Norton Bonaparte, City Manager, City of Sanford

April 2026 — Invest: sat down with Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte to discuss the city’s C.A.R.E strategic framework, the economic lift of trails and waterfront amenities, and Sanford’s priorities as one of Seminole County’s oldest communities. Bonaparte also shared how the city is balancing a lively downtown with neighborhood quality of life while positioning key sites for industrial and commercial growth tied to regional connectivity. “Sanford is on the move. We’re a dynamic, exciting place, and we’re focused on the fundamentals that matter for long-term growth,” Bonaparte said.

What prompted Sanford’s new citywide strategic plan, and how are you turning those values into real outcomes for residents and businesses?

We recently rolled out a strategic plan we call C.A.R.E. This stands for community-oriented, accountable, resilient, and environmentally sensitive. It was put together by our strategic performance manager, and the goal was to have something employees can easily understand and remember.

We held a C.A.R.E week for city employees, with activities tied to each part of the acronym. The intent is to make the plan tangible, not just words on paper. If employees own it and internalize it, it shows up in how we deliver service, how we prioritize projects and how we think about our role in the community.

From an overall economic development standpoint, what strategies is the city using to support small businesses and local entrepreneurs?

We have a community redevelopment agency, the Sanford CRA, and it has been particularly focused on the downtown area. They’ve provided facade grants and other grants to businesses to help with exterior improvements and, in some cases, interior work.

We have a certain tax generated by a defined geographic area, and those monies are then spent in that area to assist businesses. The CRA has been very successful with their projects over the years and has helped downtown keep building momentum. The CRA officially sunset on December 31, 2025, after 30 years of making improvements to the downtown area. 

How is Sanford approaching challenges like aging infrastructure, homelessness, and service improvements?

Sanford will be turning 150 in 2027. We are a historic city, which also means we have aging infrastructure. Some of our piping is 100 years old. We have a real focus on maintaining and upgrading systems, including water and sewer, so we can keep up with the needs of our customers, residents and businesses.

Homelessness is also something we work on, it’s not only a Sanford issue, it’s a regional issue. We have members of city staff involved with various homeless task forces to look for workable solutions. We also have a rescue outreach mission located in our city, which is a shelter for people experiencing homelessness in the City of Sanford. They’re often full, but it’s very well run and it provides much-needed services.

Sanford’s downtown is known for being lively with restaurants, festivals and weekend activity. What opportunities and challenges come with that vibrancy?

It is very lively on weekends. Each weekend there are different festivals, events and activities that bring large amounts of people to downtown Sanford, and we have a number of very popular restaurants and establishments, there’s something for everyone.

One of our challenges is parking. On the weekends, parking becomes a premium. We’ve even entertained looking at a parking garage. At this time, we don’t need it because we have undeveloped land that we’re using for parking, but we are considering that, at some point, we may need to build a garage because of all the different activities downtown that attract more and more people into Sanford.

How do you balance growth, tourism, and entertainment with preserving the city’s community feel?

We have a primary area for the entertainment district, which is downtown, but there are challenges sometimes with neighborhoods adjacent to downtown. Parking is a good example. People will park on neighborhood streets because it’s convenient.

We recently had a Christmas parade and downtown was completely packed, and parking was again a premium. The balance is making sure residents know we care about them, and that we want to invest so they don’t see a decrease in quality of living. That means listening, managing impacts and continuing to make improvements that support residents as well as visitors.

With new development continuing, what priorities are guiding Sanford’s approach, and what advantages does the city bring to the table?

We have probably the most affordable housing in Seminole County, and our focus is on commercial and industrial development. Sanford has assets other cities in the county don’t have.

We’re the only city in Seminole County that has an International Airport, the Orlando Sanford International Airport. We also have rail, plus an Amtrak AutoTrain station and Sunrail. We are located at the intersection of various major highways in Florida. This makes Sanford attractive for companies that may need rail service or air service, and it supports industrial and logistics-oriented uses.

What industries or sectors are you most focused on attracting, and what is a project you  are excited about right now?

Primarily industrial. Industrial increases the tax base and provides employment, and that’s a key objective for us. We appreciate the fact that businesses see Sanford as an attractive place to establish operations, whether that’s a warehouse or a production facility.

One example is a company that makes trading cards. They’re building about a 100,000-square-foot facility. They’ve had the groundbreaking, the walls are up, and we’re looking to have it occupied in the coming weeks.

Are there any major developments you want readers to know about that we didn’t cover?

We have a mall that has seen a decline because of online retail and other changes, just like a lot of malls throughout the country. A major development for us is that a new Costco is coming to Sanford as part of a redevelopment of the mall area. We’re really looking forward to that investment and what it signals about the continued momentum we are seeing in Sanford.

What message would you want regional business leaders and site selectors to take away about Sanford?

Sanford is on the move. We’re a dynamic, exciting city, focused on the fundamentals that matter for long-term growth, including infrastructure, quality of life and a balanced tax base.

As we keep investing downtown, expanding recreation connections and positioning sites for industrial and commercial growth, we think Sanford will continue to be a place where businesses can grow and residents can thrive.

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