The Gulfport City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included a Spirit of Gulfport Award to Vanessa Gray for her work on Lincoln Cemetery, a Poet Laureate appointment, several public comments regarding the Sazerac Lounge and other community matters, approval of a subdivision replat ordinance, and three resolutions concerning a special event, fire department restructuring, and additional building services funding. Council also discussed cemetery jurisdiction and received updates on local events and grants.
Welcome everyone to the regular city council meeting for the city of Gulfport, Florida for March 5th, 2024. Our invocation tonight's given by a councilwoman Thanos, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in rising. Well, it is women's um month. Women's history month, so I couldn't choose, so there's several. Jane Goodall. They'll tell you you're too loud that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway. Alexandria O'Kay Ocasia Cortez. If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. Shirley Chisholm. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America 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 Thanos. Here. Vice Mayor Ray. Here. Councilmember Brown. Here. Councilmember O'Hara. Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Attorney Salzman? Here. City Clerk Carico present. All right. We have a couple of presentations this evening. Our first one is for our most recent appointee to the position of Gulfport Poet Laureate. It's going to Krista Fairbrothers, so we're gonna actually I'm gonna send Councilman O'Hara from Ward Four down to deliver this. Oh, it's a three. Congratulations. Our next one we have uh a spirit of golf board award that's that's uh near and dear to my heart. We're awarding this to Vanessa Gray uh for all the time that she spent and the resources that she spent, um, including the resources of her friends and family uh taking care of a local historical site um that's important to lots of families in this area, Lincoln Cemetery that she's been doing for years now. Um hot summers, keeping the grass mode, um helping people locate graves of family members, uh clearing those graves off and generally taking care of this property out of the goodness of her heart at no spall expense of her of her money and time, uh which I think is an absolutely wonderful thing to do, and we'll always be grateful for that. So with the symbol the representative symbols of star, your value to golf port, sailboat, golf port's ties to the sea, the rising sun ever looking toward the future, and winging birds, the soaring concept of spirit is here by presentative Vanessa Gray, who has demonstrated the true spirit of golf port. This is for any item that is not on the agenda tonight. You'll have three minutes. Please come up when uh when I call you and use the microphone so folks at home can hear you and please give your name and your address if you're comfortable with it, and we'll start with a show of hands. Yes, sir. Hi, my name is Jimmy. I live in St. Pete, just a block outside of Gulfport. I'm here to voice my ongoing concerns with the Sazerac Lounge, which is in Golfport and affecting my neighborhood. I'm not interested in shutting anyone down, like the owner said at the last council meeting. I just want accountability for the negative effects this business is having on our neighborhoods. I'm all about successful business and our neighborhood, but it should be done responsibly and respectfully.