OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - May 16, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, May 16, 2023
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 16, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim
5:01

All right, welcome everybody to the May 16th, 2023 regular city council meeting for Gulfport Florida.

5:07

Your invocation tonight is given by Vice Mayor Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

5:11

Please join us in standing.

5:15

There comes a time when the world gets quiet, and the only thing left is your own heart.

5:20

So you better learn the sound of it, otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying.

5:25

Susan Sarah Dessa.

5:29

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

5:33

She's a Republican for which it's one nation under God into the role with liberty and justice for all.

5:41

All right, roll call, please, City Clerk.

5:43

Vice Mayor Ray?

5:44

Here.

5:45

Councilmember O'Hara?

5:46

Here.

5:47

Councilmember Thanos?

5:48

Here.

5:48

Councilmember Brown?

5:49

Here.

5:49

Mayor Henderson.

5:50

Here.

5:51

City Attorney Salzman.

5:52

Here.

5:52

City Manager O'Reilly.

5:54

Here.

5:54

City Clerk Carico present.

5:56

All right.

5:57

So no presentations this evening, so we're going straight to open public comment.

6:00

So this is likewise for anything not on the agenda, including the consent agenda for which there's no public comment.

6:07

So if you have anything you want to speak on that's not on the agenda tonight, feel feel free to raise your hand.

6:14

You got three minutes, please give your name and address if you're comfortable with it.

6:16

Yes, ma'am.

6:27

Hi, Francine Witten.

6:28

I have two things.

6:29

One the first thing is about the food pantries.

6:32

Yesterday I went to the food pantry, and there was ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt in the food pantry that had popped open because they were.

6:43

Yeah.

6:46

It's sad.

6:47

I mean, I volunteer to do this.

6:48

I go sit somewhere sometimes three hours to collect food to put here because that's what it's all about is helping everybody.

6:56

That's but I we've been finding open beer bottles in the food pantries.

7:03

We've been finding prescription pills in there, the labels have been torn off.

7:08

But what if a child comes up and takes something or you know, we can't chance that.

7:14

I don't understand.

7:15

Yesterday there was two boxes of rotten bananas.

7:19

If the people would have I mean, other people brought them, put them in the side of the thing where they go better.

7:28

Or they put bread out there and the creatures all get them instead of the people.

7:34

And nobody's just taking care of it.

7:38

And today there was uh mashed potatoes and I mean frozen ones, but they were all warm and yucky.

7:48

And a lady says, why are you throwing them away?

7:53

I says, ma'am, I says, I don't want you or anybody else to get sick on any of this food.

7:58

I says, we put it here to help everybody and we will do it.

8:03

But so we're gonna start uh I want to start bringing it to Jackson and out and um funky for me.

8:12

Funky, thank you.

8:13

And they're gonna take it, they have refrigeration and freezer, and people can go there and get it because people still need it, you know.

8:22

So that's my one thing.

8:26

My second thing is that there's somebody on Facebook who keeps trashing all of you, that you all just can't get along, and you all need to grow up and behave and you know what?

8:41

It's all about that's why we all get along because everybody has an opinion.

8:46

And so you have an opinion and you listen to it.

8:50

You have an opinion, we'll listen to it.

8:52

And that's why that's golfport.

8:54

That's what it's all about.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████23%
Marina Development███████████████████████23%
Public Comment█████████████████████21%
Floodplain Management██████████████████18%
Public Safety█████5%
Public Engagement███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Insurance Coverage██2%
Reproductive Health Care█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - May 16, 2023

The Gulfport City Council met on May 16, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall. The meeting covered a consent agenda, two ordinances, two resolutions, public comments, and council reports. Key votes included approval of a lease with the Boca Ciega Yacht Club (with a modified footprint) and adoption of floodplain management reports. All other items passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution No. 2023-35: Appointed Jerry Reed to the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Francine Witten (resident) raised concerns about food pantry hygiene, including spoiled food and open beer bottles, and announced plans to relocate food to JAX and Funky Flamingo. She also criticized social media attacks on council, emphasizing the value of diverse opinions.
  • Ms. Love expressed frustration with state home-rule preemption, discussed reproductive rights, and asked whether the fire department offers safe drop-off for infants. She mentioned the Floridians Protecting Freedom petition.
  • Ms. Tober thanked the city clerk for professionalism and asked about additional charges for public records requests.
  • On Ordinance 2023-03 (Yacht Club lease):
    • Jen Buckley (Commodore of Boca Ciega Yacht Club) supported the lease, highlighted the club's youth sailing programs, and requested the alternative footprint (BCYC Exhibit B) for exclusive use of the seawall area due to liability and security concerns.
    • Walter Barker requested transparency about lease terms, noting the lease hadn't been read publicly.
    • Mary Hanrahan (Marina District resident) supported the club's exclusive access to the seawall, citing lack of public use and safety concerns.
    • David Cantor (resident) opposed the lease, citing past threats and litigation from the club, and argued that the club shouldn't receive municipal privileges.
    • Christine Crosby (club member) supported the club's request, citing its community contributions and safety concerns for children.
  • On Resolution 2023-37: David Cantor requested more flood information for higher-elevation areas (wards 3 and 4).

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 2023-03 (First Reading): Lease agreement with Boca Ciega Yacht Club. The sole outstanding issue was the footprint of the seawall area (approximately 22 by 150 feet). City Manager and City Attorney presented two options: Option A (public access) and Option B (exclusive club use). Council debated:
    • Vice Mayor Ray supported Option A, emphasizing public access to the seawall.
    • Councilmembers O'Hara and Thanos supported Option B, citing safety and practicality.
    • Councilmember Brown advocated for Option A, discussed future plans for a sailing center, and noted the club's 38% Gulfport membership ratio. She also questioned the need for exclusive use and proposed a sunset clause, though the lease is for three years without automatic renewal.
    • Mayor Henderson strongly supported Option A, stating he would not vote for Option B. The motion was amended to Option A and passed 4-2 (O'Hara and Thanos opposed). The ordinance was set for second reading on June 6, 2023.
  • Ordinance 2023-04 (First Reading): Amendments to flood damage prevention (Chapter 10.5) and building code formatting (Chapter 7). City Manager explained it was a mandated update from FEMA, mostly housekeeping, with a substantive change regarding manufactured housing that doesn't affect Gulfport. Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-36: Adoption of the Annual Report for the City of Gulfport Floodplain Management Plan as part of the Pinellas County Multi-Jurisdictional Community Rating System (CRS). Principal Planner Michael McCaffrey explained the city's participation in the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) and the required annual report. Approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-37: Adoption of the Annual Report for the Program for Public Information (PPI) as part of the CRS. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2023-03 approved on first reading with Option A (public access to the seawall) by a 4-2 vote; second reading set for June 6, 2023.
  • Ordinance 2023-04 approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-36 approved unanimously.
  • Resolution 2023-37 approved unanimously.
  • New business: Council requested that the list of applicants for board appointments be emailed earlier than the Friday before the vote; approved a presentation on Gulfport on the Edge for the June 20 meeting.
  • Council comments included reports on Fire Ops 101, community events (Pride flag raising, cancer benefit, Denisa Apalooza), and highlights from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Resiliency Conference, including flood preparedness, insurance issues, and evacuation concerns.

Meeting Transcript

All right, welcome everybody to the May 16th, 2023 regular city council meeting for Gulfport Florida. Your invocation tonight is given by Vice Mayor Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in standing. There comes a time when the world gets quiet, and the only thing left is your own heart. So you better learn the sound of it, otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying. Susan Sarah Dessa. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. She's a Republican for which it's one nation under God into the role with liberty and justice for all. All right, roll call, please, City Clerk. Vice Mayor Ray? Here. Councilmember O'Hara? Here. Councilmember Thanos? Here. Councilmember Brown? Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico present. All right. So no presentations this evening, so we're going straight to open public comment. So this is likewise for anything not on the agenda, including the consent agenda for which there's no public comment. So if you have anything you want to speak on that's not on the agenda tonight, feel feel free to raise your hand. You got three minutes, please give your name and address if you're comfortable with it. Yes, ma'am. Hi, Francine Witten. I have two things. One the first thing is about the food pantries. Yesterday I went to the food pantry, and there was ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt in the food pantry that had popped open because they were. Yeah. It's sad. I mean, I volunteer to do this. I go sit somewhere sometimes three hours to collect food to put here because that's what it's all about is helping everybody. That's but I we've been finding open beer bottles in the food pantries. We've been finding prescription pills in there, the labels have been torn off. But what if a child comes up and takes something or you know, we can't chance that. I don't understand. Yesterday there was two boxes of rotten bananas. If the people would have I mean, other people brought them, put them in the side of the thing where they go better. Or they put bread out there and the creatures all get them instead of the people. And nobody's just taking care of it. And today there was uh mashed potatoes and I mean frozen ones, but they were all warm and yucky. And a lady says, why are you throwing them away? I says, ma'am, I says, I don't want you or anybody else to get sick on any of this food. I says, we put it here to help everybody and we will do it.

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