INCORPORATION: A Tale of Three Cities

Lakewood Ranch stands in a long line of Florida cities that have incorporated in recent years, cities whose experience can teach Ranch residents whether becoming a city may be the right choice.

It’s simply less costly to learn from others.

So the East County Observer tells the tales of three communities in Florida that incorporated in the mid-to-late 1990s and now have a track record.

Those communities are:

• Weston, in Broward County, which won uncontested incorporation with 90% of voters in favor and has contracted out everything conceivable for a city;

• Wellington, in West Palm Beach County, which went through a contentious and close battle for incorporation and has contracted out very little;

• Bonita Springs, in Lee County, which falls between the two on both counts, but has been able to redevelop its one historic area and kept the tax rate surprisingly low.