Gulfport City Council Meeting – May 5, 2026
Gulfport City Council Meeting – May 5, 2026
The Gulfport City Council met on the evening of May 5, 2026, for a regular meeting that included three presentations, departmental state-of-the-city reports, public comments, and several council actions. The meeting lasted approximately five hours.
Consent Calendar
- Approved meeting minutes from April 21, 2026.
- Resolution 2026-28 authorizing an agreement with Central Florida Contractors Inc. for sidewalk and ADA ramp improvements. (Passed unanimously)
Presentations & Proclamations
- National Safe Boating Week: Mayor Love read a proclamation declaring May 16–22, 2026 as National Safe Boating Week. Howard Bush of the Coast Guard Auxiliary accepted and described a recent rescue operation where auxiliary vessels responded to a person overboard, highlighting the importance of safe boating.
- Gulf Scholars Coastal Resiliency Survey: Dr. Amanda Haygood and students from Eckerd College presented results from a 268-respondent survey about Gulfport Beach. Key findings:
- 85% of respondents are concerned or very concerned about the future of the beach during hurricane season.
- Top concerns: water quality (82% concerned), erosion, and wildlife presence.
- 85% approved or strongly approved of nature-based solutions (living shorelines) for resiliency.
- The Gulf Scholars recommended a community workshop in fall 2026 to discuss living shorelines, facilitated by Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
- State of the City – Department Reports: City Manager Jim O’Reilly introduced department heads who reported achievements and statistics from the past year. Highlights included:
- Finance: $21.8M general fund budget; $5M FEMA line of credit; $6.5M in insurance reimbursements; $1.3M in FEMA reimbursements; $10M in grants over five years.
- HR/Risk Management: 200 employees; 12 workers’ comp claims; 10 auto claims; 18 property claims since Jan 2025.
- Community Development: 3,297 permits issued; 10,385 inspections; 2,258 code enforcement cases.
- Utility Billing: 14,000+ calls; 10,000+ emails; 7,000 service orders; plans for new billing system and AMI meters.
- Public Works: 10,582 tons of trash collected; 1.4 miles of road paving; Hoyt Field restoration after hurricane debris; beach restoration with 2,000 cu yds of sand and sheet piling.
- IT: 193,000 website views; 2,843 help desk tickets; 1.3 million Facebook post views.
- Police: 5,750 dispatch calls; 202 arrests; violent crime down; introduced therapy canine Raya.
- Fire: 3,773 EMS/fire responses; new engine in service; new rescue expected July 2026; 64 smoke detectors installed; car seat and life jacket programs.
- Senior Center: 500 visitors/day; 80 activities/week; gym transportation gave 11,250 rides.
- Marina: 187 wet slips; fueling facility; clean marina designation; mooring field project underway; living shoreline permit pending.
- Library: 10,000 program attendees; digital resources; 22,000 historical documents digitized.
- Public Arts Center: 1,700 visitors; 121 art workshops.
- Recreation Center: preschool, VPK, after-school, summer programs; adult basketball; pavilion rentals resumed.
- Cultural Facilities: Casino theater half-million-dollar revenue; Catherine Hickman Theater 141 events; weekly dances to resume late 2027.
- City Clerk’s Office: 1,017 public records requests completed; 40 council meetings; 33 agendas; 11,460 files digitized; Clerk Teresa Carico earned Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Brad Bruner, Kate Seidman, and Regina Buscemi spoke in support of Gulfport’s peacock population, describing them as beneficial and symbolic of the community. They urged the city to protect rather than remove the birds.
- Lenny Gukenheimer suggested the city consider contracting for services from yacht clubs rather than leasing city property, referencing charter amendments on leases.
- April (address given) asked about removal of utility marking flags after construction and reported a permit delay due to a staff member’s vacation.
- Karen Schwartz asked about enforcement of water restrictions during the drought and about “Duke Clear” spray-painted on the street. City Manager O’Reilly explained that the marking means no Duke Energy utility is present; water restriction violations should be reported to code enforcement.
- Rosemary Ninton, a new homeowner, praised city workers and asked about repurposing granite curbs removed during 58th Street reconstruction. City Manager O’Reilly confirmed curbs are saved and repurposed.
- E-comments: Six e-comments were read, including support for the student mock council, a suggestion to give drought-tolerant ground cover instead of trees, and an ADA compliance concern at Trolley Market Square.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 2026-29 – City Clerk Salary Adjustment: After attaining CMC designation, the council discussed a salary increase. City Clerk Carico reported typical increases of 2–8% from a survey of other Pinellas cities. Councilmember Webb suggested possibly splitting the increase over two years due to anticipated budget constraints. Councilmember Early and Donch supported the full 5% increase immediately. Public comment in favor. The resolution passed 5–0.
- Item 8B Tabled: An ordinance regarding policies and procedures was tabled to a later meeting due to the late hour.
New Business & Council Actions
- Stetson Grant Support (Councilmember Webb): Council agreed to support Stetson University College of Law’s application for a Bureau of Historic Preservation grant to restore woodwork and windows on historic buildings. A signed letter was provided.
- Gulfport Elementary Support Group: Councilmember Webb is organizing a meeting with parents and School Board member Laura Hine to form a committee to support Gulfport Elementary.
- Gulf Scholars Workshop (Councilmember Donch): Council reached consensus to support the city organizing a workshop on living shorelines in fall 2026, as proposed by the Gulf Scholars.
- City Bird Adoption (Councilmember Donch): Consensus to place on a future agenda the adoption of the white ibis as the official city bird, following a mock council decision.
- Call to Artists for Sign (Mayor Love): Mayor Love requested consensus to issue a call to artists for a new colorful sign at the intersection of 18th Avenue and 49th Street, replacing the current black-and-white “Welcome to Gulfport” sign. The winning artist would receive $500, and the total cost for fabrication and installation would be $4,526. Council gave consensus after discussion.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent agenda items.
- Approved Resolution 2026-29 granting a 5% salary increase to City Clerk Teresa Carico following CMC certification.
- Tabled Item 8B (policies and procedures).
- Consensus to support Stetson’s historic preservation grant.
- Consensus to proceed with a living shoreline workshop in fall 2026.
- Consensus to place adoption of white ibis as city bird on a future agenda.
- Consensus to issue a call to artists for a new sign at 18th and 49th, with a $500 artist stipend and $4,526 total project cost.
- Councilmember Webb announced a town hall on May 14th regarding Stetson’s land use changes.
- Mayor Love reminded residents of the Hurricane Preparedness Seminar on May 28th and encouraged participation in the “Pledge to Evacuate” program.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. I call this uh May 5th meeting to order. If there's any chance whatsoever that your phone, the ringers on, just take a second right now and make sure it's not. I'd appreciate that. Also would like to say that I understand that sometimes there's side conversations and you feel like you need to check something with your neighbor. That's totally okay, but take it out to the lobby. It's almost it's a weird the way the the sound works here, but when anybody's talking out there, I can hear them as clear as day. So I'm going to ask you as I do it every meeting, please don't do that. Okay. So with that in mind, we are gonna start out with our invocation by uh councilmember Webb, and then that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. So please stand. All right. Please join me in a moment of silence. All right, Lord, make me a channel of thy peace. That where there is hatred, I may bring love, that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness, that where there is discord, I may bring harmony, that where there is error, I may bring truth. That where there is doubt, I may bring faith, that where there is despair, I may bring hope, that where there are shadows, I may bring light, that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to understand than to be understood, to love than to be loved. For it is self-forgiving that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven, and it is by dying that one is awakened to eternal life. Amen. All righty, thank you so much. And with that, can we have a roll call, please? Councilmember Webb here, present. Councilmember Early, present. Councilmember Donch here. Vice Mayor Shaw, present. Mayor Love, here. City Attorney Salzman. Here. City Manager O'Reilly. Here. City Clerk Carico is present. Thank you. So tonight we're kind of heavy in the beginning here with presentations. We have three of them tonight, and we will start with a proclamation for safe boating week, and it will be read by our city clerk. For nearly 90 million Americans, boating continues to be a popular rec recreational activity. Gulfport, with its beautiful access to Boca Siega Bay, has an active population enjoying boating, sailing, paddling, and fishing. During National Safe Boating Week, the U.S. Coast Guard and its federal, state, and local safe boating partners encourage all boaters to explore and enjoy America's beautiful waters responsibly. Safe boating begins with preparation. The Coast Guard estimates that human error accounts for 70% of all boating accidents and that life jackets could prevent more than 80% of voting fatalities. Through basic boating safety procedures, carrying life-saving emergency, excuse me, carrying life-saving emergency distress and communications equipment, wearing life jackets, attending safe boating courses, participating in free boat safety checks, and staying sober when navigating. National Safe Boating Week is observed to bring attention to important life-saving tips for recreational boaters so that they can have a safer, more fun experience out on the water throughout the year. Whereas 560 people died in 2024 in voting-related accidents in the United States, approximately 80% of these are fatalities caused by drowning. And whereas this is a decrease of seven or excuse me, 14% from previous years due to the efforts of organizations like the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. And whereas the vast majority of these accidents are caused by human error or poor judgment, and not by the boat equipment or environmental factors. And whereas a significant number of voters who lose their lives by drowning each year would be alive today had they worn their life jackets. Therefore, it be a resolve that I, Karen Love, mayor of the city of Gulfport, Florida, do hereby support the goals of the safe boating campaign and proclaim May 16th through 22nd, 2026 as National Safe Boating Week and the start of the year-round effort to support safe boating and witness hereof. I have set hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the city to go seal City of Gulfport, Florida to be a fixed this fifth day of May 2026.
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