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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - July 19, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, July 19, 2022
BodyGulfport, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 19, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

5:40

So watching the news lately between gun violence, Supreme Court decisions, and the heat that's going on.

5:48

I have three quotes.

5:50

Nobody needs to justify why they need a right.

5:53

The burden of justification falls on the ones seeking to infringe upon the right.

5:57

But even if they did, you can't give away the rights of others because they're not useful to you.

6:02

More simply, the majority cannot vote away the natural rights of the minority.

6:07

Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.

Unassigned speaker

6:16

And

Speaker 1

6:16

that was from Edward Snowden.

6:18

Gun control.

6:20

Gun control.

6:21

We need bullet control.

6:23

I think if every bullet costs five thousand dollars, we wouldn't have any innocent bystanders.

6:28

Chris Rock.

6:30

And adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope.

6:34

But I don't want your hope.

6:36

I don't want you to be hopeful.

6:37

I want you to panic.

6:39

I want you to feel the fear I feel every day.

6:41

I want you to act.

6:43

I want you to act as if you would in a crisis.

6:45

I want you to act as if the house is on fire because it is.

6:49

And that's um Greta Thunberg.

Speaker 2

6:52

All right, thank you.

Unassigned speaker

6:54

I

Speaker 2

6:55

pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

6:58

To republic for which to dance one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 3

7:10

Vice Mayor Brown?

7:11

Here.

7:11

Councilmember Ray?

7:12

Here.

7:12

Council Member Ferdovich.

7:14

Mayor Henderson.

Speaker 2

7:14

Here.

Speaker 3

7:15

City Manager O'Reilly.

7:16

City Attorney Salzman.

Speaker 2

7:19

All right, first item on the agenda tonight is open public comment.

7:21

So this is for anything that's not on the agenda tonight.

7:24

I have three minutes.

7:25

Please use the microphone and uh give your name and address if you're comfortable with it, and start with you.

7:29

I saw your hand first.

Natanya Diamond · Speaker 4Inferred

7:35

Hi, my name is Natanya Diamond.

7:37

Um I'm here because I'm re representing a bunch of people that were going to show up tonight and somehow I'm the only one.

7:48

Okay.

7:48

But I'm from the dog par uh, you know, I'm I I visit the dog park regularly.

7:54

I have a dog.

7:55

Many of you may have seen me on my tricycle with my dog.

7:58

And um our Facebook page, we have a hundred people on the big dog side.

8:04

There's probably a lot more on the small dog side.

8:07

This is one of the most heavily l used parks in the uh in the um city.

8:14

And um I there been a lot of conversation.

8:18

There's always conversation about what can we do.

Unassigned speaker

8:21

Uh

Natanya Diamond · Speaker 4Inferred

8:21

one of the things that uh we've had some conversation with Christine Brown about what was coming up that there was going to be some um some shades put in but uh but there are other things that we would like like um I get there sometimes and there's all the seats are full, and I

Unassigned speaker

8:42

uh I

Natanya Diamond · Speaker 4Inferred

8:43

ride my tricycle because I can't stand very long, you know.

8:47

And so for those people uh there's not always enough seating, you know, and the seating that is there I worry about because there's big gaps, and I've seen puppies slip their feet in there and fall, and you know, there could be eventually a broken leg.

9:01

You know, there's input that we could give so that there's less complaint, we would like to know a way to give that input on a regular basis, or you know, how we could do that.

9:12

Um and just uh so that the projects that are coming in, you know, are ones we want and ones that we can uh and uh that you know if there's something we could tweak about it, maybe you know, uh you know, not all of us are that politically

Unassigned speaker

9:31

uh

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing███████████████████████23%
Community Engagement███████████████████19%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Arts And Culture█████████9%
Public Safety██████6%
Mental Health Awareness███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - July 19, 2022

The Gulfport City Council held a regular meeting on July 19, 2022. The council unanimously approved four resolutions addressing the proposed millage rate, law enforcement services, a weather camera, and a public art installation. Discussions included dog park improvements, housing affordability, and public safety concerns.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Natanya Diamond: Representing users of the big dog park, she requested improved seating, a sand pit for dogs to dig, and a formal process for users to provide input on park projects.
  • Karen Love (23rd Avenue South): Praised Gulfport Fire Rescue for a four-minute response time. Criticized the non-emergency police dispatch number as "absurd" and "very unsatisfying" when reporting a mentally ill individual who threatened her. Also raised concerns about the cleanliness of fishing benches at the beach and stated there is no point in a no-smoking ordinance without a plan to enforce it.
  • Ray Rodriguez: Issued a 90-day legal notice of intent to sue the City of Gulfport, Boca Ciega Yacht Club, and the Gulfport Police Department, instructing the city to "govern yourself accordingly."

Discussion Items

  • Dog Park Improvements: City Manager O'Reilly confirmed that a new shelter and a chair corral are being built for the big dog park. He also stated the city will consider creating a sand pit for digging. Councilmember Thanos noted cooling paint was applied to the park concrete that day.
  • Resolution 2022-47 (Millage Rate): The resolution sets the proposed millage rate at 4.0390 for the eleventh consecutive year and establishes public hearing dates for the FY 2022/2023 budget. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2022-48 (Law Enforcement Support): Authorized the City Manager to enter into a service agreement with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for communications and support services. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2022-49 (Weather Camera): Authorized an agreement with Earth Networks, Inc. to place a weather camera on the Gulfport Casino for CBS Channel 10 at no cost to the city. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2022-50 (Public Art Installation): Authorized a $16,000 agreement with artist Ray Domingo for a public art piece at the casino. During discussion, it was revealed the city spent an additional $32,000 from the operating budget on the foundation, pilings, and engineering, which had not been explicitly voted on by the council. Passed unanimously.
  • Housing Affordability & Short-Term Rentals (STRs): Councilmember Thanos requested a dedicated town hall to discuss affordable housing and STRs, arguing it was too large an issue for a brief discussion item. Mayor Henderson expressed skepticism about the city's ability to enact meaningful change due to limited jurisdiction and legal risks, stating he did not want to give residents "false hope" and would not risk losing existing regulatory capabilities. Councilmember Sam Ray reported on his town hall, noting mixed opinions on STRs and discussing enforcement options. The council agreed to schedule a workshop.
  • Mayor's Report: Mayor Henderson reported that developer Winway Homes provided misleading information during a previous meeting with him and citizens. He addressed the litigation threat from Ray Rodriguez, stating the city attorney will prepare a new cease and desist letter.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolutions 2022-47, 48, 49, 50: All four resolutions passed unanimously (5-0).
  • Dog Park: Cooling paint applied. New shelter, corral, and potential sand pit are in the works.
  • Future Meeting: Councilmember Sam Ray's next town hall is scheduled for October 12, 2022.
  • Spirit of Gulfport Award: Vice Mayor Brown proposed awarding Harold Russell (Backfin Blue) the Spirit of Gulfport Award; the council expressed support.
  • Litigation Strategy: The City Attorney will issue a cease and desist order to Ray Rodriguez.

Meeting Transcript

So watching the news lately between gun violence, Supreme Court decisions, and the heat that's going on. I have three quotes. Nobody needs to justify why they need a right. The burden of justification falls on the ones seeking to infringe upon the right. But even if they did, you can't give away the rights of others because they're not useful to you. More simply, the majority cannot vote away the natural rights of the minority. Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say. And that was from Edward Snowden. Gun control. Gun control. We need bullet control. I think if every bullet costs five thousand dollars, we wouldn't have any innocent bystanders. Chris Rock. And adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope. But I don't want your hope. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as if you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire because it is. And that's um Greta Thunberg. All right, thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To republic for which to dance one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Vice Mayor Brown? Here. Councilmember Ray? Here. Council Member Ferdovich. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. City Attorney Salzman. All right, first item on the agenda tonight is open public comment. So this is for anything that's not on the agenda tonight. I have three minutes. Please use the microphone and uh give your name and address if you're comfortable with it, and start with you. I saw your hand first. Hi, my name is Natanya Diamond. Um I'm here because I'm re representing a bunch of people that were going to show up tonight and somehow I'm the only one. Okay. But I'm from the dog par uh, you know, I'm I I visit the dog park regularly. I have a dog. Many of you may have seen me on my tricycle with my dog. And um our Facebook page, we have a hundred people on the big dog side. There's probably a lot more on the small dog side. This is one of the most heavily l used parks in the uh in the um city.

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