There have been a number of up’s and down’s since Warm Mineral Springs was acquired by the City of North Port Florida. The City of North Port purchased Sarasota County’s interest in the Springs in September 2014 for $2.75 million. They then contracted with National and State Park Concessions, Inc., to operate the natural spring and its facilities.
The project is on hold again due to a high bid which was unsealed on June 16th. North Port was set to spend over 9 Million dollars on the Springs Renovations. The 1 bid that was unsealed was almost double the original estimate. The bid has sent the plan back for revaluation. During the City Commission Workshop on June 16, 2022, staff was directed to evaluate options such as phasing the project and exploring potential public-private opportunities. Staff will bring options forward to Commission for consideration at a future meeting.
On April 9, 2019, City Commission approved the adoption of the Warm Mineral Springs Park Master Plan. This plan included a comprehensive analysis of the entire 81.6 acres and recommendations for future services and amenities. A large portion of the plan’s creation included community input through a series of stakeholder meetings, community engagement sessions, and public surveys.
With a temperature of 85 degrees year-round, Warm Mineral Springs Park provides visitors with a number of therapeutic and passive recreation options. The spring is rumored to have one of the highest mineral contents of any natural spring in the United States. With anaerobic and highly mineralized properties, internationally known for its purported healing qualities, the park attracts more than 130,000 visitors annually who journey to soak in its waters.
The springs and the buildings are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Evidence of prehistoric man, saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths have been discovered here, and date back more than 10,000 years! The buildings were built to celebrate Florida’s Quadricentennial and were designed by architect Jack West, one of the leaders of the Sarasota School of Architecture