Punta Gorda delays discussion on farmers market future

Punta Gorda City Council is not ready to take up the future of the Punta Gorda Farmers Market, leaving dozens of vendors uncertain as the market’s current permit expiration approaches. 

During a Jan. 20 workshop meeting, City Manager Melissa Reichert said it was “not in the city’s best interest” to discuss the downtown farmers market at this time, indicating the issue may not appear on a City Council agenda for several months. 

Reichert was responding to council member Greg Julian, who asked whether Council would receive a briefing from city staff on the bidding process and fees associated with the market should the city decide to solicit proposals to operate it. 

The Downtown Merchants Association’s temporary use permit expires April 30. While the city has moved to issuing quarterly permits rather than annual approvals, the roughly 70 vendors who participate in the Saturday market remain uncertain about whether and where they will be able to continue selling in Punta Gorda. 

Concern intensified among vendors during the busy Jan. 17 farmers market, when many said they had heard the downtown market could close after April if the permit is not renewed. Several vendors confirmed the topic was widely discussed throughout the day. 

At the market’s information booth, founder Jerry Presseller said he is preparing for the possibility that the city may not extend the permit beyond April 30. Presseller said he has begun looking for alternative locations should the market lose its longtime downtown site. 

Presseller founded the farmers market in 2008 through the Downtown Merchants Association. At the time, he owned businesses in the downtown area and said his goal was to bring “more footprints” to the city after Hurricane Charley devastated Punta Gorda’s business district in 2004. 

The market has since grown into a major attraction, drawing an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 visitors each Saturday. It is promoted in Allegiant Air travel materials and is a stop for American Cruise Lines passengers who visit the downtown area during port calls. 

Not everyone supports the current operating arrangement. Dave Kalin, who runs a separate Saturday farmers market across from the Celtic Ray on property he leases, has challenged the city for granting exclusive rights to the Downtown Merchants Association to operate the downtown market. 

Kalin appeared at the Jan. 20 workshop meeting and raised questions about operating costs and revenue generated by the market. The following day, those claims were disputed by John Wright, a former executive director of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce. 

Wright said the chamber previously operated the farmers market, and after his departure, the board asked whether he would take over management, which he agreed to do. He said any revenue generated by the market is donated to local charities or provided to nonprofit organizations that participate in the market. 

Wright also rejected claims that market organizers personally profit from its operation. He said the only stipend paid is to Presseller for administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program electronic benefit transfer system, which allows lower-income families to purchase fresh food at the market. Remaining funds, he said, are directed to charitable causes. 

“Kernel” Jim and Carol Dembrowski, who operate Tropical Island Kettle Korn, attended the workshop meeting. Afterward, Carol Dembrowski said she is deeply concerned about what would happen to vendors if the market were displaced or discontinued. 

She said many vendors depend on the farmers market as their primary source of income, while customers rely on it as a weekly gathering place and social outlet. 

During the discussion, Kalin told Dembrowski that regardless of who ultimately operates the market, he believes it will continue in some form. 

Council member Jeannine Polk later said her primary concern centers on public safety and liability. She noted the market’s location between northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 41 and questioned whether that presents risks if someone were injured. 

The future of the Punta Gorda Farmers Market continues to be debated on social media, where some statements have drawn criticism. Wright described certain online claims as “scandalous,” saying misinformation has added to tensions surrounding the issue. 

For now, city officials have made clear that no immediate decision is forthcoming, leaving vendors and residents waiting for clarity as the April permit deadline approaches.