OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Gulfport, Mississippi/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - March 7, 2023: Presentations, Public Comments, and Unanimous Approvals

City Council — Tuesday, March 7, 2023
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 7, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:12:46

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
5:03

Invocation nights given by Councilmember April Famous, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

5:07

Please join us in standing.

5:09

Okay, I found lots of good quotes.

5:12

But some for this time, some for next time.

5:15

Um, well behaved women seldom make history.

5:18

That was from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, who is a historian at Harvard.

5:22

And each time a woman stands up for herself without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.

5:30

And that was Maya Angelou.

5:32

Very nice.

5:33

She wasn't me.

5:35

Pledge of the flag of the United States of America to the Republican for which we stand one nation under God with liberty and just for our roll club lead city clerk.

5:49

Councilmember Thanos?

5:50

Here, Vice Mayor Brown.

5:51

Here, Councilmember Ring?

5:52

Here.

5:53

Council Fedovich?

5:54

Mayor Henderson.

5:55

Here.

5:55

See Manager O'Reilly.

5:56

Here.

5:56

City Attorney Salzman.

5:57

Here.

5:58

City Clerk Meath President.

5:59

All right.

6:00

So we've got a couple of presentations this evening.

6:02

The first one near and dear to our hearts.

6:05

We are given the Spirit of Gulf Port Award to Mr.

6:07

Jimmy Oswayne.

6:08

So if you'll join me at the front, I'm going to read a couple of things here.

6:12

What the spirit of Gulf Board Award means with the representative symbols of Star, your value to Gulfport, the sailboat, Gulf Port's Ties to the Sea, the Rising Sun, ever looking toward the future, and winging birds, the soaring concept of spirit.

6:26

We hereby present the Spirit of Gulf Board Award to Jimmy Oswane, who has demonstrated the true spirit of Gulfport.

6:31

And if we were going to amend this a little bit, I'd put a bowling ball on there for you.

6:48

I really would.

6:49

All right, let's get a picture up there.

6:50

Okay.

6:56

Jumping Jimmy.

6:58

All right.

6:58

Jimmy go, man.

7:00

You hold it up and grab a picture.

7:02

We got a bag of some goodies for you.

7:04

Keep that sun out of your head when you're riding that bike.

7:11

Awesome.

7:12

Thank you.

7:12

All right.

7:20

Congratulations.

7:21

Good luck all the night, bud.

7:22

Thank you.

7:26

Yes.

7:33

Such a nice guy.

7:35

He is a good idea.

7:39

Yeah.

7:41

Well deserved.

7:43

All right.

7:44

Our next presentation this evening is from Doug Brightwell, Director of Pinnells County Animal Services.

7:49

We're so happy to have you here.

7:50

Uh thanks for attending because this is a time of year we start getting a lot of questions, not only about disasters but strays and all those kind of things.

7:57

So thank you, Mayor.

7:58

Thank you, Council, for having us.

8:00

I've got a real quick.

8:02

If I can get this going right the first time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Animal Welfare████████████████████████24%
Personnel Matters████████████████16%
Parks and Recreation█████████9%
Public Comment████████8%
Public Safety███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Public Transportation██████6%
Community Engagement██████6%
Council Comments██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - March 7, 2023

The Gulfport City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall. The meeting featured presentations of the Spirit of Gulfport Award and an overview from Pinellas County Animal Services, public comments on transit and home rule, several reports from city staff, and unanimous approval of all agenda items including a Little League lease, fireworks resolution, playground funding, and a special event application.

Presentations

  • Spirit of Gulfport Award: Presented to Jimmy Oswain, recognized for demonstrating the true spirit of Gulfport. Mayor Henderson noted adding a bowling ball to the award symbolically.
  • Pinellas County Animal Services: Director Doug Brightwell provided an overview. Key statistics: $6.1 million budget, 59 staff, ~300 active volunteers; in 2022 intake reduced to just over 6,000 animals (down from over 10,000 pre-COVID). Return-to-owner rate: 40% for dogs, 5% for cats. Live release rate: 87% for dogs, 82% for cats. 21 registered dangerous dogs countywide. They run a foster-to-adopt program, community outreach, and a voucher program for low-income residents and veterans (about $30,000–$40,000 annually from donations). Brightwell emphasized the importance of microchipping, licensing, and having a hurricane plan for pets. Councilmember Thanos noted cats are required by ordinance to be kept indoors unless ear-tipped (community feral).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Karen Schwartz, 5213 DLED Avenue South: Expressed support for improved transit, specifically a Freebee-style service to connect Gulfport, citing its success in St. Pete Beach. Urged council to consider transit as part of affordability and workforce housing.
  • David McCormick, 5306 26th Avenue South: Voiced concern about Florida legislative bills (SB 682, SB 346, SB 714) introduced by State Senator Nick DiCeglie that threaten home rule. Encouraged council to educate the public and speak out against state overreach.

Discussion Items

  • City Manager Report:
    • Proposed canceling the April 4, 2023 meeting due to two councilmembers attending Florida legislative days in Tallahassee; consensus to cancel.
    • Discussed the BCYC (Boca Ciega Yacht Club) lease: Council expressed they would not negotiate further; the original offer from the city is a final offer. Council directed the city manager and attorney to present that offer as a motion to vote at a future meeting.
    • Update on three projects: Tennis/pickleball courts open tomorrow (March 8); Scout Hall construction expected to finish in about a month; Beach playground soft opening in approximately three weeks.
  • City Clerk Report: City Clerk Leslie Meath announced her retirement effective May 8, 2023. She recommended promoting Deputy City Clerk Teresa to City Clerk, with a condition to obtain required certification within three years. Council unanimously agreed to proceed with a contract drafted by the city manager and attorney.
  • Item 6.a – Little League Lease (Ordinance 2023-02, Second Reading): Approved unanimously after no public comment.
  • Item 7.a – Beach Playground Change Order (Resolution 2023-13): Approved unanimously. Project manager noted three additional pieces for toddlers (ice cream shop, small slide, mommy-and-me swing) will be added after soft opening, which is in about three weeks. The shade structure was praised.
  • Item 7.b – Unity of Gulfport Special Event (Resolution 2023-14): Approved unanimously. Event is a tri-match beach volleyball tournament featuring Eckerd College, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Florida Southern College.
  • Council Comments: Councilmember Thanos proposed exploring a breakwater/seawall with a walking path (similar to a marine lake) as a resilience measure and tourist attraction, funded through grants. Councilmember Ray requested fireworks for New Year’s Eve 2023 (to be discussed during budget process) and a flag-raising for Pride Month on June 1. Councilmember Ferdovich acknowledged Firefighter/Paramedic Barber receiving Firefighter of the Year award.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda – Resolution 2023-12 (4th of July fireworks contract with Pyro Productions): Passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2023-02 (Little League lease agreement): Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-13 (Beach playground change order using Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds): Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-14 (Unity of Gulfport special event): Passed unanimously.
  • City Clerk Succession: Council directed the city manager and city attorney to draft a contract for Teresa as City Clerk, with a condition to obtain certification within three years, and to advertise for the deputy clerk position.
  • BCYC Lease: Council decided to treat the city’s original offer as a final offer and will bring it for a vote at a future meeting.
  • April 4 Meeting: Canceled due to lack of quorum; next scheduled meeting is March 21.

Meeting Transcript

Invocation nights given by Councilmember April Famous, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in standing. Okay, I found lots of good quotes. But some for this time, some for next time. Um, well behaved women seldom make history. That was from Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, who is a historian at Harvard. And each time a woman stands up for herself without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women. And that was Maya Angelou. Very nice. She wasn't me. Pledge of the flag of the United States of America to the Republican for which we stand one nation under God with liberty and just for our roll club lead city clerk. Councilmember Thanos? Here, Vice Mayor Brown. Here, Councilmember Ring? Here. Council Fedovich? Mayor Henderson. Here. See Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Clerk Meath President. All right. So we've got a couple of presentations this evening. The first one near and dear to our hearts. We are given the Spirit of Gulf Port Award to Mr. Jimmy Oswayne. So if you'll join me at the front, I'm going to read a couple of things here. What the spirit of Gulf Board Award means with the representative symbols of Star, your value to Gulfport, the sailboat, Gulf Port's Ties to the Sea, the Rising Sun, ever looking toward the future, and winging birds, the soaring concept of spirit. We hereby present the Spirit of Gulf Board Award to Jimmy Oswane, who has demonstrated the true spirit of Gulfport. And if we were going to amend this a little bit, I'd put a bowling ball on there for you. I really would. All right, let's get a picture up there. Okay. Jumping Jimmy. All right. Jimmy go, man. You hold it up and grab a picture. We got a bag of some goodies for you. Keep that sun out of your head when you're riding that bike. Awesome. Thank you. All right. Congratulations. Good luck all the night, bud. Thank you. Yes. Such a nice guy. He is a good idea.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com