Gulfport City Council Resilience Workshop: Drainage, Coastline, Energy, and Land Acquisition - May 22, 2025

The Gulfport City Council convened a workshop on May 22, 2025, focused on environmental resilience and post-hurricane recovery. All council members (Jackson, Early, Thanos, Shaw, Love) were present along with the City Manager and Clerk. Five presentations were given covering stormwater management, estuarine health, energy efficiency, native planting, and a critical land acquisition opportunity in the Marina District.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Nathaniel Kidder (Havana Ct): Urged the Council to immediately secure a unique 5.67-acre coastal parcel with littoral rights in the Marina District, warning of a pending developer offer. Suggested a bond to finance the acquisition.
• Laura Oldaney (9th Ave S): Requested a public update on the city's fiscal status post-storms. Expressed concern over maintaining current green infrastructure before adding new projects.
• Dela Larn: Strongly supported the land acquisition, arguing that losing the parcel to developers would permanently harm the community's character. Called the $5M cost a minimal long-term investment.
• Jonathan McCoachy (Realtor): Argued that preserving natural land raises property values. Predicted a surge in city revenue from rebuilt homes (without Save Our Homes caps). Suggested creating a city "Resiliency Officer" position.
• Jeanette Sells, John Rintels, Amy, Deb Atkins, Levi, Karen Schwartz: Unanimously urged Council to act immediately to preserve the coastal parcel, citing community fabric, flood risk reduction, and the irreversibility of development.

Discussion Items

• Wood Ibis Drainage Evaluation (Justin Keller, Advanced Engineering & Design): Mr. Keller presented the Watershed Management Plan (WMP) and Vulnerability Assessment. The Wood Ibis pond was designed for water quality only, not flood control. Three main options to meet Level of Service given sea level rise were:
  1. Gravity-only system: $7.5M - $10M.
  2. Isolation Berm: Ineffective for targets.
  3. Hybrid pump station: $5M - $7.5M. A fourth option (off-site water collection) will be studied in the full WMP. Council discussed the challenge of balancing acceptable flood levels with financial reality.
• Tampa Bay Estuary Program (Maya Burke): Ms. Burke detailed the TBEP's resources, noting that 60% of nitrogen pollution in Tampa Bay comes from urban stormwater runoff. She highlighted accelerating sea level rise (10 inches since the 1940s) and the economic value of a healthy bay ($32 billion regional impact). She offered grant and technical support, specifically mentioning the Bay Mini Grants open until September.
• Sierra Club Energy Presentation (Brian Beckman): Mr. Beckman outlined a path to 100% renewable energy through efficiency, on-site installation, and purchasing. He used Clearwater and Dunedin as examples of city solar programs and rebates. He detailed federal IRA incentives for heat pumps, insulation, and solar. Councilmember Jackson noted the marina building has solar and discussed plans for the library roof.
• Gulfport Beach Native Planting & Erosion Control (Priscilla Kidder & Amanda Haygood): Ms. Kidder proposed using deep-rooted native vegetation to anchor sand and prevent erosion, contrasting it with the failure of "gray" infrastructure during storms. She applied for a $57,000 matching TBEP grant (not awarded). Amanda Haygood from Eckerd College offered student volunteers for service-learning projects. City Manager O'Reilly confirmed the city pledged $60,000 in matching funds for the grant.
• Gulfport Coastline Coalition (Courtney Prokopas): Ms. Prokopas presented a proposal to conserve a 5.67-acre coastal property in the Marina District currently zoned for high-density development. She described the parcel's ecological importance and the social vulnerability of the surrounding area (18.2% poverty rate, 25% with disabilities). The Coalition requested a non-binding resolution of support from the Council to formally seek grants and partner with the county.

Key Outcomes

• Coastal Parcel Endorsement: Council unanimously agreed to place a resolution on the June 3, 2025 agenda to formally endorse the Gulfport Coastline Coalition's efforts to acquire the Marina District parcel. The City Manager will draft the resolution, which explicitly commits no city funds.
• Fiscal Caution & Recovery: Mayor Love reported on a FDEM meeting, strongly warning against making decisions based on projected FEMA reimbursements, citing political and seasonal uncertainty. The council acknowledged the city's depleted reserve funds and the timing of hurricane season.
• Resiliency Projects: The city will explore using FDEM's 406 Mitigation program to fund up to 15% in added resiliency features (e.g., living shoreline buffer) during the rebuild of the casino/beach area. The city also agreed to formally review adopting the TBRPC Resiliency Plan.
• No Action on Prior Vote: Councilmember Shaw's request to reconsider the paving contract awarded Tuesday was denied by the rest of the council, who declined to revisit the vote. Her suggestions regarding hybrid police cars and a neighbor-to-neighbor block captain program were deferred to a future regular business meeting.
• Comp Plan Update: Mayor Love clarified that the city is entering the statutory compliance phase of the comprehensive plan update before material changes (like Level of Service standards) can be considered.