OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - May 21, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, May 21, 2024
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 21, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
5:00

Welcome everyone to the June 21st, 2024 regular council meeting for the city of Gulfport, Florida.

5:05

Our invocation this evening will be given by Councilman Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

5:09

Please join us in our eyes.

5:14

Success is not final.

5:16

Failure.

5:17

Failure is not fatal.

5:19

It is the courage to continue that counts.

5:21

Winston Churchill.

5:23

Thanks.

5:25

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

5:34

Individuals are all right.

5:38

Thank you, sir.

5:39

Roll call, please, city clerk.

5:42

Councilmember Ray?

5:43

Here.

5:43

Vice Mayor O'Hara?

5:45

Here.

5:45

Councilmember Thanos?

5:46

Here.

5:47

Councilmember Brown?

5:48

Here.

5:48

Mayor Henderson.

5:49

Here.

5:49

City Attorney Salzman.

5:51

Here.

5:51

City Manager O'Reilly.

5:52

Here.

5:53

City Clerk Carico, President.

5:55

All right.

5:56

We've got a few presentations this evening.

5:58

Our first one is a proclamation for Older Americans Month.

6:01

And our senior center director, Rachel Cataldo is going to accept that, but I wanted to read the proclamation first.

6:07

Whereas the City of Gulfport, Florida includes a growing number of older Americans who contribute their strength, wisdom, and experience to the community, and whereas communities benefit when people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds have the opportunity to participate and live independently.

6:21

And whereas the city of Gulfport recognizes the need to create a community that provides the services and supports older adults may need to make choices about how they age, and whereas the city of Gulfport can work to build an even better community for our older residents by not limiting our thinking about aging, exploring and combating stereotypes, emphasizing the many positive aspects of aging and inspiring older adults to push past traditional boundaries.

6:45

Now, therefore, as Sam Henderson, mayor of the City of Goldport hereby proclaimed the month of May 2024 as Older Americans Month.

7:01

I don't like to think that way.

7:03

No, I'm talking about me personally.

7:10

Thank you very much.

7:12

All right, now we have a presentation from the Gulf Board Public Library to recognize the circle of friends.

7:19

Welcome, Mr.

7:20

Matter.

7:20

How are you?

7:21

Good, how are you?

7:22

Uh I'm here with Valerie Welch, she's the chair of the Friends.

7:25

Um as you know, for years the Friends of uh the Circle of Friends have supported us.

7:30

Uh the library, not just by volunteering, but also monetarily.

7:35

Um Valerie is brought Miss Welch has brought some items here that she wants to speak about.

7:40

But um in the past, um during the renovation, they paid for several thousands of dollars worth of children's furniture.

7:48

Um they've paid for meeting room chairs, and this time around uh they've been generous enough to pay for a new computer chairs to the tune of about $5400.

7:57

Um, and um I'll uh bring it over to Miss Welch now, and she also has some pretty exciting news.

8:04

All right.

8:05

Thank you.

8:07

Um, just on behalf of the circle of friends and the library, I just want to say thank you all for always supporting the library and supporting everything that the circle of friends do.

8:18

And as you know, basically what we do is every cent that we earn goes right back in to supplement whatever the library needs, whether it's furniture, equipment, uh, or programming.

8:31

And of course, all the programming at the library is done, you know, thanks to in part, thanks thanks in part to the circle of friends.

8:41

Um, and the recent uh acquisition of those chairs is actually one example.

8:46

I've given Dave uh or some handouts because rather than going into all this, I just gave you all a handout of all the things that we have done and what we're um and how we're spending the money.

9:00

But briefly, just to know, over the last two years, we have brought in an average of 17,500, and at the same time we have dispersed an average of sixteen thousand dollars.

9:13

So, in good faith, I mean that's what we're all about, whether it's through the bookshop or donations or whatever, that's what we're doing.

9:22

But I wanted to say I got a call today from the executive secretary of it's called the Hello in there foundation, and for those some some people in the audience may not know, but that is to honor the memory and the legacy of John Prime, and it's meant to um provide community giving.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Floodplain Management████████████████16%
Public Comment██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Public Safety██████████10%
Council Comments████████8%
Veterans Affairs███████7%
Historic Preservation██████6%
Public Engagement██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport City Council Meeting - May 21, 2024

The Gulfport City Council met on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included presentations, public comment, approval of consent items, second readings of two pension ordinances, and passage of five resolutions. Note: The meeting transcript incorrectly references "June 21, 2024"; the official date per the agenda is May 21, 2024.

Presentations

  • Older Americans Month Proclamation – Mayor Henderson proclaimed May 2024 as Older Americans Month, accepted by Senior Center Director Rachel Cataldo.
  • Circle of Friends Donation – Valerie Welch, chair of the Friends of the Gulfport Public Library, reported that the Circle of Friends donated approximately $5,400 for new computer chairs. Over the last two years, the group averaged $17,500 in revenue and $16,000 in disbursements. She also announced a $5,000 grant from the Hello in There Foundation (honoring John Prine) to the library, to be administered through the Friends.
  • Sons of the American Legion Post 125 Donation – The Sons donated $4,000 to the Recreation Center's summer program to support scholarships for children who cannot afford the full 10-week program.
  • Award Announcement – Mayor Henderson announced that Gulfport won the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's Future of the Region Award for the Gulfport Rebound program (COVID-era initiative).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kelly Garcia – Thanked council for the "Welcome to Gulfport" event that attracted over 20 new residents. Proposed a summer movie night in Clymer Park on June 6, using silent disco headphones to avoid noise complaints. The special event application was approved unanimously by consensus.
  • Lauren Stern – Reported on splash pad research, contacting Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, and Madeira Beach. A flat-plan design (versus dolphin structures) costs around $300,000. She pledged to send contact information to council.
  • Resident (Kelly/ other) – During public comment on Resolution 2024-26, a speaker (Ms. Henn?) questioned whether the three percent credit card fee for the building department portal could be avoided. The City Manager noted that a new fee structure inclusive of transaction costs would be proposed over the summer.
  • Resident (Anna) – During public comment on Resolution 2024-28, thanked staff for flood insurance discounts but noted a significant drop in the number of flood insurance policies in force and a personal rate increase. She urged attention to affordability.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 2024-27 & 2024-28 (Combined Presentation) – Mike Taylor presented both resolutions regarding the Community Rating System (CRS). Gulfport is currently a Class 6 community, only 11 points above the threshold. Low-hanging fruit has been exhausted; future improvements may require larger projects (e.g., vulnerability studies, higher building elevation requirements). The resolutions were voted on separately.
  • New Business – Councilmember Thanos – (1) Asked for authorization to continue as Sun Coast representative (deferred to October). (2) Proposed placing voluntary "Please don't smoke" signs on the beach to reduce cigarette butt litter; council supported the idea. (3) Reported on a Continuum of Care meeting regarding homelessness, warning that cities may face lawsuits and may need to budget for housing homeless individuals; Councilmember Brown suggested starting with $500,000 in the budget.
  • Councilmember Brown – Announced the dog park opened that day; noted the decomposed granite surface reached 126°F (not 146°F as earlier misstated). Promoted upcoming hurricane conference (May 30) and CERT class starting mid-June.
  • Councilmember Ray – Acknowledged Lincoln Cemetery resolution passage; invited council to flag raising (June 1, 10 AM) and safety around water program (May 25 at Stetson College).
  • Councilmember Thanos (continued reports) – Attended resiliency summit; will provide written reports on sessions about resilient shorelines, vulnerability assessments, and climate communication. Encouraged attendance at Pride Gala (May 31) and upcoming town hall.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 5.a – Approval of meeting minutes from May 7, 2024. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 2024-04 – Second reading: amended Police Officers' Pension Trust Fund to provide a 6% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees. Passed 5-0.
  • Ordinance 2024-05 – Second reading: amended Firefighters' Retirement Pension Fund to provide a 2% cost-of-living adjustment. Councilmember Brown abstained (8B form received). Passed 4-0.
  • Resolution 2024-25 – Authorized City Manager to enter into an agreement with Cross & Anvil Human Services for Lincoln Cemetery (600 58th Street South), waiving code enforcement liens and interest. Pastor Clarence Williams spoke about cleanup plans, fencing, and future surveys (~$380,000 project). Passed 5-0.
  • Resolution 2024-26 – Approved BS&A Payments as the processor for community development transactions, enabling a public-facing portal for permits and business license payments. Passed 5-0.
  • Resolution 2024-27 – Adopted the annual Program for Public Information report as part of Pinellas County’s CRS. Passed 5-0.
  • Resolution 2024-28 – Adopted the annual Floodplain Management Plan report. Passed 5-0.
  • Resolution 2024-29 – Accepted a $1,700 Florida Humanities Summer Reading Program grant for the library, authorizing budget amendment. Passed 5-0.
  • Special Event Application – Summer movie night in Clymer Park on June 6 approved by unanimous consensus.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome everyone to the June 21st, 2024 regular council meeting for the city of Gulfport, Florida. Our invocation this evening will be given by Councilman Paul Ray, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in our eyes. Success is not final. Failure. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill. Thanks. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. Individuals are all right. Thank you, sir. Roll call, please, city clerk. Councilmember Ray? Here. Vice Mayor O'Hara? Here. Councilmember Thanos? Here. Councilmember Brown? Here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico, President. All right. We've got a few presentations this evening. Our first one is a proclamation for Older Americans Month. And our senior center director, Rachel Cataldo is going to accept that, but I wanted to read the proclamation first. Whereas the City of Gulfport, Florida includes a growing number of older Americans who contribute their strength, wisdom, and experience to the community, and whereas communities benefit when people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds have the opportunity to participate and live independently. And whereas the city of Gulfport recognizes the need to create a community that provides the services and supports older adults may need to make choices about how they age, and whereas the city of Gulfport can work to build an even better community for our older residents by not limiting our thinking about aging, exploring and combating stereotypes, emphasizing the many positive aspects of aging and inspiring older adults to push past traditional boundaries. Now, therefore, as Sam Henderson, mayor of the City of Goldport hereby proclaimed the month of May 2024 as Older Americans Month. I don't like to think that way. No, I'm talking about me personally. Thank you very much. All right, now we have a presentation from the Gulf Board Public Library to recognize the circle of friends. Welcome, Mr. Matter. How are you? Good, how are you? Uh I'm here with Valerie Welch, she's the chair of the Friends. Um as you know, for years the Friends of uh the Circle of Friends have supported us. Uh the library, not just by volunteering, but also monetarily. Um Valerie is brought Miss Welch has brought some items here that she wants to speak about. But um in the past, um during the renovation, they paid for several thousands of dollars worth of children's furniture. Um they've paid for meeting room chairs, and this time around uh they've been generous enough to pay for a new computer chairs to the tune of about $5400. Um, and um I'll uh bring it over to Miss Welch now, and she also has some pretty exciting news.

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