Sarasota Herald Tribune - Nov 13,2017
NORTH PORT — In hopes of having the question settled before the 2020 census, North Port city commissioners on Monday took the first of several steps that could lead to the West Villages area having its zip code affiliated with the city and not with Venice.
First, the commission directed City Manager Peter Lear to provide an update to the U.S. Postal Service on the current and future development of the West Villages and to ask about the agency’s plans for additional zip codes for the area.
Next, the commission agreed to host a town hall meeting in the West Villages on the relationship between the development district and the city; and finally, it directed city staff to increase outreach efforts to highlight for West Villages residents the services and activities North Port offers.
None of that received a warm welcome by West Villages residents in the crowd — most of whom live in either Island Walk or Gran Paradiso and who bought their homes partly because of the cache of a Venice zip code, regardless of where they pay property taxes.
Nor were they particularly pleased with City Commissioner Debbie McDowell who — after she explained that the property appraiser told her that comparable sales values and nearby amenities impacted home values, but zip codes do not — said they were duped by their seller, if they thought they were buying into Venice.
“It sounds like North Port has an inferiority complex,” said Ruth Thurber, a Gran Paradiso resident who previously lived in Port Charlotte and Lakewood Ranch. “My husband and I wanted to be in Venice. We know we’re paying taxes in North port and not Venice.
“Please don’t insult us and say we were duped; we’re intelligent people, we know where we bought,” she added. “We know what our property values are in Venice address as well as the North Port address.”
Michael Sepot followed by saying the property appraiser doesn’t have a clue about the real estate market“You’ll never find a bank who would use a city appraiser for any mortgage,” said Sepot, who later added, “perception is reality for the people who have that perception.”
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Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate
REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964
West Villages Realty LLC
19503 S West Villages Pkwy
Stes A2 & A11 (by Appt)
Venice, Florida 34293
Office: 941-460-3179
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