NORTH PORT — Late at night, you may have thought your neighborhood has quieted down, maybe dozed off for the evening.
But community social media channels are all buzzing along, conversing through the wee hours — and all hours of the day or night.
North Port City Concerns, North Port Neighbors and What's happening in Englewood, Florida are some of the most popular pages in the area, in terms of followers and regular participation.
Area communities have "official" social media outlets that push out information for discussion and sharing across the internet.
But often, official and unofficial pages have different takes on current events.
Communications experts and the administrators of these pages — the people who "own" the page and are able to direct or ban conversations — shared their thoughts and stories about such hyperlocal pages with The Daily Sun.
The city of North Port's communications staff spoke about the good and bad of social media experiences.
Communications Manager Jason Bartolone said the "good," to start, is that social media discourse helps the city connect with people.
Not everyone can attend city meetings. Online platforms help people get involved with their municipalities.
Messages are conveyed on Facebook, Instagram, X, or other platforms, but the goal is the same: They aspire to educate the public they serve with facts, not fallacies.
“Our community — in particular — is on Facebook," Bartolone said.
Instagram is a much smaller, less passionate crowd, he said. And X engagement — formerly Twitter — has seemed to have withered away over the years.
Because of that, Facebook pages are a headline act, of sorts.
“Facebook is a big part of the equation, because that’s where the conversations are," Bartolone said.
The majority of users on North Port's official page, named The City of North Port Government, engages with are over 25. Just 2.3% of followers there are between 18 and 24.
Such a stat is reflective of North Port's median age, which is 48.
The entire area, including older surrounding cities, has an average age nearing its 50s or 60s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As of 2022, Port Charlotte's average age is 55.6; Punta Gorda's 66.3; Englewood's 67.8. Venice is the senior member at 68.8.
According to Statista, 81.4% of Facebook users are over 24. That could indicate why local discussions are so prevalent on that platform.
It is not all good on the platforms, though, according to Bartolone.
Misinformation can run rampant on some pages or profiles. Negativity can also become a common theme.
A vetted and fact-checked post from a press association, city government and then a random resident can often have the same value and weight to people scrolling, Bartolone said.
There is also some anonymity to social media that protects people who spread falsehoods, Bartolone noted.
SOME CONCERNS
One page that is of particular prominence in North Port is North Port City Concerns.
Resident Stephanie Gibson is one of the admins. Recently, she has had disputes with North Port's City Manager Jerome Fletcher, and has filed multiple complaints about him. One was dismissed in June.
Some, including Fletcher himself, have said Gibson is attempting to smear his name.
She said she's served as a watchdog for years, starting to administer the City Concerns page in 2015.
"I started my fight with the city in 2014," she said. “Like the rest of my life, people love me or hate me."
North Port City Concerns has more than 12,000 followers. The vast majority of posts have to do with local government.
Gibson and the page itself have long received criticism. She said she ultimately just wants what is best for her city.
“They all think that we’re the hate page,” Gibson said. “But they have to look at our title and intent of this. I really just want good governance.”
Gibson has a full-time remote job, so that allows her the time to oversee the page. Along with that, though, she cares for a son and elderly mother.
Because of that, she is not stepping away from being a watchdog. She did say that she is carefully choosing her battles.
“I think the city is better because of NPCC," she said.
MORE ABOUT NEIGHBORS
Another North Port-based admin is that of Bobby Schotte. He started North Port Neighbors, a page with more than 40,000 followers. That number is nearly half the size of North Port's entire population.
He said he tries to keep things more positive.
“I want it to be informative and entertaining,” Schotte said.
Schotte criticized NPCC, suggesting the letters should stand for "North Port Chronic Complainers."
“It’s constant negativity about our city, commission," Schotte said. “And the way they go after our city manager is disgusting."
Schotte limits discussion on his page to local topics, businesses and issues. Politics can be talked about, but only if they are North Port or Florida related.
Additionally, he said that things like regional inside jokes, or memes are always welcome.
EVERYTHING ENGLEWOOD
Another gigantic page in the area is in Englewood.
"What's happening in Englewood, Florida" has more than 77,000 followers, a figure even larger than the Englewood's entire population.
Jeannie Joyce started the page. She, too, tries to keep things positive.
“I do not allow any drama or rude comments," Joyce said.
Her page was created by accident, but it became something huge.
She has been connected to Englewood for decades, so knew she had to capitalize on such popularity and help local artists, business owners, or others who need assistance or exposure in her area.
She said the page even helped many during Hurricane Ian and Irma, delivering and pointing the way to vital information.
“This is what I need to do. Help the community so people know exactly what is going on," Joyce said. “I don’t care how many people we have, I’m here to share.”
Joyce said other pages in Englewood have branched out because they wanted to “bash somebody.” She will not stand for it. And that is why her page has grown so much, she said.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
On the other side of the coin, back in North Port, North Port Dirty Laundry focuses exclusively on scandals and drama.
Olivia Zamora started her page, which now has more than 11,000 followers, for the sake of entertainment and gossip.
The North Port government attempted to join the page. The admins denied the request.
NPDL contains unfiltered community jokes about roaming lizards, bad parking at local stores, and it even regularly features a man who records videos of himself eating raw roadkill.
"When I lived on a military base a few years ago, me and some friends started a 'dirty laundry' page," Zamora said. "Everyone was the same age, around 18 to 30." She said the page was really entertaining and a good way to know "who to watch out for." So she wanted to see if she could craft a regional page that does the same here. It worked, she said. She said she had no clue her page would explode to the size it has.EDUCATING EVERYONE North Port's communication team is thankful North Port Dirty Laundry, and other pages have grown so large - even if they are not allowed in some. “Every one of these pages are a chance to educate people," Bartolone said. “If there’s a conversation to be had we need to be part of it. The more people we can reach on social media the more reach we have.” More outreach can potentially lead to more getting involved in local government. Such pages also help spread the word about news or events set to come. And when the odd person complains about not hearing about an event or meeting, for example, Bartolone said the city uses it as a marketing opportunity. From there, sometimes in the comment section, they will advertise things like their monthly newsletter: CommUNITY. The city of North Port, for one, has an entire social media strategy and a full time staff member who focuses on social media, teaming up with Bartolone and company. NO COMMENTS But there is also concern about how people interact on official pages. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Department Facebook page recently shut off the ability to leave comments on its posts. Evan Keats, the department's Director of Community Affairs, said it was recently implemented. "The sheriff’s office will continue to push information through those channels as we have done in the past however, we will not have an open commentary following each post," Keats stated in an email to The Daily Sun. Its online statement attributed turning off comments due to "increasing logistical difficulty of monitoring for prohibited comments that contain obscenity, defamation, libel, threats, remarks that disparage or discriminate against anyone based on their sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, etc." North Port's Deputy Communications Manager Madison Ingalls said the city will continue to allow — and occasionally respond to — comments. She said communications and social media staff appreciate all of the dialogue and pages. But they don't have one they like the best. “We can’t pick a favorite child,” Ingalls said. “All are useful in a different way."
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