The City Commission shall consider on a case-by-case basis special events for which the costs of City fees and or resources are subsidized through a specially funded account. For funding consideration, the event must be held in the City of North Port and meet the criteria for special events as defined in Chapter 53, Section 53-265 of the Unified Land Development Code and in the special event program guidelines(PDF, 155KB). A special event permit is not required at the time of application for assistance. However, an issued special event permit is required for the event and shall follow the guidelines for the special event permitting process.
Please note that facility reservations for Special Events applying for the Special Event Assistance Program will only be processed upon receiving the Special Event Application and full payment of the refundable deposit.
To be eligible for funding any North Port based entity or organization may apply to the program if the following apply:
- Event must be open to the public
- Event must be FREE to the public for admission. Fees may be charged for participants, such as competitors or vendors
- Event must demonstrate primary benefit to the community at large
- Event estimated attendance must be a minimum of 100 people to be eligible for the program
The amount of funding requested may be approved partially, fully or not at all based on the number of applications or funding ability. The entity or organization can apply for multiple events in a calendar year. If approved, the amount awarded will be applied to the actual cost of City fees and or resources associated with the special event up to the approved amount and the applicant is responsible for the difference, if any.
Events not eligible include: private parties and functions, political events, or any event deemed by the City as inappropriate or inconsistent with the best interests of the City or as prohibited by law.
Applying is easy. Download the Special Events Assistance Program Application(PDF, 1MB), complete and submit to SpecialEvents@NorthPortFL.gov or deliver to the Parks & Recreation Department, located at the Morgan Family Community Center (6207 W. Price Blvd.). For questions, please call 941-429-PARK(7275).
Applications for the Special Event Assistance Program are strongly encouraged to be submitted at least 45 days prior to the event taking place. This allows for an adequate time to review and seek approval of the application.