Gulfport City Council Regular Meeting – June 20, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Gulfport City Council Regular Meeting – June 20, 2023
The Gulfport City Council met on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included presentations on the senior center capital campaign and the Gulfport on the Edge community conversations, public comments, approval of two pension ordinances, seven resolutions (including software purchases, grant agreements, and a homeless outreach partnership), and a discussion on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023–2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget. All voting items passed unanimously.
Presentations
- Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Capital Campaign Update – Karen Cox and Aaron Johnson (Kinetic) reported that the campaign has raised $543,000 in confirmed gifts, has $315,000 under consideration, and has $2 million in priority asks over the next 60–90 days. The benchmark goal is $3.5 million by August 31, 2023. Councilmember O'Hara questioned the pace, noting the three‑year contract is already halfway through. Cox stated that 85% of the goal is expected from fewer than 20 gifts.
- Gulfport on the Edge – Ingrid Bredenberg, joined by Mark Johnson and Kelly Garcia, presented outcomes of three community conversation events held in November 2022, January 2023, and April 2023. Approximately 100 people attended each event. Key themes included community engagement, leadership, climate and nature, housing diversity, and arts/culture. A guided meditation described a vision for Gulfport in 2030. The initiative has already spurred a block party, an Earth Day event, and adoption of the Tangerine Greenway. Councilmember Thanos will distribute detailed reports and plans a follow‑up town hall in August/September.
Consent Calendar
- 5.a. Approved meeting minutes from April 18, 2023, and May 2, 2023 (unanimous).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Zion Cristante (5143 27th Ave S) – thanked the city for supporting a street‑closure block party; reported it was a success with children playing and music.
- Lenny Guckenheimer (5213 Delette Ave S) – presented a resolution supporting the Florida Right to Clean Water, urging the city to consider it at the next meeting.
- Melissa Helmbold (President, Gulfport Merchants Chamber) – reported on a May morning meeting focused on hurricane preparedness, a June “super mingle” with 325 attendees from six chambers, and upcoming events (Gecko Ball, art walk).
- Laura Oldaney (9th Ave S) – praised the Gulfport on the Edge events and noted that every vision group at the final session included the Gulfport Food Forest as a key asset.
- Lauren Stern (Tangerine & 18th) – thanked the city for public‑bathroom amenities at Chase Park.
- Berkeley Grimble (2701 56th St) – sang an original song celebrating Gulfport.
- Susan Gore (Town Shores) – thanked the council for the successful Gulfport Pride event.
- Tommy Bixer (Town Shores) – invited residents to the Lions Club monthly food distribution (third Thursday, 3:30 PM) and thanked the council for his appointment to the Zoning and Appeals Board.
- Mary Hanrahan (27th Ave) – questioned the $80,000 line item for a marina master plan, urging a community‑input process similar to Gulfport on the Edge instead.
- Ms. Loving – criticized the lack of a formal Memorial Day ceremony, expressed concern about the council closing a city street for one fundraiser, and requested clearer reporting of illegal short‑term rentals.
Discussion Items
- Short‑Term Rental Enforcement Update (City Manager Report) – Staff (Fred Metcalf, Mark Ottervanger, Heather Weibel) presented the complaint‑driven process using new software. Statistics: 17 complaints received; 6 violation notices issued and all complied; 4 pending compliance dates; 7 under investigation. Priority is given to Gulfport residents experiencing nuisance issues. The compliance date is 14 days. If rentals continue after a magistrate hearing, a $250/day fine accrues. The software allows staff to monitor bookings without relying solely on citizen witnesses. Councilmembers expressed support for the compliance‑focused approach.
- Proposed FY 2023–2024 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget – City Manager O’Reilly reviewed the one‑year CIP. Highlights:
- Sanitary sewer repairs: $2.545 million from a congressional request (pending) and $1 million from the state (not vetoed)
- 58th Street roadway improvements: $1.2 million from the state (plus $300,000 match from Penny for Pinellas)
- Public safety: $40,000 for Taser replacement (subscription‑based)
- Marina master planning: $80,000; clan valuation and park reconfiguration: $30,000
- Replacement of play surface at the beach exercise area
- Restroom feasibility at the marina discussed (rough cost $70,000–$175,000) Council member Thanos requested the clean‑water resolution and the Tampa Bay Resiliency Plan be placed on a future agenda.
Key Outcomes
- Ordinance 2023‑05 (Police Pension amendments) – passed unanimously on second reading.
- Ordinance 2023‑06 (Firefighters’ Pension amendments) – passed unanimously on second reading.
- Resolution 2023‑42 (BS&A community development software) – passed unanimously; staff cited cost savings over Intergov and a nine‑month implementation.
- Resolution 2023‑43 (UKG time & attendance system through Andrews Technology/SHI) – passed unanimously; will replace punch‑card system; integrates with existing software.
- Resolution 2023‑44 (HUD grant agreement for $1.5 million for senior center soft costs) – passed unanimously; funds will cover environmental studies and design.
- Resolution 2023‑45 (Harvard Jolly‑PBK engineering services for senior center) – passed unanimously; contract not to exceed $1.5 million; the design process is expected to take up to two years.
- Resolution 2023‑46 (Stantec engineering for Williams Pier rehabilitation) – passed unanimously; will evaluate 44 piles and extend pier life by 15–20 years.
- Resolution 2023‑47 (Directions for Living street outreach specialist, shared cost with Treasure Island) – passed unanimously; the specialist will work with the fire department to connect homeless individuals to services.
- City Clerk – confirmed cancellation of the July 4, 2023 meeting; asked council to designate a voting delegate for the Florida League of Cities annual conference (August 10–12).
- Councilmember Thanos – will place the Florida Right to Clean Water resolution and the Tampa Bay Resiliency Plan on the July 18, 2023 agenda.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody to the June 20th, 2023. Regular City Council meeting for Golf Port Florida. Please join us in standing. The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. Dorothy Parker. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right, roll call, please, city clerk. Councilmember O'Hara. Here. Council Member Thanos. Here. Council Member Brown. Here. Vice Mayor Ray. Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. And City Clerk Carrico present. All right. Got a couple of presentations this evening. Our first one is an update on the Gulf Port Multipurpose Senior Center and an update on the Capitol campaign for that. So we'll go right to it. Welcome. Hi, thank you. Hi, I'm uh Karen Cox, and I'm president of Kinetic. This is Aaron Johnson, and we're campaign managers working on the um the senior center capital campaign. We prepared a report for you this evening, and as you can see, I'll read the numbers for you. Um, the number that we have 2.5 million, 543,000 in confirmed gifts secured requests under consideration right now. That means they haven't made a confirmation yet, but they haven't said no, uh, is 315,000. And then our priority asked in the next 90 days, and really it's more like the next 60 days is about 2 million dollars in uh priority asks. And those priority asks are individuals that we've outlined. Uh we have a strategy for, we have a plan, and we plan to ask them for a specific amount. So our benchmark is 3.5 million by August 31st. As you can see, we're on track for that. Um so we'll just be working very hard on making sure we uh meet that benchmark goal. Right now, our planned activities are we've got a campaign cabinet that's meeting regularly. We have great leadership for this campaign, of course. In um Rachel, and we have campaign uh co-chairs, and then we're also recruiting and engaging honorary chairs. Um, in fact, we just learned uh thank you that uh Joe and Maddie Gunther will be serving as honorary uh chairs, and we hope to secure another couple as well to create more visibility and more excitement for the campaign. Anyway, um, as we move along, our our planned activities in the next uh 90 days, 60 days is just refining and implementing our strategies every time we make a move with one of the individuals, foundations or corporations. Um, we refine our strategy even further and um just keep moving towards that uh ask. So we're also hosting cultivation events to engage prospective donors just to create interest and identify potential prospects. We've held a couple of them and we have a couple more uh planned uh between now and early fall. We're sending out a campaign newsletter, and then we'll be announcing the gifts that we have secured, and those are just to create some interest and inspire other people.
openpublica.com