Gulfport City Council Meeting - February 4, 2025
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Gulfport City Council Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 6:00 PM
Location: Gulfport City Hall, 2401 53rd Street South, Gulfport, FL
Presentations
Senior Center Design Update
Ward Friszolowski, President, and Amy Bradlow, Senior Vice President of Harvard Jolly/PBK presented an update on the new senior center and theater expansion. Key changes from the 2017 design include:
- Combined multi-purpose rooms with operable partitions to allow flexible configurations.
- Fitness center enlarged from 835 sq ft to 1,450 sq ft.
- Added an indoor walking track integrated into circulation.
- Added a roof terrace for outdoor activities.
- Building size: 24,300 sq ft conditioned space plus 1,380 sq ft roof terrace (senior center); theater expansion of 2,600+ sq ft.
- Estimated construction cost: $12.45 million; total project cost: $15.35 million – a decrease from the earlier $15.5 million estimate despite increased scope.
- The design includes a canopy for drop-off, dual main entrances (north and south), and a new theater lobby with expanded restrooms.
- Council members expressed approval but noted funding challenges.
Public Comments & Testimony
Stormwater Issues
- Wolfgang Dininger (Gulfport Grassroots): Reported 220 lbs of trash collected at January cleanup; promoted upcoming Saturday event and a mailbox art fundraiser for the Senior Center Foundation.
- Peter Ford and Barbara Baker (59th Street South): Described blocked drainage ditches on 59th Street, stagnant water since hurricanes, and lack of maintenance by the city. They requested immediate clearing to prevent flooding.
Permitting & Substantial Damage Letters (Hurricane Recovery)
Multiple residents expressed frustration with delays and inaccuracies in the permitting process and substantial damage determinations:
- Glenda Hado (Townshores): Asked when permits would be processed so residents can return home.
- Sue Book (Lancaster Building): Represented 14 first-floor condos made unlivable; called for quick resolution.
- Lisa Shoey (Townshores): Noted master permits submitted January 3, entered review January 10/14; still pending after 3 weeks. Cited Dunedin’s fast approval, contrasted with Gulfport.
- Phyllis Markham: Stated her roof permit was delayed from July, house flooded; received a 73% substantial damage letter she disputed. City staff later confirmed no damage.
- Lisa Williamson: Requested regular communication from the city on permit status and damage letters; said none had been provided.
- Deb Atkins: Acknowledged Mayor’s apology, requested weekly updates, offered to help cross-reference data. Questioned why “option two” for repair cost calculation is not being discussed.
- Courtney Perkoffis (Gulfport Landia): Proposed using skilled volunteers to assist community development department; cited Florida Volunteer Protection Act and examples from other cities. Asked for a show of hands – many residents volunteered.
- Gaia Banovich (Townshores): Noted Representative Cheney’s office was contacted; permit applications sat 11 days before being added to review list. Called for immediate action.
- Unnamed resident (block home): Received a 76.2% substantial damage letter; after city review (Justin), corrected to 38%. Still waiting for permits.
- Charles Gale (Townshores): Expressed desperation; asked council to prioritize helping displaced residents over other business.
- Resident on 45th Street South: Described rude treatment at permit counter; documents initially said missing were later found.
- John Luccioni (candidate for Mayor): Published an expose on “Tidal Basin scandal” (Tidal Gate), alleging false substantial damage claims – 50 documented cases in Gulfport, 8-10 appeals all found false. Warned of lawsuits.
Council Vacancy Public Comment
- Lauren Stern: Criticized the long-open seat, said voters don’t know the applicants.
- Joel Fetterman (applicant): Introduced himself, noted he submitted on time, Navy veteran, MBA; expressed desire to serve.
- Resident (name not given): Supported Kosi Jackson; suggested low applicant pool may reflect council culture lacking collaboration.
- John Luccioni: Endorsed Kosi Jackson for the seat.
Discussion Items
City Manager’s Report & Permitting Update
City Manager O’Reilly and Building Official Clark Streiker addressed the backlogs. Key points:
- Substantial Damage Letters: Of 55 cases reviewed, 15 completed; 40 needed re-evaluation due to data entry errors. The remaining letters (except return-to-sender) to be mailed by Friday, Feb 7.
- Permitting Volume: 744 permits total since Sept 27 (post-Helene); 519 issued, 251 under review. Many applications incomplete.
- Town Shores Master Permits: 13 buildings, each ~162 pages; awaiting review of open permit values.
- Staff Strain: Permit clerks berated daily; two clerks are bottleneck. St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island close earlier to process paperwork.
- Proposed Solution: City offices will close at 1:00 PM (9:00 AM – 1:00 PM) Monday–Friday starting immediately to allow staff to process permits without interruptions. Phones may also be turned off.
- Mayor’s Remarks: Emphasized that FEMA rules are mandatory; “option two” would jeopardize flood insurance ratings. Defended staff commitment; noted the city is not unique – many beach communities face same issues.
Council Vacancy Appointment (Ward III)
Council discussed three applicants: Kosi Jackson, Joel Fetterman, and a third (not named). Vice Mayor Fridovich and Councilmember Thanos supported Jackson; Councilmember Brown supported Fetterman. Mayor initially proposed opening applications for another week but the charter requires action within 30 days (deadline Feb 14). Council voted 4-0 to appoint Kosi Jackson to fill the Ward III seat until the March 2025 election.
Resolutions
- Resolution 2025-17 (O’Maddy’s Special Event): Approved 3-1 (Councilmember Thanos opposed due to music past 10 PM). Event benefits St. Petersburg Grand Prix kickoff and PSA Check charity.
- Resolution 2025-18 (South Basin Dock Design): Approved 4-0. Authorizes contract with Reuben & Clarson Consulting for design and construction oversight.
- Resolution 2025-19 (Casino Dock Design): Approved 4-0. Similar scope for casino dock replacement.
City Clerk Report
- Voter registration deadline for March 11 municipal election: Feb 10, 2025.
- Requested council support for a resolution backing state legislation to exempt municipal clerks’ personal information from public records (similar to code enforcement). Council agreed to place on next agenda.
Council Comments & Reports
- Vice Mayor Fridovich recognized Black History Month.
- Councilmember Thanos announced a town hall (Feb 6) on Gulfport’s rebuilding future; requested a budget review at first March meeting. Also updated on Fusion 49th Street group, but Vice Mayor Fridovich objected to involvement of “Brother John” due to alleged anti-Semitic ties.
- Councilmember Brown requested an update on the Comprehensive Plan; reminded about Little League, Bogg’s Day High School sports, and the Ask & Learn session on permitting (Feb 5, 6 PM).
- Council discussed the hostile political climate as a deterrent for candidates; Mayor and others noted it affects staff retention.
Key Outcomes
- Appointed Kosi Jackson to Ward III City Council seat (4-0).
- Approved Resolution 2025-17 (O’Maddy’s special event) 3-1.
- Approved Resolution 2025-18 (South Basin dock design) 4-0.
- Approved Resolution 2025-19 (Casino dock design) 4-0.
- Directed city staff to close building department to the public from 1:00 PM daily to process permits; also to consider turning off phones.
- Agreed to place clerk public records exemption resolution on next agenda.
- Set budget review for first March 2025 council meeting.
Note: Meeting minutes were not available.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everyone to the February 4th regular city council meeting for Gulf Port Florida. Our invocation tonight's given by Vice Mayor Michael Fernovich, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join us in rising. This one's gonna be very short but appropriate. This is Earl Leg Ladreb, who's a um Indiana politician, uh Congressman during the Watergate uh area. And his fair famous quote is don't confuse me with the facts. All right, roll call, please, city clerk. Vice Mayor Fredovich. Councilmember Thanos here. Council Member Brown here. Mayor Henderson. Here. City Attorney Salzman. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico is present. All right. Leading off tonight, we have a presentation. We've got Ward Fresnowski president and Amy Bradlow, Senior Vice President of Harvard Jolly PBK giving us a senior center design update. Thank you all for being here. Thank you. Honorable Mayor and City Council members. I'm Ward Fresilaski with Harvard Jolly PBK Architecture. With me is Amy Bradlow, an architect and principal with the firm, and also with us is Felipe Delgado, uh a colleague of ours. So as you know, we've made uh a couple presentations in the past. Since then we've met with the public. Uh obviously work closely with Rachel and Tom and the rest of the staff, so we thought it would just be appropriate to give you a brief update. Fantastic. So Amy will kind of take us through a uh quick presentation. Thank you. So this is you all know is the site of the existing senior center and theater. And uh we oops. Uh we gave a presentation uh earlier last year to the public on the design that we did in 2017 for the new senior center and theater expansion. This was the plan. Um and it involved uh closing a portion of 27th Avenue in order to keep the existing senior center in operation during construction. I don't know what I'm doing here. Uh this was the original plan that we did in 2017, the first floor. Uh one thing you'll note is that the multi-purpose rooms in green at the top there are um separated uh with the kitchen and and associated spaces in between. Uh there was also um two entrances so that you can enter from either the uh the north side, uh which where the main parking is, or from the library side, and uh some offices and the snack bar. And the second floor had some more multi-purpose rooms, um with uh two there at the top of the screen, one down at the bottom, and a fitness center, and some additional offices. And these were the renderings that we created at that time and uh presented again for input last year. So we got a lot of great input from uh the people that attended the meeting. Um and some of the things that they asked for were an additional elevator, an escalator if possible, uh, to ensure that those uh multi-purpose flex rooms were outfitted to accommodate all the different programs that are offered and additional ones they'd like to have in the future. An indoor walking track. Um they like to it enlarge the size of the fitness center and uh a larger multi-purpose room. So uh we took all that into consideration and made a lot of changes to the design. Uh we were able to provide an additional elevator. We were not able to provide an escalator um due to cost and space uh uh considerations, but the additional elevator should help. And we also you'll see join those together so that they can provide a larger room or different smaller ones, various sizes, and offer a lot more flexibility for different types of programs. We did increase the size of the fitness center from 835 square feet to uh 1450 square feet, and we're able to provide uh an indoor walking track that was incorporated within the circulation around the building.
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