OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings
Gulfport City Council Meeting - December 20, 2022
City Council — Tuesday, December 20, 2022
BodyGulfport, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 20, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Transcript — Verbatim
Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Insurance Policy24%
Pending Litigation15%
Procedural14%
Miscellaneous13%
Flood Management10%
Community Events7%
Transportation Safety5%
Public Safety5%
Stormwater Management4%
Summary of Proceedings
Gulfport City Council Meeting - December 20, 2022
The Gulfport City Council met on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 6:00 PM in Gulfport City Hall. The meeting included the approval of consent items, passage of two resolutions, a ballot lot draw for the March 2023 municipal election, a presentation from State Representative Linda Chaney on property insurance reform, and council comments on various topics, including a proposal to regulate motor scooters and a decision to cancel the January 3, 2023 meeting.
Consent Calendar
- Item 5.a: Council approved the minutes of the October 20, 2022 workshop and the November 1, 2022 regular meeting.
- Item 5.b: Resolution No. 2022-86 authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with USA Services of Florida, Inc. for street sweeping was approved.
Both items were passed unanimously by voice vote.
Resolutions
- Resolution No. 2022-87: A resolution approving a special event application from the 49th Street South Business Association, providing for temporary waivers of city code and policies. Passed unanimously by roll call vote (Vice Mayor Brown, Councilmember Ray, Councilmember Ferdovich, Councilmember Thanos, Mayor Henderson all 'yes').
- Resolution No. 2022-88: A resolution authorizing the Mayor and/or City Manager to execute the Advantage Pinellas Housing Compact from Forward Pinellas. Passed unanimously by roll call vote (same 5-0).
Discussion Items
- Ballot Lot Draw for March 14, 2023 General Municipal Election: City Clerk conducted the lottery. For Ward 2 (four candidates), the order on the ballot is: 1) Jonathan McCoachy, 2) Christine Ann Brown, 3) Christopher Butler Jones, 4) Greg Simic. For Ward 4 (two candidates): 1) Michael Ferdovich, 2) Ian O'Hara.
- Motor Scooter Regulation: Councilmember Ferdovich raised concerns about unlicensed motor scooter operators and requested a future discussion item. The City Manager agreed to bring back legal definitions and options for regulating operation (e.g., street use, age, helmets, night operation). This will be placed on the January agenda.
- January 2023 Meeting Schedule: Council agreed to cancel the regular meeting scheduled for January 3, 2023 (due to school schedules) and hold the next meeting on January 17, 2023.
Presentation by State Representative Linda Chaney
- Representative Chaney (District 61) provided an overview of the recent property insurance reform special session. Key points included: reducing the time to file a roof damage claim to one year, ending assignment of benefits (AOB), stopping one-way attorney fees, providing state reinsurance, and empowering the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR). She noted efforts to depopulate Citizens Insurance by requiring policyholders to move to private insurance if available within 20% of the Citizens rate. Flood insurance requirements for condominium owners will be clarified in the regular session starting January 3, 2023. She also reported filing a bill to name part of I-275 after Deputy Michael Hartwick.
Council Comments and Informational Reports
- Vice Mayor Brown: Thanked Representative Chaney for the Hartwick memorial road designation and urged residents to check on neighbors during the holidays.
- Councilmember Ray: Noted progress on funding for the senior center ($1.5 million) and praised the community's festive spirit regarding parades.
- Councilmember Ferdovich: Expanded on the motor scooter issue, stating that state law prohibits local licensing or insurance requirements but the city can regulate where and how scooters operate; he will bring a formal proposal to the January meeting.
- Mayor Henderson: Proposed skipping the January 3 meeting, which was accepted by consensus. Also discussed a possible presentation from Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council or other experts to assess hurricane evacuation zones and flood risks, prompted by an article on Hurricane Ian's potential impact. He also suggested considering incentives for permeable pavers to reduce stormwater runoff; staff will explore permit fee adjustments.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar and both resolutions approved unanimously.
- Ballot order established for Ward 2 and Ward 4.
- Future meeting scheduled: January 17, 2023 (no meeting on January 3).
- Council directed staff to prepare a discussion item on motor scooter regulations for the January meeting.
- Council agreed to invite experts to discuss hurricane preparedness and flood risk mapping.
Meeting Transcript
December 20th, 2022. Thank you all for being here. Um, advice from children is often simplistic but genuine and sometimes funny. Just before the holidays, as we enter a new year, it's a good time to undercomplicate things. Enjoy some honest advice from children and make your heart have a little smile. Patrick, 10 years old says, never trust a dog to watch your food. Michael, 14 says it's not a good idea to tell your mom her diet's not working. And Emily, 10 years old says, don't pull dad's finger when he tells you to. Taylor 11, when your mom's mad at your dad, don't let her brush her hair. And Kai and 9 says, never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time. Um Lauren, nine years old said, markers are not good lipstick. Amir 9 says you cannot hide a piece of broccoli in your milk. When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone. Alicia 13 says. That you know sponsored our program and our project early on. And I I can't stress enough how big a deal this is to do this without a sitting congressman. You understand? You understand until the new representative is led Congressman is Congress person is sworn in in January. To this point, we this district thirteen doesn't have a congressman. So we were able to stay in the budget, which was as they went through their iterations. Uh so I just want to recognize that. Yeah, that's pretty remarkable. Very good. So thank you to former Congressman Chris and his staff for all their help. Thank you. In that direction. That's all I have. All right. City attorney. No report member. City clerk. Um no report, Mayor. All right. Brings us to the consent agenda. Consent 5A consider approval of the council meeting minutes for October 20th, 22 workshop, and November 1st, 2022 regular meeting 5B, resolution 2022 86, resolution of City Gulfport, Florida. Authorizes city manager to enter an agreement with USA services of Florida Inc. to sweep the curb streets. All right, thank you very much. Council will entertain a motion. I'll make a motion on the consent. Second. I have a first and a second. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Pass it unanimously. No ordinances tonight. Two resolutions beginning with resolution number 2022-87.
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