Blog: The long game: Building North Port’s economic future

Published on July 13, 2026

By now you’ve heard the exciting news: North Port is getting its own Detwiler’s Farm Market at the corner of Sumter Boulevard and I-75. When the announcement was made this past week, the reaction from residents was immediate.

Finally. What took so long?

For years, Detwiler's has been at the top of the list whenever people asked what they'd like to see come to our city. It's exciting news, and I share that excitement.

But what many people don't see is that announcements like this are years in the making.

In local government, it's easy to celebrate the ribbon cutting or the groundbreaking. Those are the moments everyone sees. What often goes unnoticed are the countless meetings, phone calls, introductions, site visits and partnerships that happen long before a project ever comes to fruition.

That's because economic development is a long game.

The work begins years before the first shovel goes into the ground. It starts by building relationships, understanding what businesses are looking for, connecting developers with available properties, investing in infrastructure, improving development processes and making sure North Port is ready when opportunities arise.

Sometimes those efforts move quickly. More often, they require patience and persistence.

The Detwiler's announcement is a perfect example.

The relationship that ultimately led to this project began more than 18 months ago at a national retail development conference. Our Economic Development team met with a development group that had never seriously considered North Port before. They introduced them to our community, shared our story, highlighted our extraordinary growth and arranged visits to available commercial properties.

Over the following months, the developer continued exploring opportunities in North Port, acquired key commercial properties and began working to recruit businesses that would serve our growing community - including Detwiler's.

During the public announcement, the developer shared something that stood out to me. He explained that his company first learned about North Port because our staff took the time to start a conversation. They stayed engaged, answered questions, connected them with opportunities and continued building that relationship over time.

That's exactly what economic development looks like.

Much of our team's work happens quietly behind the scenes. Every year they attend industry conferences, meet with retailers, developers and employers, respond to inquiries, showcase available sites and help businesses navigate City Hall. Most of those conversations never become headlines. Some projects simply aren't the right fit. Others take years before residents ever hear about them.

That's not a setback. It's the process.

Our job isn't simply to recruit one grocery store or one restaurant. It's to create an environment where businesses are confident investing in North Port.

That means expanding infrastructure, preparing sites for development, streamlining processes where we can, supporting existing businesses and continuing to tell North Port's story to companies looking for their next location.

The payoff extends far beyond a single project.

Every new employer creates jobs. Every new business gives residents more opportunities to shop, dine and receive services closer to home. Every commercial investment strengthens our local economy and helps build a more balanced commercial tax base - something that becomes increasingly important as North Port continues to grow.

We're already seeing that happen with new health care investments, commercial development along the Sumter and Toledo Blade corridors, and businesses that are choosing North Port because they recognize what many of us have known for years: this is a community with tremendous potential.

Detwiler's is certainly worth celebrating, and I know many of us will be looking forward to opening day. But to me, the bigger story is what it represents.

It's proof that the relationships we build today become the investments we celebrate tomorrow.

Economic development doesn't happen overnight, and there are no shortcuts. It takes vision, persistence and a willingness to keep working even when there isn't an immediate result to show.

That's exactly what your City is doing every day.

While we're excited about today's announcement, we're already focused on the next opportunity - and the one after that. Because building a stronger, more vibrant North Port isn't about any single project. It's about making steady, thoughtful investments that will benefit our community for generations to come.

Jerome Fletcher is the North Port City Manager. He can be reached at jfletcher@NorthPortFL.gov.