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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting – October 20, 2026: Marina Fees, Yacht Club Lease, and Code Discussion

City Council — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
BodyGulfport, Florida
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 5:11:27

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

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

Speaker 1

3:53

Good evening and welcome to our October 20th City Council meeting.

3:59

Believe it or not, I always love when we see a crowd.

4:03

I love seeing so many people here, and I like hearing input from everybody.

4:11

Check.

4:12

Just pull out your phone and check.

4:14

Make sure it's not on, because you don't want to be embarrassed.

4:17

We don't want any phones ringing, dinging, vibrating, none of that.

4:20

And then the other thing to know is that we always just have one conversation at a time.

4:25

So if there's something that you're not sure and you want to nudge the person next to you and ask them what did they say, take it out to the hallway, please.

4:33

So we only have one conversation at a time.

4:36

I would appreciate

Speaker 2

4:37

that.

Speaker 1

4:38

So with that in mind, then we are going to call this meeting to order, and we're going to start out with the invocation given by Councilmember Nancy Early, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speaker 3

4:51

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

4:55

Albert Anstead.

Speaker 4

5:19

Councilmember Early.

5:21

Present.

5:22

Councilmember Donch.

5:23

Here.

5:24

Vice Mayor Shaw.

5:25

Present.

5:26

Councilmember Webb?

Speaker 5

5:27

Present.

Speaker 4

5:27

Mayor Love

Speaker 5

5:28

here.

Speaker 4

5:29

Attorney Glenn Lazi.

Speaker 5

5:32

Here.

Speaker 4

5:32

City Manager O'Reilly.

5:34

Here.

5:34

City Clerk Carico is present.

Speaker 1

5:37

Alrighty.

5:38

So we have three presentations tonight.

5:42

Guys, don't be shy.

5:43

There's seats up front.

5:44

Come on

Unassigned speaker

5:45

up.

Speaker 1

5:47

We have three presentations for this evening, and the first one is going to be given by Councilmember Nancy Early.

Speaker 3

5:56

I would like Carrie Nelson, Callie Garcia, Kristen, Julie, and Councilmember Donch.

6:05

Without these ladies here, there would have never been a 5K, never been.

6:10

And thank you, Justin.

6:12

I can't get you to get up here with a picture, but it doesn't mean any.

Speaker 1

6:15

Come on up, ladies.

Speaker 3

6:29

Yes.

6:31

So we would like to present.

6:36

Yeah.

6:36

Oh, it's happy.

6:37

To Operation Santa, $3,802.61 that was raised at the Golf Court Community 5K, the very first one.

6:46

We are so thrilled and so happy to do this.

6:49

Thank you.

Speaker 1

6:57

Did you want to get a photo with Francine in it too?

7:00

Handing her the check.

7:01

Come on up, Francine.

Speaker 3

7:03

She's definitely.

7:07

She's the brain child.

Unassigned speaker

7:10

For those of you don't know, how many years, Francine, have you collected for operations in the past?

Speaker 3

7:18

36 years.

Unassigned speaker

7:20

Yeah, I can't talk about it.

Speaker 3

7:21

Yay, Francine.

7:25

Thank you.

Speaker 1

7:26

Thank you so much, ladies, all of you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement██████████████████████22%
Permitting and Inspections███████████████15%
Marina Management███████████████15%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Safety██████6%
Recreational Vehicles█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Miscellaneous████4%
Community Events███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting – October 20, 2026

The Gulfport City Council met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included presentations, public comments, consent agenda, ordinances, resolutions, and a discussion on Chapter 6 of the City Code. Key actions included approval of a five-year lease with the Gulfport Yacht Club, adoption of phased commercial marina fee increases with amendments, and direction to staff to prepare ordinance changes regarding anchoring and dinghy dock hours.

Presentations

  • Donation Proceeds: Councilmember Nancy Earley presented $3,802.61 raised from the first City of Gulfport 5K (October 3, 2026) to Operation Santa, which served 359 children last year.
  • Spirit of Gulfport Award: Mr. Daniel Hodge received the award for his contributions including growing the Tuesday Market from 6 to 75 vendors, founding the LGBTQ Resource Center, and serving as DJ for Thursday Night Social.
  • American Flood Coalition: Florida Director Kate Wesner presented the coalition’s resources, including the Adaptation for All guide and Flood Funding Finder tool. She highlighted Gulfport’s Class 6 NFIP rating, which saves residents 20% on flood insurance. Council later agreed to join the coalition at no cost.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of October 5, 2026.
  • Resolution 2026-86: Set the 2027 Municipal General Election for March 9, 2027, and authorized contract with Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections.
  • Resolution 2026-87: Renewed the agreement with Shumaker Advisors, Florida, LLC for state legislative lobbying services.
  • Resolution 2026-88: Authorized expenditure for annual audit services with Forvis Mazars, LLP.
  • Resolution 2026-89 (amended): Reduced additional funding for the Private Waterline and Private Sewer Lateral Replacement Assistance Program from $100,000 to $50,000, with the remaining $50,000 directed to stormwater matching grant reserves. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2026-91: Authorized amendment to the ALS First Responder Agreement with Pinellas County. Passed unanimously.
  • Item 6.F (Fireman’s Ball Volleyball Fundraiser) was canceled by the applicant.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Alley Safety: Multiple residents (Pam Massick, Tanya Wood, Robert Ryan, Michelle, Marisa, Melody Esther) spoke about dangerous conditions in the alley behind Sazerac bar on 23rd Avenue South: speeding cars, noise, property damage (fence, oak tree), and trash. They requested speed bumps, guardrails, and enforcement.
  • Flock Cameras: Metria Jones (Gulfport resident) criticized the delay in removing or restricting Flock camera data sharing. She urged council to act that night to end outside agency sharing and set a termination date on the November 3 agenda. She noted police records showed 183 outside organizations with sharing permissions.
  • Marina Flooding: Roger Townsend (across from marina) requested action on street flooding at 46th Street and 29th Avenue, citing damage to cars and safety concerns.
  • Marina Fee Increases (during discussion on 8.D): Several commercial operators (Noah DeBicker, Scott “Cowboy” Ham, Randy Dutham, and others) opposed the steep surcharges, especially on six-pack charters, and requested a resident commercial rate and independent study. Connor offered $10,000 from COI operators for a marina study. Eric Bechtel disputed statements about St. Petersburg not allowing commercial ramp use and questioned parking revenue estimates.
  • Chapter 6 Discussion: Live-aboards and boaters (Nasia Katania, Miss Jones, Fred Rowe, Kim, Steven Adams, George Gavanaugh, Ronnie Grimes, Jeremiah) requested flexible dinghy dock hours (open earlier for work, overnight for emergencies), a designated wet foot area, and enforcement against derelict vessels. Some supported a permit/sticker system for non-motorized vessels.

Discussion Items

  • Chapter 6 of the Code of Ordinances – Beaches, Boats, Boating, and Waterfront Structures: Council discussed two main issues:
    1. Anchoring south of Veterans Park: The area had been temporarily allowed for anchoring during casino dock repairs. With the dock now open, staff recommended returning to a non-anchoring zone. Mayor Love and Vice Mayor Shaw strongly supported prohibiting anchoring there, citing complaints about derelict boats, noise, and environmental damage. Councilmember Donch noted the area will host a living shoreline project.
    2. Casino Dinghy Dock Hours: Current closure from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Council considered changing to 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Mayor Love) or 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Councilmember Webb) to allow early-morning workers access. Councilmember Donch suggested designating one or two cleats for longer-term (9-hour) use. Vice Mayor Shaw and Councilmember Webb supported enforcement through towing and stickers. Public comment favored earlier opening and longer stay times.
  • Council did not vote but directed staff to prepare ordinance amendments based on the discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 2026-95 (Marina Commercial Fees): Passed 4-1 (Vice Mayor Shaw opposed). Amendments included:
    • Implementation dates: February 1, 2027 (instead of January 1) and August 1, 2027 (instead of July 1).
    • Tiered surcharges (per month, over base slip fee):
      • Six-pack vessels (≤6 passengers): $200 (Feb) increasing to $400 (Aug).
      • COI vessels under 20 passengers: $300 (Feb) increasing to $500 (Aug).
      • COI vessels over 20 passengers: $300 (Feb) increasing to $700 (Aug).
    • Created a resident commercial rate (commercial operators who are Gulfport residents pay the residential slip rate plus surcharge).
    • Reclassified live-aboards as residential for slip rate purposes.
    • Delineated “bare boat” rentals as a separate category (rate unchanged).
    • Dedicated loading dock not pursued at this time; no paid parking adopted.
  • Resolution 2026-89 (Lateral Replacement Program): Approved with $50,000 (amended), with remaining $50,000 to stormwater matching funds.
  • New Business:
    • Consensus to join American Flood Coalition (no cost).
    • Budget workshop moved from November 3 to December 10.
    • Councilmember Webb’s town hall postponed to first week of December.
    • Consensus to issue a proclamation for therapy dog Rea of the Gulfport Police Department.
    • February workshop topic changed from sanitation models to stormwater funding.
  • Direction on Chapter 6: Staff to draft ordinance amendments: (1) prohibit anchoring in the area south of Veterans Park; (2) adjust dinghy dock hours (likely 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. closure); (3) consider enforcement mechanisms (stickers, towing, registration requirements).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to our October 20th City Council meeting. Believe it or not, I always love when we see a crowd. I love seeing so many people here, and I like hearing input from everybody. Check. Just pull out your phone and check. Make sure it's not on, because you don't want to be embarrassed. We don't want any phones ringing, dinging, vibrating, none of that. And then the other thing to know is that we always just have one conversation at a time. So if there's something that you're not sure and you want to nudge the person next to you and ask them what did they say, take it out to the hallway, please. So we only have one conversation at a time. I would appreciate that. So with that in mind, then we are going to call this meeting to order, and we're going to start out with the invocation given by Councilmember Nancy Early, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Anstead. Councilmember Early. Present. Councilmember Donch. Here. Vice Mayor Shaw. Present. Councilmember Webb? Present. Mayor Love here. Attorney Glenn Lazi. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico is present. Alrighty. So we have three presentations tonight. Guys, don't be shy. There's seats up front. Come on up. We have three presentations for this evening, and the first one is going to be given by Councilmember Nancy Early. I would like Carrie Nelson, Callie Garcia, Kristen, Julie, and Councilmember Donch. Without these ladies here, there would have never been a 5K, never been. And thank you, Justin. I can't get you to get up here with a picture, but it doesn't mean any. Come on up, ladies. Yes. So we would like to present. Yeah. Oh, it's happy. To Operation Santa, $3,802.61 that was raised at the Golf Court Community 5K, the very first one. We are so thrilled and so happy to do this. Thank you. Did you want to get a photo with Francine in it too?

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