Conveniently located on the west coast of Florida between Tampa and Fort Myers, the City of North Port is a vibrant, up-and-coming community and home to 94,700 residents, with a median age in their 40s. North Port anticipates its population growing to 250,000 at build out. Covering 104 square miles, North Port is the largest city in Sarasota County and is accessible via I-75 and the Tamiami Trail. The City offers excellent connectivity with easy access to six international and municipal airports. North Port is one of the fastest-growing cities in Florida, with active residential, commercial, and economic development. As a result, the population has increased rapidly over a relatively short time.
North Port operates under a Commission-Manager form of government with five elected City Commissioners. Appointed by the Commission, the City Attorney serves as legal advisor and counsel for the City Commission, City Manager, and staff. The position also provides legal counsel and advice to City Boards and Commissions and coordinates the City Attorney’s Office representation at their meetings as necessary. The City Attorney performs their duties with broad latitude and is self-directed.
The City of North Port seeks an ethical, decisive, strategic, and values-driven servant leader to be its next City Attorney. A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school is required, along with a minimum of eight (8) to ten (10) years of work experience as a practicing attorney, a substantial amount of which has been in the practice of local government law or a related field, such as land use and zoning, labor and employment, real estate, litigation and appeals, administrative hearing, eminent domain, procurement/public finance, public records, and Sunshine Law. At least three (3) to five (5) years of experience in land use, procurement, and/or local government law is preferred. A comparable amount of relevant training, education and/or experience may be substituted for the above qualifications. The selected candidate must be an attorney eligible to practice law in Florida with an active Florida Bar license and in good standing with the Florida Bar at the time of application. City-County Local Government Law Board Certified by the Florida Bar preferred.
The City of North Port offers a competitive starting salary range of $190,000 - $220,000, depending on qualifications and experience. Per the City Charter, the City Attorney is currently required to reside within the corporate boundaries of North Port within six (6) months of appointment and maintain residency throughout their tenure.
