Moving on in at Family Services Center

PORT CHARLOTTE — Out of 11 applicants, nine regional nonprofits are on track to be approved to lease office space at the Charlotte County Family Services Center.

The county's Community Action Agency Advisory Board previously met in April to evaluate applications for office leasing at the Center's location on 21500 Gibralter Drive.

Their scores and recommendation will now go to Charlotte County commissioners, who are scheduled to vote on final approval as part of their consent agenda for their regular meeting on Tuesday.

The successful applicants include:

• St. Vincent de Paul CARES: eight chairs, one office, and six workstations

• Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay: four chairs and four workstations

• Big Brothers Big Sisters: three chairs, one office, and one workstation

• Boys & Girls Club: two chairs and one office

• Loveland Center: one chair and one workstation

• Senior Friendship Center: one chair and one workstation

• Peace River Community Housing Partners: one chair and one small office

• Florida Rural Legal Services: one chair and one small office

• Dubin Center: one shared workstation

Two applicant organizations were not named in the final recommendation: New Operation Cooper Street and Restoring Oaks.

Cooper Street had sought to lease two office spaces and two workstations, totaling space for six chairs representing people at work. Restoring Oaks had applied for one office and workstation each, equaling three chairs.

However, the successful applicants did not always get their initial ask.

St. Vincent de Paul CARES, for instance, had initially sought four offices and four workstations, equaling 12 chairs, before amending their application in discussions with CAAAB members.

Florida Rural Legal Services also initially requested two offices with four chairs of personnel space, before negotiating down to the final recommendation.

The total amount of personnel space for all initial positions sought by the nonprofit applicants would have been 41 chairs — just less than double what was physically available at the Family Services Center.

Several of the organizations slated on the recommendation will only occupy the office space part-time, allowing for some sharing of space throughout the week.

Representatives from Legal Aid, for instance, previously said that they planned to have attorneys in the building three days a week to meet with local clients.

Representatives for Cooper Street had previously expressed hope that establishing their organization at the Family Services Center would allow them to rebound after the end of their agreement for office space with the Punta Gorda City Council.