Page 205 - BWM Dec 2012

December 2012 | Business World Magazine | 205
as much as they projected, then they also
pay you that difference. So, either way, it is
a guaranteed win,” says Frank. North Port is
currently reviewing qualifications and hopes
to have an energy services partnership in
place for early next year.
The city, along with regional part-
ners, is also exploring the implementation of
Property Assessed Clean Energy programs
(or PACE). Frank says a PACE program
would allow a home or business owner to
make energy improvement upgrades and pay
back the cost on his property tax bill over a
period as long as 20 years.
Frank says there are discussions cur-
rently taking place involving development
of a regional PACE program. “These help
remove cost barriers for those wanting to
make upgrades… it is another way we can
collectively reduce our carbon foot print and
achieve our environmental goals,” says Frank.
“Achieve Anything,” is a slogan the
city uses in a community branding cam-
paign. With North Port being only 24 per-
cent developed, city leadership feels that the
measures put in place now will accumulate
to increased savings that will be critical to
North Port’s future.
CityOutreachManager ErinBryce be-
lieves their work may even help attract new
businesses and new residents to the commu-
nity. For a community often overshadowed
by larger neighbors, such as Tampa, Sara-
sota, and Fort Myers, Bryce says it is espe-
cially rewarding to see North Port garner so
much recognition as Florida’s Greenest City.
“We pride ourselves on being a place where
we can achieve anything,” says Bryce. “But
we didn’t do this for recognition, or think
of it as a competition, we wanted to do this
for the community because it was the right
thing to do.”