No Change to Noise Ordinance

Gulfport Council Also Talks COVID Relief Funds, and Possible July 4th Fireworks

By Ryan McGahan

The June 1 Gulfport City Council meeting, the first since the cancellation of Zoom participation, began with a moment of silence for local musician Leta Woloshuk, who passed away May 21 from breast cancer. Council then heard from residents and discussed the ongoing noise complaints related to the North End Taphouse, talked new summer events, and federal relief money received due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proposed Change to Noise Ordinance Fails

After two months of public discussion on music at the North End Taphouse, and a month-long moratorium on noise complaints, Mayor Sam Henderson proposed a 30-day adjustment to the city’s noise ordinance that, with a 2-3 vote, failed to pass.

The current noise ordinance requires businesses to operate under 65 decibels until 11 p.m., at which point it drops to 55 decibels. The owners of the Taphouse, along with musicians and customers, claimed that65 decibels is far too low, and can be reached in a room of casual conversation. Local residents had complained that not only was noise from the Taphouse exceeding normal limits, but was doing so late into the evenings, sometimes well past 11 p.m.

”Most of the time that I go into these places at night, I can’t bloody hear a thing. I can’t have a conversation. I gotta leave to go do it. Is that fun? No.”

Henderson’s proposed compromise was a 30-day trial run that would raise the normal decibel limit to 75, but cut it down to 55 decibels at 10 p.m., an hour earlier than usual.

Kelly Wright, one of the co-owners of the Taphouse, spoke in support of the idea, saying, “Every single establishment here in Gulfport plays their music over 65 decibels…. What I’m asking for is a reasonable level that we can all operate at.”

When the change came to a vote at the end of the meeting, Councilmember Michael Fridovich also supported the trial, but other memberswere more hesitant.

Councilmember April Thanos, who later voted no, expressed concern for how a change in the citywide ordinance would affect venues elsewhere in the city.

“Have you talked to any of the other bars that do their music later, about how they feel about having to stop an hour earlier?” Thanos asked Henderson. “Effectively, if you go from 75 to 55, they’re going to have to turn off their music.”

“I have in the past when we brought this up before, long before you came, and it’s the same scenario now,” Henderson responded. “We did nothing then…. They were all interested in being able to play louder.”

“I’m still interested in seeing how the mitigating efforts are going, so I don’t think it’s a good idea for me at this time,” said Councilmember Christine Brown, voting no.

Councilmember Paul Ray spoke the strongest against the idea, saying, “Most of the time that I go into these places at night, I can’t bloody hear a thing. I can’t have a conversation. I gotta leave to go do it. Is that fun? No. I don’t see that there’s a dollar value tied to how loud my music is, and nobody can justify that in any argument.”

“Well, roll the dice. I just need one person to say you’ll try it for 30 days; if you don’t like it you don’t have to buy it,” responded Henderson.

“I just think it’s a bad idea; it’s worked fine all along, I don’t see the point. I just don’t see that there’s a real need here,” answered Ray, casting the deciding ‘no’ vote.

With the failed vote, the city’s normal enforcement of the noise ordinance returns.

Council Discusses Federal Covid Relief Funds

With the passage of the American Recovery Act, the City of Gulfport is set to receive $5,186,383 in federal relief money, and a good portion of the June 1 meeting was dedicated to discussing how the city should best spend the incoming funds.

There are restrictions on what the funds can be used for. Broadly speaking, the money can go towards public health and COVID-mitigation efforts; workers and businesses economically impacted by the pandemic; replacing government revenue lost due to the pandemic; premium pay to essential workers; and investments in infrastructure (specifically improving access to clean water and internet).

All of the council expressed interest in using some of the funds to repair and improve the city’s sewage pipes, specifically investing in lateral lines, with each councilmember then offering their own priorities for how to use the other funds.

Thanos suggested using the money to fund a citywide climate change vulnerability study, additional installations of solar panels on city buildings, increased funding for the recreation center’s childcare program as parents return to work, and a temporary worker to help residents access CARES Act money they may be entitled to.

Brown asked if it was possible to use the funds to pay back the city’s existing loans related to past sewer improvements, and City Finance Director Cheryl Hannafin clarified that loan repayment was explicitly forbidden.

Ray suggested using funds to replace water meters throughout the city, creating a fund to help local businesses with landscaping, and improving the wage of city workers above the required minimum wage increases, to make sure the city can stay competitive in its hiring as the state minimum wage grows closer to $15 an hour each year.

Henderson suggested using the funds to repair roads and sidewalks, coastal parks, setting up broadband hotspots to provide free wireless internet to the public, and possibly a bonus to all city workers to thank them for continuing to work through the pandemic.

“A lot of people had to do a lot of thinking on their feet and rapid adjustment, and working under some extremely difficult conditions that this country hasn’t seen in over 100 years,” Henderson said.

In his closing comments, Ray announced that he would host an event for public input on the issue on Wednesday, June 9.

Overheard at the June 1 Gulfport City Council Meeting

“We lost a valuable member of our community this week; all members of our community are valuable, but this one I think touched a lot of folks. Leta Woloshuk, singer and musician with the Urban Gypsies of Florida…. she was very health-oriented, very talented, a very nice person, so our thoughts are with her family, and of course Barney, her life partner.” – Mayor Sam Henderson, before leading a moment of silence at the start of the meeting.

“I’m a little upset about the fact that there’s nothing going on here for Memorial Day... When we went to pay our respects at three o’clock, my husband played ‘Taps’ on his telephone.” – Resident Regina Buscemi

“Tomorrow morning at the Trop is graduation, putting another 350 graduates out on the street that I don’t have a clue what they look like, because they’ve been behind masks all year. So I’m never going to recognize them after graduation and it’s pretty sad, but it’s a good day for them. They made it through the pandemic, and they’ll always be the class of masks.” – Councilmember Christine Brown, a high school teacher, in her closing comments.

“It’s summer, school is out, lock your car doors.” – Councilmember Michael Fridovich during closing comments.

Council Approves Summer Events

After a long year of shutdowns and canceled events, council continued working towards a return to normalcy with a flurry of events planned for the summer.

Council approved the Gulfport Kiwanis Club’s request to use the rec center parking lot for a Juneteenth event June 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Marissa Stewart-Dix, president of Gulfport Kiwanis Club, spoke before the council on the importance of the holiday, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops freed the enslaved people of Galveston, TX, officially ending legal slavery in the U.S. The Kiwanis Club’s event will be the first official Juneteenth celebration hosted in Gulfport.

Mitzi Gordon, of Creative Pinellas, and Cathy Loper, head of the Gulfport Historical Society (and publisher and co-owner of The Gabber) also spoke before council, requesting space in Clymer Park for an interactive art exhibit. The exhibit, which council approved, will stay for six weeks and have artist-led activities twice a week, then return for another six weeks later in the year. (See this week’s cover story for more).

Ray, in his closing comments, asked City Manager Jim O’Reilly if the city could host a fireworks show on the 4th of July in spite of their vote earlier in the year to cancel the event due to COVID concerns. O’Reilly replied that he’s been discussing the matter with the city’s fireworks vendor and will likely have an answer by the June 15 council meeting.

Boards, Panels and Suits

Council unanimously approved Mayor Henderson’s nomination of James Bullington to a two-year term on the localPlanning and Zoning Board, along with a new set of solar panels to be installed on the roof of the Gulfport Marina’s ship store and office building. The panels will be installed later this year and cost $115,500. The panels are expected to make back that money in nine years through the power they’ll supply to the buildings.

Council also unanimously voted to support a Memorandum of Understanding allowing the city to participate in the class action lawsuits being leveled against prescription drug companies like Purdue and Walgreens over the damage caused by the opioid crisis. If a settlement is reached, the city expects to receive $5,000 to $9,000. Henderson, in his closing comments, also suggested participating in, or even launching, another class action lawsuit against Mosaic due to its role in the Piney Point fertilizer plant spill, and the effects that those pollutants may have across Tampa Bay.

“I’d like to find out if there’s a way to take them to task, and if any other cities are interested…I don’t want to sit around throwing our money at this giant, but if there’s other people that are feeling similarly I wouldn’t mind just exploring the option,” Henderson said.

“A lot of people had to do a lot of thinking on their feet and rapid adjustment, and working under some extremely difficult conditions that this country hasn’t seen in over 100 years.”