By Carl Perkins
When West Park incorporated in 2005, our limited commercial tax base was already a known challenge. We knew our city had limited commercial space, narrow lots, and fewer revenue-generating businesses than surrounding municipalities.
Yet here we are, more than 20 years later, still discussing those same limitations.
At what point do we stop explaining the challenges and start evaluating the results?
I’m not suggesting that nothing has been done. I recognize that the city has supported local businesses, pursued grants, and developed partnerships. Those efforts matter.
BUT activity and progress are not the same thing.
What have we accomplished in expanding our commercial tax base? What opportunities have we explored for redevelopment, attracting new businesses, supporting entrepreneurs, and making better use of the commercial corridors we already have?
We may not have the land for massive shopping centers, but economic development doesn’t have to mean building another Walmart or Home Depot.
It can mean helping small businesses grow, attracting professional services, exploring mixed-use redevelopment where appropriate, encouraging property owners to reinvest, and creating opportunities for residents to build businesses right here in West Park.
And yes, state funding is important. We should absolutely pursue every available dollar. But what happens when those dollars disappear?…
Our seniors still need programs. Our youth still need opportunities. Our parks still need maintenance. Our residents still deserve services!
A city should be working toward greater financial resilience, not simply accepting its limitations as permanent.
I’m not interested in pointing fingers at one administration or blaming the challenges of the past 20 years on recent political disagreements.
I’m interested in asking a bigger question:
What is our economic development strategy for the NEXT 20 years, and how will we measure whether it’s working?
West Park is no longer a newly incorporated city. We’re more than two decades into this journey.
It’s time we start having serious conversations about economic growth, sustainable revenue, and the long-term future of our community.
We cannot keep using the same challenges we inherited in 2005 as the explanation for where we stand in 2026.
Our limitations may explain where we started. They should not define where we finish!
#WestParkFL #EconomicDevelopment #CommunityAccountability #WestParkFuture
