Gulfport City Council Meeting - November 4, 2025

The Gulfport City Council held its regular meeting at Gulfport City Hall on November 4, 2025. The agenda included a trolley marketing presentation, the adoption of the comprehensive plan update, first reading of charter amendments for the March 2026 ballot, authorization of a beach restoration contract, and numerous resident comments on code enforcement, air traffic, and the future of the volleyball courts.

Presentations

• Halloween Decoration Contest Winners: Mayor Love announced the winners, Alex Garcia and Robert Ware of 5317 28th Avenue South. The winners were not present to receive their award.
• Trolley Marketing Plan: Justin Shea, Cultural Facilities Events Supervisor, presented an updated plan for the Gulfport Looper/Trolley service. The plan features a redesigned interactive map on MyGulfport.us, new branding (bench backs) pending Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) approval, and a QR code survey for rider feedback. Discussion focused on maintaining a 20-minute continuous loop, ridership tracking, reflective signage, and real-time route mapping.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Operation Santa: Francine reported the program served 90 families and 300 children last year and is seeking donations.
• Discover Walkport: Brad Bruner announced the new walking trail system and the Mayor's Community Walk on November 15th.
• Community Events: Amy Costa highlighted the successful Halloween Creepy Crawl (over 20 businesses) and promoted Senior Center Foundation events. Julie Armstrong thanked the city for Art in the Yard (40 houses, 70 artists). Ingrid Bredenberg noted Gulfport's feature in USA Today.
• Air Traffic Safety: A resident from 21st Avenue South expressed concern about low-altitude air traffic (helicopters, Legion Air jets, military aircraft) posing a significant safety risk. He requested the city coordinate with airport and air traffic managers and consider FAA noise monitors.
• Code Enforcement: Mary Hanrahan and Laura Oldaney criticized aggressive enforcement of vision-corridor codes (e.g., citing a 13-inch plant), arguing resources should be redirected to education (rain gardens, native plants) and a resilience task force rather than threatening $500/day fines.
• Trolley Feedback: Lenny Guckenheimer and Karen Schwartz asked for better integration of trolley information with event parking signage and asked about routes to Trolley Market Square and Beachway Park.
• Drainage: Bob Canning urged the city to install baffle boxes and flanges in storm drains being replaced to prevent trash from entering the bay.
• Beach & Volleyball: Multiple speakers, including several non-resident volleyball players, spoke about the community and economic importance of the courts. Priscilla Kidder advocated for a living shoreline approach with native plants and oyster shells instead of purely gray infrastructure, citing data from Florida Sea Grant showing natural shorelines can reduce erosion by 50 to 80 percent and sustain no damage compared to 76% of seawalls damaged in hurricanes.

Discussion Items

• Code Enforcement Reform: Councilmember Shaw proposed reforming the enforcement process for long-dormant codes by reinstituting initial courtesy letters, providing better educational diagrams, and drawing a line in the sand before enforcement begins.
• E-Bikes in Parks: Vice Mayor Thanos proposed banning e-bikes in parks due to pedestrian safety concerns. The City Manager cautioned that state law treats e-bikes as bicycles, requiring a careful legal review to avoid unintentionally banning all bicycles.
• Ian Investigation: Vice Mayor Thanos requested an update. The City Manager stated the investigation is awaiting an interview with Ian, and the case should be sent to the state attorney's office within weeks.
• Comprehensive Plan (Ordinance 2025-02, Second Reading): Adopted unanimously. The state's only objection was the need to formally adopt two planning horizons (ending 2035 and 2050) into the policy text. Council discussed the removal of outdated policies (affordable housing liaison, 5% meter replacement) and CIP items (marina building).
• Charter Amendments (Ordinance 2025-12, First Reading): Passed unanimously to advance to second reading and referendum.
  • Terms: Increased from 2 to 3 years for council and mayor, limited to 3 consecutive terms (9 years). Running for a different office (e.g., council to mayor) bypasses the 2-year waiting period.
  • Prohibitions: Removed the "guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor" clause. The power to reprimand or suspend a member for up to 60 days will be governed by council rules, not the charter.
  • Vacancies: The absence threshold for forfeiture of office was changed from 6 missed meetings to 4 in a 12-month period.
• Beach Restoration (Resolution 2025-93): Debated heavily. Vice Mayor Thanos wanted to delay sand placement until a comprehensive resiliency plan was complete. Councilmembers Shaw and Jackson argued against risking the permit gained after 10 months. The resolution authorizing the $811,000 project from reserves was passed unanimously, with a strong directive to immediately pursue resilient plantings alongside the construction. City Manager stated the project will make the beach an engineered beach eligible for future FEMA reimbursement.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar (Unanimous): Approved October 21 meeting minutes. Set the 2026 municipal election for March 10, 2026. Authorized a 20x20 steel shelter at Veterans Memorial Park.
• Comprehensive Plan (Unanimous): Adopted the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update.
• Charter Amendments (Unanimous): Approved the first reading of a package to go to public vote in March 2026.
• Beach Restoration (Unanimous): Authorized the City Manager to contract with Burgess Civil, LLC for restoration, with a requirement to develop a concurrent resiliency plan.
• Lobbying Contracts (Unanimous): Renewed contracts with state lobbyist Shumaker Advisors and federal lobbyist Thorn Run Partners.
• Senior Center Fee (Unanimous): Increased the non-resident annual membership fee from $50 to $100, effective January 1, 2026.
• Council Directives:
  • Staff to research the legal framework for regulating e-bikes in city parks.
  • Staff to review and propose reforms to the code enforcement process regarding vision corridors.
  • A public workshop on the proposed charter amendments will be organized.
  • A presentation from the Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas County will be scheduled.
  • Staff will work with Councilmember Shaw to implement a consensus to relocate 7 existing bike racks and purchase 3 additional racks, painted a consistent blue.