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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - October 4, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, October 4, 2022
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 4, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
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5:00

October 4th, 2022 regular city council meeting for Gulfport, Florida.

5:02

Our invocation tonight's given by Michael Ferdovich.

5:04

Please join us in rising.

5:05

We'll follow that with the pledge.

5:09

Well, it seems in October that every day has a special day to it.

5:13

So I'm just gonna read the October 4th day.

5:16

National Cinnamon Roll Day, National Taco Day, National Vodka Day, World Animal Day, National Fruit at Work Day, National Golfers Love Day, Improve Your Office Day.

5:33

And if there weren't enough for you, just go to Google and you'll find about 5,000 of them on October.

5:40

Try to celebrate them all at once.

5:42

Exactly.

5:51

One nation under God individual with Liberty.

5:58

All right, roll call police city clerk.

6:00

Council Mayor Perdovich.

6:01

Here.

6:01

Councilmember Thanos.

6:02

Here.

6:02

Vice Mayor Brown.

6:03

Here.

6:04

Councilmember Ray.

6:05

Here.

6:05

Mayor Henderson.

6:06

Here.

6:06

City Manager O'Reilly.

6:07

Here.

6:08

City Clerk Death President.

6:09

And we have Attorney Galasteghi representing City Attorney Salisman this evening.

6:13

Welcome again.

6:14

We've got a presentation this evening.

6:15

Police Chief Robert Vincent will be recognizing the folks who completed the Citizens Police Academy.

6:20

How are you doing, Chief?

6:21

I'm doing well.

6:22

How are you?

6:23

Good.

6:24

Well, thanks for letting us come here tonight to recognize these folks.

6:28

I know we got some alumni on the dais up there.

6:30

Yes, that was a great program.

6:32

Well, thanks for saying that.

6:34

So finally, we were able to bring a class together for the Citizens Police Academy.

6:40

We had been doing it at least once a year for I can't count them.

6:45

Probably 25 years.

6:47

And we had to take a break in 2020 and 2021.

6:51

And so we we had seven people complete the program in 2022.

6:57

For those listening and for those watching who may not be familiar with what it is, they come to uh the police station one night each week for three hours for is it eight weeks, eight weeks.

7:11

And we go in depth with everything we do.

7:14

Teach them what it takes to become a police officer, uh, take them on a tour of the jail, get to tour the communication center, crime scene processing, you name it.

7:25

They get to drive the police cars.

7:27

Some of them don't drive too well.

7:31

They even go to the firing range where they get to have a one-on-one with a firearms instructor at the gun range.

7:37

So it's uh it creates a alumni of people who are really, really involved in the community and uh become advocates for us.

7:51

You know, when when things get out that make us look not so good, these folks correct it quickly for us.

7:59

And and that's my appreciation for the program.

8:03

Also, my appreciation to you is it's not cheap to do this.

8:09

And uh we wouldn't be able to do it without your support, so thank you for that.

8:13

I would like to recognize the folks.

8:15

We have four of them here with us tonight.

8:16

Three couldn't make it.

8:18

So we'll we'll I'm gonna read the names of everyone who's getting a certificate, and then the four who are here, if you'll come up and uh join me for a picture.

8:26

All right.

8:26

So I'll start with the ones who are not here.

8:28

Karen Devoy.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Comment███████████████████████23%
Hurricane Preparedness██████████████14%
Community Engagement████████████12%
Public Works████████████12%
Procedural█████████9%
Public Engagement███████7%
Special Events███████7%
Public Safety██████6%
Arts And Culture██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - October 4, 2022

The Gulfport City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall. The meeting included a presentation recognizing Citizens Police Academy graduates, public comments on hurricane preparedness and city policies, unanimous approval of consent items, and passage of eight resolutions. Council members also provided updates on upcoming events and community initiatives.

Presentations

  • Police Chief Robert Vincent recognized seven graduates of the 2022 Citizens Police Academy. Four graduates were present to receive certificates. The program had been paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution No. 2022-61: Authorizing a purchase order to Retro Production Company for Wednesday Night Swing and Second Friday Soul/Disco dance services at the Gulfport Casino.
  • Resolution No. 2022-62: Authorizing an agreement with Rileighs Outdoor, LLC (dba Clark Sales Display) for holiday decoration services.
  • Resolution No. 2022-63: Authorizing a contract with Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc. for yearly roadway milling and resurfacing.
  • Resolution No. 2022-64: Authorizing a purchase order to Rush Truck Center for sanitation vehicle repairs. (Councilmember Thanos noted the trucks have specialized equipment – a crane and marine boat hauler – explaining the heavier vehicle choice.)
  • Resolution No. 2022-65: Authorizing purchase of shade sails for Tomlinson Park playgrounds from Creative Shade Solutions, Inc., including an associated budget amendment.
  • All consent items passed unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • A resident thanked city staff for hurricane preparedness and cleanup, praised the improved newsletter, noted that the Gulfport Art in the Yard event (scheduled for November 5) has seen artist participation drop from 88 last year to 52 this year – attributing this to residents moving away due to rent control and short-term rental issues. The speaker also criticized the city for failing to enforce the short-term rental ordinance.
  • A second resident expressed appreciation for the Citizens Police Academy and for the city newsletter now including voluntary monthly reports from all four council members. They urged Mayor Henderson to also submit a monthly report. The speaker also advocated for preserving Beach Street as a green space/habitat rather than developing it.
  • A third resident presented a prototype of a litter awareness sign and asked the city to consider replacing existing signs with more eye-catching designs.
  • A fourth resident expressed displeasure with the removal of Zoom public comment access, arguing that the feature was hard to find and had poor user experience, and that a small group of disruptive participants should not have led to its elimination. The speaker noted that council members themselves use Zoom for other meetings.
  • A fifth resident invited the community to the grand reopening of the Gulfport Arts Center on October 7, 6:00-9:00 PM.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution No. 2022-66: Annual calendar of city-sponsored special events for FY 2022-2023, with waiver of certain code provisions. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-67: Special event application from Unity of Gulfport, Inc. for a two-day event. (City Manager noted these two-day events were brought individually per council preference.) Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-68: Special event application from Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce for a fine arts festival in Veterans Park. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-69: Special event application from VETSports for the 11th annual Heroes Weekend, including a volleyball tournament and police/fire department match. The applicant, Dane Litgem, presented. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-70: Authorizing purchase of a Toro Workman utility vehicle from Wesco Turf, Inc., budgeted replacement for use at baseball fields and beach. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-71: Authorizing purchase of two work trucks from Alan Jay Chevrolet and sale of trucks No. 1305 and No. 1674 at auction. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution No. 2022-72: Authorizing agreements for building services assistance with Pinellas County and SAFEbuilt/M.T. Causley to handle increased inspection and plan review workload. Passed unanimously.

Council Comments/Informational Reports

  • Councilmember Fridovich questioned the use of the casino for a town hall meeting (scheduled October 8) due to cost, suggesting smaller venues like the community center. A brief exchange occurred; council agreed to specify venues in future requests. He also invited the public to a free event at the casino on Saturday, October 8 (1-6 PM) featuring education, arts, and culture.
  • Councilmember Thanos thanked staff for hurricane response, asked about collecting flood zone data from Hurricane Ian to assess risks for Gulfport, reported attending a Suncoast League of Cities event that discussed affordable housing options under HB 1339, and proposed a future discussion on requiring permeable pavers for driveways/patios instead of concrete. Council scheduled this discussion for November.
  • Vice Mayor Brown praised city cleanup after the storm, promoted the Lions Club "Gulfport Gets Laid" dance on October 15, and supported the idea of updating litter signs.
  • Councilmember Ray thanked staff and CERT volunteers, requested permission to use the St. Tangerine stage on October 16 for a pet fundraiser benefiting Fort Myers animals affected by Hurricane Ian, and proposed a flag-raising event for Black History Month on February 1, 2023 (similar to the Pride flag raising). Council expressed support.
  • Mayor Henderson noted the city's hurricane relief collection for Fort Myers (water, Gatorade, baby wipes, diapers, formula, bug spray, sunblock, paper goods, plastic utensils, manual can openers, trash bags, non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, plastic sheeting/tarps, toiletries, pet food, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, solar chargers, camp stoves – no clothing or used items). He reminded the public to be respectful to volunteers and staff during emergencies and urged continued preparedness.

Key Outcomes

  • All resolutions (2022-61 through 2022-72) were passed unanimously.
  • Council agreed to schedule a discussion on permeable pavers for city use in November, but not as a private-property requirement.
  • Council expressed support for replacing litter signs with new designs as needed.
  • Council supported a future Black History Month flag-raising event.
  • Meeting adjourned after council comments.

Meeting Transcript

October 4th, 2022 regular city council meeting for Gulfport, Florida. Our invocation tonight's given by Michael Ferdovich. Please join us in rising. We'll follow that with the pledge. Well, it seems in October that every day has a special day to it. So I'm just gonna read the October 4th day. National Cinnamon Roll Day, National Taco Day, National Vodka Day, World Animal Day, National Fruit at Work Day, National Golfers Love Day, Improve Your Office Day. And if there weren't enough for you, just go to Google and you'll find about 5,000 of them on October. Try to celebrate them all at once. Exactly. One nation under God individual with Liberty. All right, roll call police city clerk. Council Mayor Perdovich. Here. Councilmember Thanos. Here. Vice Mayor Brown. Here. Councilmember Ray. Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Death President. And we have Attorney Galasteghi representing City Attorney Salisman this evening. Welcome again. We've got a presentation this evening. Police Chief Robert Vincent will be recognizing the folks who completed the Citizens Police Academy. How are you doing, Chief? I'm doing well. How are you? Good. Well, thanks for letting us come here tonight to recognize these folks. I know we got some alumni on the dais up there. Yes, that was a great program. Well, thanks for saying that. So finally, we were able to bring a class together for the Citizens Police Academy. We had been doing it at least once a year for I can't count them. Probably 25 years. And we had to take a break in 2020 and 2021. And so we we had seven people complete the program in 2022. For those listening and for those watching who may not be familiar with what it is, they come to uh the police station one night each week for three hours for is it eight weeks, eight weeks. And we go in depth with everything we do. Teach them what it takes to become a police officer, uh, take them on a tour of the jail, get to tour the communication center, crime scene processing, you name it. They get to drive the police cars. Some of them don't drive too well. They even go to the firing range where they get to have a one-on-one with a firearms instructor at the gun range. So it's uh it creates a alumni of people who are really, really involved in the community and uh become advocates for us. You know, when when things get out that make us look not so good, these folks correct it quickly for us.

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