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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting – February 7, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, February 7, 2023
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 7, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:59:30

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
5:02

To the February 7th regular city council meeting for Gulfport Florida.

5:05

Our implication tonight is given by a councilman Michael Ferdovich, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

5:09

Please join us in rising.

5:22

So starting off with Garrett Morgan, who actually invented the yellow light on the three three light of the slop light.

5:28

Also you've got air conditioning, uh Frederick M.

5:31

Jones, 1949.

5:32

I'm not gonna read all these.

6:21

Councilmember for Dorovich.

6:23

Here.

6:23

Councilmember Thanos?

6:24

Here.

6:25

Vice Mayor Brown.

6:26

Here.

6:26

Mayor Henderson.

6:27

Here.

6:29

And City Attorney.

6:30

City Manager present.

6:31

Here we go.

6:32

City Manager Brown.

6:36

And you also get to say your president.

6:37

And Shannon Farrell.

6:38

All right.

6:39

She's never done this before.

6:41

We're so proud of her for doing this for us.

6:43

Nice to have you here.

6:46

All right, we've got a few presentations before we get rolling this evening.

6:48

I'm really excited about this first one.

6:50

Um James Lund been with us for a long time, and it's his oath of office as our new deputy fire chief.

6:55

Uh well deserved and really glad to glad you're taking a position.

6:59

Jim.

7:00

All right.

7:01

Come on up.

7:01

Come on up.

7:17

Okay.

7:17

All right.

7:17

Raise your right hand.

7:19

All right.

7:19

Hi, state your name.

7:21

Hi, James Lund.

7:22

You solemnly swear.

7:23

You solemnly swear.

7:24

That I am a citizen of the United States of America.

7:26

That I'm citizen of nice.

7:28

And a resident of the state of Florida.

7:31

That I am duly qualified to hold office.

7:33

Yeah, I'm duly qualified to hold office.

7:35

Under the Constitution of the State.

7:37

Under the Constitution of the State.

7:38

And the charter of the city.

7:40

And the Charter of the City.

7:41

And then I will well and faithfully performed the duties of the Deputy Fire Chief.

7:48

And as a recipient of public funds.

7:51

Then I will support the Constitution of the United States of America.

7:57

And the Constitution of the State of Florida.

7:59

And the Constitution of the State of Florida.

8:00

And then I will, in all respects.

8:02

And I will in all respects.

8:03

Observe the provisions.

8:05

Observe the provisions.

8:06

Of the charter and ordinances of the city of the charters and ordinances of the city of the board.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Recreational Vehicles██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procedural███████████████15%
Public Comment█████████9%
Disability Rights███████7%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Code Enforcement██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Special Events████4%
Zoning Regulations███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting – February 7, 2023

The Gulfport City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall. The meeting included presentations, public comments, consideration of ordinances and resolutions, and council member reports. Key discussions centered on amendments to recreational vehicle (RV) parking regulations, Hurricane Ian debris removal payments, and personnel manual revisions.

Presentations

  • Oath of Office: James Lundh took the oath as Deputy Fire Chief, administered by Mayor Henderson, with a pinning ceremony by his daughter Kayla.
  • Earth Networks Weather Camera: Justin (IT) and David presented a weather camera installed at the historic casino, provided at no cost to the city (value ~$3,000) as part of a multi-agency collaboration with Earth Networks and Channel 10 meteorologist Bobby Deskins. The camera provides time-lapse images available to the public via the city website and weatherbug.com.
  • Parc Center for Disabilities: Michelle Detweiler, President and CEO, introduced the organization celebrating its 70th year. Christy Urbeck added that they serve over 500 children and adults with developmental disabilities, employ 320+ staff, and have raised minimum wage to $15/hour. Over 22,000 people are on the State of Florida waiting list for services.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of the January 17, 2023 meeting.
  • Resolution 2023-05: Authorized the City Manager to execute a contract with Engineered Spray Solutions for Manhole Rehabilitation Services.
  • Resolution 2023-06: Authorized the City Manager to execute a Participant Agreement with Tetra Tech, Inc. for Disaster Debris Monitoring and Management Services.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tommy Bixler (Town Shores): Announced a pancake breakfast benefiting Southeast Guide Dogs on February 18.
  • Tony Apgar (2632 56th St S): Opposed allowing RVs in front yards, concerned about appearance and enforcement. Suggested limiting to driveways.
  • Dorothy Pratt (24th Ave): Supported allowing RVs on property, argued current setbacks force her to expose her RV to sun damage. Favored not holding a referendum.
  • Bob Slazak (5402 20th Ave S): Supported RV parking, stating property rights and noting existing code enforcement issues. Opposed referendum.
  • Tommy Bixler (second comment): Expressed support for allowing RVs in front yards, noting storage costs and equal treatment with boats.
  • Marlene Shaw (corner of 58th & 23rd): Shared personal experience with RV parking difficulties; urged amendment of current ordinance. Opposed referendum.
  • Karen Schwartz (5213 Dillet Ave): Called current rules unfair; supported eliminating separate restrictions on RVs.
  • David McCormick (address unclear): Opposed changing RV ordinance, citing potential vermin, safety, hurricane hazards, and neighbor conflicts. Requested tabling the matter permanently.
  • Mitchell Carney (1202 63rd St S): Lifetime resident, opposed restrictions on property rights; suggested time limits to prevent eyesores.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 2023-01 (First Reading) – Recreational Vehicle Regulations: The proposed amendment would eliminate setbacks and allow one licensed, operable RV on any residential property yard, with no permits or grandfathering. Prohibited in rights-of-way, consistent with boat/trailer rules.
    • Councilmember Thanos suggested requiring registration stickers for easier code enforcement, and proposed limiting to one “toy” (boat, trailer, or RV) in the front yard (i.e., if a boat or trailer already present, no RV in front).
    • Vice Mayor Brown opposed front-yard RVs, citing fire hazards and appearance; supported reducing setbacks in backyards but not front yards.
    • Councilmember Ferdovich proposed a public referendum on the issue.
    • Councilmembers discussed options including compromise language, referral to staff for further refinement.
    • After extensive public comment and council deliberation, consensus was to postpone first reading and treat it as a discussion item at a future meeting to allow for more public input and potential modifications.
  • Resolution 2023-07 – Hurricane Ian Debris Removal: Authorized payment to Southern Disaster Recovery Inc. for emergency debris removal (vegetative debris: ~7,200 cubic yards) and a budget amendment. Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Resolution 2023-08 – Personnel Manual Revisions: Authorized updates to the Personnel Manual, bringing it into conformity with state/federal law, clarifying defense processes, and updating fire lieutenant bargaining unit status. Approved unanimously (5-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2023-01 (RV Regulations): First reading was postponed; will be revisited as a discussion item. Council directed staff to consider registration stickers and possible limit of one recreational vehicle in front yard to facilitate enforcement.
  • Resolution 2023-07 (Debris Removal): Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-08 (Personnel Manual): Approved unanimously.
  • Policy Change on Boards: Council expressed consensus to allow applicants to defer their quasi-judicial hearing to a later meeting if fewer than five board members are present, to avoid tie votes resulting in automatic denial.
  • Nomination: Councilmember Thanos nominated Jimmy Oswane for a Spirit of Gulfport Award at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

To the February 7th regular city council meeting for Gulfport Florida. Our implication tonight is given by a councilman Michael Ferdovich, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in rising. So starting off with Garrett Morgan, who actually invented the yellow light on the three three light of the slop light. Also you've got air conditioning, uh Frederick M. Jones, 1949. I'm not gonna read all these. Councilmember for Dorovich. Here. Councilmember Thanos? Here. Vice Mayor Brown. Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. And City Attorney. City Manager present. Here we go. City Manager Brown. And you also get to say your president. And Shannon Farrell. All right. She's never done this before. We're so proud of her for doing this for us. Nice to have you here. All right, we've got a few presentations before we get rolling this evening. I'm really excited about this first one. Um James Lund been with us for a long time, and it's his oath of office as our new deputy fire chief. Uh well deserved and really glad to glad you're taking a position. Jim. All right. Come on up. Come on up. Okay. All right. Raise your right hand. All right. Hi, state your name. Hi, James Lund. You solemnly swear. You solemnly swear. That I am a citizen of the United States of America. That I'm citizen of nice. And a resident of the state of Florida. That I am duly qualified to hold office. Yeah, I'm duly qualified to hold office. Under the Constitution of the State. Under the Constitution of the State. And the charter of the city. And the Charter of the City.

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