Gulfport Council Takes a Look at 2020 By Ryan McGahan
Tuesday, February 17, Gulfport Council met the new Gulfport police K-9 unit, spoke with the local Habitat for Humanities branch, and approved a permit for Get Rescued, before hearing what each branch of the city accomplished in the last fiscal year. The meeting – held in-person at the Catherine Hickman Theater and via Zoom – began with a series of presentations, including the introduction of the Gulfport Police Department’s new K-9 unit, featuring Cezar and Ghost. Cheryl Hannafin, the city’s finance director, then accepted the Financial Reporting Achievement Award, marking Gulfport’s 37th year as a recipient of the national award. Council in the Mood to Approve Council approved Caroline Woodruff’s appointment to the Gulfport Board of Adjustment, which has the
final say on zoning requirements. Woodruff replaces longtime board member William Seawall, who recently stepped down as chairman. “Caroline has been in Gulfport a few years now; she’s a really good friend of mine too. She’s a very detail-orientated person who’s done a lot of work with other types of environments. Her previous experience will really come in handy,” Councilmember Paul Ray said. “We do appreciate all the work that Mr. Seawall has done for us over the years and regret watching him resign, but we really do thank him for everything that he’s done.” Council also approved the Gulfport Merchants Chamber of Commerce’s application for the annual “Get Rescued” fundraiser on Beach Boulevard, February 27. The event will have 102 booths of pet-themed vendors and rescue organizations to raise money and awareness for different animal causes. The
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Habitat for Humanity Seeks Residents Mike Sutton, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties, spoke on his organization’s goal of building 70 new affordable homes in Pinellas County this year. Habitat for Humanity has not built a home in Gulfport since 2018, and so far has no plans to do so this year, but Sutton wants to reach out to families or individuals in the city looking to own a home, and ask them to apply through the group’s website. Once they receive and approve an application, HFH can buy land in the applicant’s home community, and build a home to fit their needs, transferring ownership to them with a 0% interest loan. “One of the biggest misconceptions about Habitat, besides the fact that everyone thinks Jimmy Carter is our CEO, is that we build homes and give them away for free; that’s not the case. Our homeowners are folks that fall in an income range where they are not able to qualify for a traditional loan, but they make too much to receive any government assistance,” Sutton said. The Year in Gulfport
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booths will be spaced 6 to 10 feet apart, there will be hand-washing stations at each block, and visitors will have to pass a quick temperature scan and wear a mask to enter the event. Volunteers will distribute masks to those who need one.
Council concluded with an overview of the fiscal year, October 2019 to September 2020, as leaders from each municipal department presented the data on what they’d accomplished. Gulfport Police Chief Robert Vincent reported a slight increase in crimes on persons – including murder, robbery and assault – over the last few years, and an ongoing decrease in property crimes, like burglary, over the same period. The overall number of calls made
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