History in the Re-Making

By Amanda Hagood

Pedestrians passing by the apartment building at 3000 Beach Blvd. S. last week may have noticed a curious metamorphosis underway. The square lines once visible where the columns of its arcade met the second story of the building have transformed into graceful, curving arches. What they may not realize is that this nearly 100-year-old build- ing is taking a step back into its past. Walter O. Brooks built the building known to Gulfport history as “The Holiday Inn” (no relation to the continued on page 10

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Thanks to the City of Gulfport for hosting us in the Catherine A. Hickman Theater, and thanks to all who participated.

St. Pete Beach Parking

In reference to Mr. Petrilla, who is running for the mayor’s office of St. Pete Beach: I find his comment, “St. Pete Beach residents have a right to convenient access to our beaches with designated resident-only beach parking spaces” a bit absurd. They have it. My husband and I have been coming to this beautiful area for about nine years, for three months during the winter. We are beach people and would go almost everyday, if possible – but it’s too costly. We have found that all of the beach parking is permit only (residents, or it states “resident parking only”) and visitors or snowbirds have to pay the atrocious fees for the meters that have gone up since last year, ridiculously, in price! I tried to pay for a parking permit at city hall a few years ago and was rudely told by the employee that I couldn’t since I wasn’t a resident of St. Pete Beach. I offered to pay the yearly fee for a permit, even though [I was] only staying three months, and she still refused to issue one. The visitors to your city, no matter how long their stay, bring a lot of revenue to your area. I think residents have a lot of access and few parking issues. Perhaps you should consider the people that aren’t residents and make it easier for them. If [we’re] at the beach for five hours a day, at $3.50-3.75 an hour for parking, [it costs] almost $20 a day, [which] is crazy and not doable for most! –Deb Schaefgen,

snowbird

About Police Violence

We live in an inclusive and accepting paradise here in Gulfport, but occasionally the often-ugly outside world intrudes on our tranquility. The horrific beating of Tyre Nichols has captured world attention. This human was savagely beaten by men who looked like him and had municipally sanctioned authority – under lawful circumstances – to confront, detain and arrest him – under the auspic- es of “to serve and protect.” These cops (criminals in blue with a badge) were apparently very comfortable flaunting their bully antics on an open street corner in plain view –evidence that they had likely done this often before to others, and they feared no repercussions for their crimes. All this furthers the claim, backed by persistent day-after-day videos of cops’ unwarranted abuse of power across the country, that we have a policing problem in this country, especially when “special” task forces are created to “get tough on crime.” Before retiring, I saw far too many of these tactics backfire many times in my years of legal practice in Baltimore, MD. Nothing indicates there are any such problems here in Gulfport, but a nationwide police culture of abusing authority, ill-advised “elite” task force creation, and bolstered by civilians’ blindly parroting “back the blue” has no place in a country grounded on the rule of law. The law works both ways and protects everyone. A blue uniform and badge are not a license for bullies. I back the blue when cops – like everyone else – follow the law – like everyone else. Desmond Tutu’s quote resounds at this time: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” The granting of authority to a person to investigate, detain, and arrest others has to come with checks and balances on that trend toward abusing that authority. Otherwise, credibility – the ultimate badge of legitimate authority –withers as society devolves to chaos. —W. Scott Hannon, Gulfport

REMEMBER: Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

Correction: Treasure Island Candidate

In the Feb. 2 edition of The Gabber, our article “Decision: Treasure Island” referred to candidate Ashley Wagner as Ashley Dochinez. Her name on the ballot is Ashley Wagner.

The Gabber Newspaper encourages letters (one per person, per month). Include your real name and city, and please keep it short – <250 words. We may edit letters for content, clarity, and length. We don’t print letters that incite violence, include attacks on private citizens, or that intentionally mislead people. Letters may appear online and/or in print. Comments on The Gabber’s website and social media may get printed. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of The Gabber owners, advertisers, or staff. Send letters to news@ thegabber.com or 2908-B Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport, FL, 33707.

I have worked with Christine and Michael for over a decade. They have proven to be admirable public servants and fervent defenders of Gulfport. We may not always agree on the issues, but I know them to be honest, diligent and compassionate supporters of the people of our community. Their only agenda is keeping Gulfport a beautiful, inclusive full-service city that we can all be proud to call home. They are committed to preserving the unique character of our town while tackling the crucial but difficult tasks of preparing us for future challenges. If you love Gulfport, chances are these two Councilmembers had a hand in some aspect of that as staunch supporters of improving our infrastructure, public lands, environmental resilience, climate for local businesses, resident services and fiscal responsibility. I trust them to do right by Gulfport, and I hope you will too.

Decision: South Pasadena Half-Dozen Vie for Commission; Here’s More About Them

By Monroe Roark

Six candidates are vying for two open seats on the South Pasadena City Commission in the upcoming March election. All but one of them responded to our questionnaire.

The Gabber reached out to each candidate at the email address provided on his or her qualifying documents at the city clerk’s office. They are listed below in the order that they submitted their responses.

All commission seats in South Pasadena are at-large, and the top two overall vote-getters win the two seats on the commission.

Michael Burgmaier has lived in South Pasadena seven-and-a-half years, and is a retired fire lieutenant who served Pinellas County for 32 years. He has never held an elected office and was prompted to run by residents in his community who discussed their concerns about the city.

Burgmaier wants to work on alleviating the traffic concerns of his fellow residents, saying that some side-street entrances, driveways, and business entryways have become dangerous since the installation of the SunRunner bus lane.

“As citizens of South Pasadena, most citizens feel we should have had a voice or a referendum vote on the construction of the bus lane,” he said.

Marj Lorand has lived in the city for 35 years and is a retired educator and school administrator.

“Several years ago, I became concerned about the direction our city appeared to be going in plans for redevelopment. I regularly attend meetings, contact city staff, and speak out in public comment opportunities on those issues. Often, I have found that many of the plans are at odds with the residential feel of our city,” Lorand said when asked what prompted her to run.

“We have a terrific location on Boca Ciega Bay and I want to protect it from misuse and overdevelopment. Most folks I know agree that we want to keep the city the tranquil place that it is to live.”

A newcomer to public office if elected, Lorand outlined three major goals for the city: responsible redevelopment, protecting Boca Ciega Bay, and improving public participation in city government.

Gail Neidinger is a 30-year resident; she and her husband bought their home in the city in December 1992. She retired after a career that included several senior management positions in telecommunications, financial investments, and college education.

Neidinger is a former city commissioner; she served three three-year terms that concluded in March 2021. During that time she was commissioner of the Finance, Public Works, Community Improvement, and Public Safety departments.

“In these roles, I learned and was actively involved in the operation of each department and participated in detailed annual budgets to ensure that we spend our tax dollars wisely for the best interests of our city,” she stated. “I served as vice mayor three times during my tenure. After two years out, I am ready to run again and use my learned experience to help with the management of our city.”

If elected, Neidinger plans to be actively involved in all aspects of the job including participation in county and state organizations such as the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (on which she previously served for eight years), the Suncoast League of Cities,

S. Pasadena continued on page 6

Phone: 727-851-8310

Email: ianohara2001@gmail.com and the Florida League of Cities.

“I will develop and encourage a welcoming environment for current and future businesses, promote citizen involvement in city government, and provide our firefighters/first responders with a safe, modern, functional fire station that we can all be proud of,” she said.

Tom Reid, an incumbent commissioner running for re-election, is a seven-year city resident and has lived in Florida for 20 years. He has worked in sales for more than 40 years.

He was first prompted to run in 2019 after serving as chairman of the Charter Review Committee, which made the largest number of proposed changes to the city charter, all of which were approved by the voters.

“I was encouraged to run by several people in the city after that success,” Reid said.

First elected in March 2020, Reid serves as South Pasadena’s current vice mayor and commissioner of public safety. Among his goals if re-elected is continuing to encourage more citizen involvement.

“I believe that an engaged and involved public leads to more informed and thoughtful decisions on the part of elected officials,” he said.

Reid hopes to continue his advocacy efforts on behalf of the city through the Florida League of Cities and the Suncoast League of Cities, saying that both organizations work diligently to protect the home rule –the concept that decisions which affect localities are best made at the local level.

He serves on several FLC committees and as SLC vice president.

If re-elected in South Pasadena, he said, he is on track to be SCL president in two years, “which will give our city and all 411 cities in Florida a powerful voice on local issues in Tallahassee.”

Other priorities for Reid include ensuring the city has the best fire and emergency medical services possible, and working to attract businesses “that can fill the empty lots that dot Pasadena Avenue.”

Felix Day arrived in South Pasadena three years ago from the western US. His career experience includes being an architect specializing in low impact development, water quality, watershed and stormwater management, as well as a salmon naturalist with certification in low impact development and stream restoration.

Why is he running?

“My neighbors asked me to,” he said. “That is community in the best sense of the word.”

Day cited his professional background and his diplomatic skills in getting projects done through collab- oration as the reasons for his neighbors’ request.

As for being previously elected, Day pointed out only that while a student at Lakeland High he was elected National Honor Society president for the chapter covering Polk and Osceola counties. He added that his most recent electoral victory was when a courtroom jury appointed him foreman.

Day says he looks at South Pasadena and imagines what it should be 30 years from now –sustainable, energy-independent, safe and resilient, with excellent water quality for drinking, landscaping, and habitat.

“What did we learn from Hurricane Ian?” he asked. “To quote those who have come before us: The future is now, not ‘next year.’”

Ronald Mack qualified to run but later issued this statement: “Because of recent business commitments, I have decided to withdraw from the South Pasadena election. In the future, when I can devote the necessary amount of time to the position, I will reconsider running.”

Bonnie Quick, an incumbent commissioner running for another term, did not respond to The Gabber’s questionnaire.