and evidence upon which any appeal is to be based. Copies of the recordings are available (for a
fee) at the City Clerk's Office.




City of North Port Page 2 Printed on 1/7/2026

4970 CITY HALL BLVD
 City of North Port NORTH PORT, FL 34286



 Meeting Minutes
 City Commission Workshop
 CITY COMMISSIONERS
 Pete Emrich, Mayor
 Barbara Langdon, Vice Mayor
 Phil Stokes, Commissioner
 David Duval, Commissioner
 Demetrius Petrow, Commissioner

 APPOINTED OFFICIALS
 Jerome Fletcher, City Manager
 Michael Fuino, City Attorney
 Heather Faust, City Clerk

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:00 AM City Commission Chambers

 Commission Retreat

CALL TO ORDER

 Mayor Emrich called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

ROLL CALL

 Present: 5- Mayor Pete Emrich, Vice Mayor Barbara Langdon, Commissioner David Duval,
 Commissioner Demetrius Petrow and Commissioner Philip Stokes

ALSO PRESENT

 City Manager Fletcher, City Attorney Fuino, City Clerk Faust, Board Specialist Lindner,
 Police Captain Harvey, and Deputy Fire Chief Herlihy.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Vice Mayor Langdon.

1. PUBLIC COMMENT:

 There was no public comment.

2. GENERAL BUSINESS:


 A. 26-0275 City Commission Retreat and Governance Workshop

 Mayor Emrich announced the item.

 Mr. Fletcher introduced Doug Thomas, Executive Vice President, Recruitment and
 Leadership Development, Strategic Government Resources (SGR).

 Mr. Thomas provided an overview of the agenda and introduced Lynn Tipton, Florida
 League of Cities (FLC).

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City Commission Workshop Meeting Minutes January 6, 2026



 Ms. Tipton spoke to her professional background and experience.

 Mr. Thomas provided a presentation including effective governance principles, North Port
 City Charter, Commissioner and employee communication policy, and policy timeline.

 Commission questions and discussion took place regarding policy intent, revision history,
 and consistency, Commissioner and employee communication, and transparency.

 Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including GrayRobinson legal opinion and
 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Code of Ethics.

 Commission questions  and discussion continued regarding  Charter language
 interpretation, Commission authority limitations, application of legal opinions, and ICMA
 Code of Ethics.

 Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including governance and recommended
 strategies.

 Commission questions and discussion continued regarding Commissioner and employee
 communications, operational boundaries, City facilities, governance responsibilities, and
 public trust.

 Recess was taken from 10:30 a.m. to 10:46 a.m.

 Ms. Tipton provided a presentation including history of municipal forms of government,
 characteristics of various governance models, council -manager form of government,
 non-interference policies, and comparisons to peer cities.

 Commission questions and discussion continued regarding council -manager form of
 government, non-interference standards, governance balance, political pressures, citizen
 understanding of government structure, and consistency.

 Recess was taken from 1:07 p.m. to 1:37 p.m.

 Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including path forward and one-on-one meetings.

 Commission questions and discussion continued regarding communication practices,
 agenda briefings, citizen concerns and response time, conflicts of interest, consistency
 and balance, government trust, organizational structure, political pressures, public
 confidence, and governance roles.

 Mr. Thomas continued the presentation including recommended strategies, Commission
 workshops, and interactions with employees.

 Commission questions and discussion continued regarding Unified Land Development
 Code (ULDC) considerations, citizen concerns, workshop structure, consensus
 procedures, employee interactions, and potential policy language revisions.

3. PUBLIC COMMENT:

 There was no public comment.

4. ADJOURNMENT:

 Mayor Emrich adjourned the meeting at 12:58 p.m.

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City Commission Workshop Meeting Minutes January 6, 2026



 City of North Port, Florida

 By: ___________________________________________
 Pete Emrich, Mayor

 Attest: _________________________________________
 Heather Faust, City Clerk




City of North Port Page 3 Printed on 2/10/2026