Prioritizing Local Businesses
Navarre’s local businesses are the backbone of the local economy and the life blood of what makes Navarre great. A City of Navarre Beach would be able to prioritize the needs and development of these fantastic local businesses for the benefit of everyone who lives here.
Currently business-critical decisions like zoning and development incentives are managed by the county and often leave local business leaders outside of the decision making process. Through incorporation, local business owners would finally have direct access and a voice in the future growth of their city.
What can a city do?
One of the major jobs of a city is to establish rules around business diversity to keep independent businesses protected from larger chains. Many cities across the country have used these types of rules to foster local businesses to great success.
Additionally, a city has staff who can both access economic grants and redirect development incentives to smaller businesses. Often, there are state and federal grants available to redevelop blighted areas and foster local companies but without city personnel to advocate for our area Navarre is usually overlooked in the distribution of these funds.
By moving government from the county level to the city level, small business owners can more easily advocate for their needs. The City of Navarre Beach is not an extra layer of government for Navarre but is instead simply a movement of decision making so that residents can finally have their voices properly heard.
