Gulfport City Council Meeting - March 21, 2023

The Gulfport City Council met on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included the swearing-in of newly elected councilmembers, multiple departmental reports, a discussion on citizen engagement tools, and a decision to table a lease ordinance with the Boca Ciega Yacht Club.

Swearing-In and Opening

• The meeting began with an invocation by Councilmember April Thanos, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Councilmembers Christine Anne Brown (Ward II) and Ian O'Hara (Ward IV) were sworn into office.
• Roll call confirmed all members present: Thanos, Brown, Ray, O'Hara, Mayor Henderson, City Manager O'Reilly, City Attorney Salzman, and City Clerk Smith.
• A scheduled presentation by Jason Wood (Kinetic) on senior center funding was postponed to a future meeting.

Consent Calendar

• Resolution No. 2023-15: Appointing Gregory Carter Bess to the Board of Adjustment was approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tommy Bixler announced the Gulfport Rocks second annual dance party (April 1) benefiting scholarships for Boca Ciega High School; raised $4,000 last year.
• Karen Love congratulated new councilmembers, praised the city's casino camera on Channel 10, and promoted Gulfport Art in the Yard (Saturday, March 25, 10 AM–4 PM), featuring over 75 local artists.
• Ingrid Bradenberg announced the third and final Edge town hall on April 10 at the casino (6–9 PM), noting attendance of over 100 at the last event.
• Melissa Helmbolt (Gulfport Merchants Chamber President) reported on recent events including Pink from the Sun Home Tour, the first morning meeting for members, and upcoming First Friday in April with artists.
• Tom Rogers expressed concerns about RV parking on residential side yards, citing fire access and fuel hazards, and argued that large RVs over 25 feet extend onto public property.
• Dorothy Pratt suggested requiring fitted covers on parked RVs to prevent habitation.
• Margo questioned the oversight of short-term rentals (Airbnb), claiming they reduce long-term rental availability and that many investors are from out of state; asked for clear definitions and enforcement.

City Manager Report

• City Manager O'Reilly reported that through communications with state legislators, the city is included in the state budget for $1.2 million to rebuild 58th Street (north of Gulfport Boulevard) due to subsurface issues.

Appointment of Vice Mayor

• By rotation, Councilmember Ray was appointed Vice Mayor (vote: unanimous).

Ordinance 2023-03 (Boca Ciega Yacht Club Lease)

• The proposed lease with Boca Ciega Yacht Club, which had been under negotiation for over two years, was brought forward as directed by council. Councilmember Thanos moved to table the item, citing the need for the new councilmember to review the matter, clarifying previous directions, and addressing several lease provisions (compliance with HRO, rebuild of building, exclusive use of T-docks, dry storage, rent changes, non-exclusive boat ramp, 90-day cancellation clause, one-day notice, and designation of sheds and hoist). Councilmember Brown and O'Hara agreed with tabling; Mayor Henderson opposed, stating the offered lease was good. The motion to table passed 4-1 (Mayor Henderson voting no), and the item will return for an up-or-down vote at the May 2 meeting after further negotiations.

Resolution 2023-16 (Appointment of City Clerk)

• Resolution appointing Theresa Carrico as City Clerk (effective May 9), along with her employment agreement, was approved unanimously. Public comment from David Canter thanked outgoing Clerk Leslie Smith for her service.

Discussion Items

Departmental Reports (Fiscal Year 2022-2023)

• Municipal Marina (Dennis Frain): 252 wet slips, 60 dry slips, sold 389,000 gallons of fuel, over 400 transient reservations, 3,000 daily boat launches, pumped 12,000 gallons of sewage, awarded grants for pump-out equipment and living shoreline. Dry storage renovation underway; digital fuel dispensers being installed.
• Police Department (Chief Rob Vincent): 33 sworn positions (25 filled), ~6,700 dispatched calls, total crime in 2022 about one-third of 1998 levels. 360 children helped via Operation Santa; 924 hours of training; accreditation chair elected.
• Fire and Rescue (Chief Renee Fernandez): 3,534 total responses (44 cardiac arrests, 185 MVAs, 116 structure fires, 81 overdoses). Marine 17 unit in service since October 2021, ran 5 calls. Installed 61 smoke detectors; started "Gulfport Cares" CPR program; COSAP program for overdose follow-up. New fire truck ordered (expected 2024).
• Human Resources (Shannon Farrell): 1% health insurance renewal; revised volunteer handbook and personnel manual; managed payroll and HR for 223 employees; implemented collective bargaining agreements for public safety.
• Community Development (Fred Metcalf): Over 72,000 public contacts in FY22; permit valuations up over $10 million in 5 years. 1,159 citizen complaints. Working on online permit portal.
• Library (Dave Mather): Circulated 134,000 items; 79,000 visits (still down from pre-COVID 100,000); 654 passports processed; 16,000 wireless users; 398 programs with 4,000 attendees.
• Recreation Center (Maribel ?): Offered preschool, after-school, summer, teen programs; new outdoor classroom via grant; pickleball courts installed.
• Senior Center (Rachel Cataldo): 2,900 active members (now 3,100); 91 volunteers; average of 753 participants per day in January (870 in February); food pantry, medical equipment loan program; 119 users of transportation service ($70/year, $2 per ride).
• Cultural Facilities & Events (Justin Shea): Casino hosted 327 events generating $370,000 revenue; awarded $308,000 shuttered venue grant for COVID losses; restrooms renovated. Bar revenue 31% of casino revenue; weekly dances 44%.
• Finance Department (Cheryl Hannifan): Developed new utility rate structure (no minimum bill, base + consumption, 3-year plan). Issued 633 digital meter exchanges in FY22 and 633 in Q1 FY23. Private waterline/lateral replacement program spent $275,000 of $375,000 approved. Total grants received $5.7 million since 2014, $2.5 million pending. Interest earnings up significantly.
• Public Works (Tom ?): Sewer bypass project complete (4,000 linear feet of force main). Priority 2 sewer repairs underway ($600,000 ARPA). Water meter replacement (all to digital) by end of 2023. Road paving ($400,000/year) completed. Pickleball and tennis courts installed. Shade sails installed at parks. Beach playground soft opening next week. Watershed management plan (25-year) underway. Sidewalk assessment report pending. Received $80,000 vulnerability assessment grant from FDEP.
• Special Events (Justin Shea): Processed 43 event packets. New WRD Looper (golf cart) debuted for First Friday/Third Saturday events.
• Information Technology (Dave Mather): 300,000 website sessions; 1,600 social media posts across 9 pages with 1 million impressions; managed 163 mobile devices, 110 workstations, 19 servers. City manager's report page views tripled to 5,000.
• Public Information (Justin Shea): City activated EOC for Hurricane Ian; distributed 17,000 sandbags; took 1,800 calls; 7 PSAs from mayor. Facebook top post (Gecko Fest) reached 7,500 people.

Citizen Engagement

• Justin Shea and City Manager O'Reilly presented a comprehensive overview of the city's communication tools:
  • Constant Contact: 8,084 subscribers; 217 email campaigns in 75 weeks; open rate 44% (vs. industry 35.1%); click rate 8% (industry 1.42%).
  • Social Media: 9 Facebook pages; 1,600 posts; 1.1 million impressions.
  • Website: Top page: home (166,000 views), public cameras (70,000), marina. Hurricane Ian day saw 27,000 page views.
  • Granicus (meeting archive): 11,682 page views, 5,000 visits; 79% desktop; largest live event 729 views.
  • Other tools: DockWA reservation system, Everbridge emergency notifications, mobile app, GTV channel 640 with closed captioning.

Rules and Policies for City Council and Public Comment

• Council discussed and agreed to several changes:
  • City Manager, Attorney, and Clerk reports will be completed without interruption; questions after.
  • Public comment on action items will occur after council debate (not before).
  • Council comments section will include summaries of meetings/conferences attended; a new "New Business" item will be added for specific direction to staff.
  • Senior Advisory Board and Team Council will be invited to give periodic reports (quarterly).
  • Speaking order will be more strictly enforced.

Appointments to City Boards

• Board of Adjustment appointments: Mayor, Thanos, O'Hara (alternates none).
• Planning & Zoning appointments: Mayor, Brown, O'Hara (alternates none).
• Fire pension board: pending ratification.
• General employees and police pension boards: incumbents will be reappointed by consensus.
• Councilmember O'Hara volunteered to serve on Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (replacing former Councilmember Ferdovich).
• Appointments to be submitted by April 11.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda (Item 6.a): Approved unanimously.
• Ordinance 2023-03 (Boca Ciega Yacht Club Lease): Tabled 4-1; will return for up-or-down vote on May 2 after city staff meets with the club.
• Resolution 2023-16 (City Clerk Appointment): Approved unanimously.
• Rules and Policies: Approved consensus changes; staff to update formal resolution.
• Board Appointments: Appointments to be made by April 18; pension board incumbents reappointed; new Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council representative to be appointed.
• Budget Discussion Items: Councilmember Brown requested cost estimates for: website redesign, comprehensive pay/classification study, marina master plan, and Clam Bayou feasibility study; these will be considered in future budget workshops.
• Next Meetings: April 18 (regular); May 2 (first meeting in May) for Yacht Club lease.