NEWS

Gulfport Residents Get $50 COVID-19 Relief Vouchers

Here’s how Gulfport’s spending its COVID relief funds

By Jim McConville

Gulfport City Council approved spending $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funds at its Tuesday meeting, including a $410,000 retail voucher program that’s to provide residents $50 vouchers to spend at City retail stores. Council also approved $300,000 to fund sewer infrastructure, and $300,000 to compensate city workers for extra work during the pandemic. Finally, council set aside $71,252 in relief funds to help Gulfport small businesses hurt by COVID.

Gulfport will fund its COVID relief programs by drawing on $6.2 million in Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds awarded through the State of Florida in September.

Gulfport Rebound: Money for Businesses and Gulfportians

Council approved the Gulfport Rebound Program 4-1, with Vice Mayor April Thanos dissenting. The program will give Gulfport residents $50 vouchers good at participating Gulfport businesses impacted by COVID-19. Eligible Gulfport residents will receive a one-time $50 voucher, in the form of two $25 vouchers to use at any participating Gulfport business. To use the voucher, household residents must certify by signing the voucher that they either faced a COVID-19 related financial hardship, or spent a minimum of $50 on COVID-19 related supplies. Households with a utility lien on the property will not be eligible to receive a voucher; instead these properties will receive $50 credit on their utility bill. According to Finance Director Cheryl Hannafin, the city will mail each unit of a multi-unit residential property the voucher.

Gulfport residents can use the vouchers between Dec. 10, 2021 and Jan. 10, 2022. City staff estimates the Gulfport Rebound Program will cost $410,000.

“We wanted to do something that was impactful, and honestly a little more personal and flexible,” Mayor Sam Henderson said. “It’s a $50 voucher that can only be spent as cash at participating Gulfport businesses.”

Gulfport Finance Director Cheryl Hannafin, who oversees the program, said all Gulfport households, regardless of whether they’re billed directly for city utilities, will receive the voucher.

Any independently operated brickand-mortar business in Gulfport can participate and must apply by Nov. 24 at mygulfport.us/rebound/businessapplication.

“They must be a face-to-face business, must have a City of Gulfport tax license and have been in operation at any time between February 2020 and February 2021,” Hannafin said.

Vice Mayor Thanos, who voted against the voucher program, said the $410,000 would be better spent on additional infrastructure.

“Personally, I wouldn’t do this program at all,” Thanos said. “I think that $410,000 would be better spent on sewers and other things. Because I think that there’s a lot of people that certainly could spend $50 on masks or sanitizers, that they can well afford to do that,” but, she added, “if we spent this money on infrastructure, it would benefit everybody.”

Other council members disagreed.

“I think this a great idea, and I think it’s just a warm thing for the City of Gulfport to do, after what we’ve all been through in the last 14 months,” said Ward 3 Councilmember Paul Ray.

How Gulfport’s Funding COVID Relief

Gulfport’s COVID relief funds are part of the American Recovery Plan Act 2021. The ARPA relief money comes with a list of stipulations on how municipalities such as Gulfport can spend it. The city can use fund money to combat negative economic impacts caused by the pandemic, replace COVID-related public health expenses, or offset any money cities, counties or states lost during the pandemic. Gulfport could also invest the money in its infrastructure – think sewer or water repairs, or for broadband. Finally, Gulfport – and cities and counties – can use the money to cover all the overtime hours logged during the periods when pandemic required extra work from its employees.

Along those lines, council approved spending $300,000 on city sewers through a private water and sewer line replacement assistance program. The program offers Gulfport residents half the money – up to $3,500 – needed to replace their water and sewer lines. Residents who wish information on whether they may be eligible can call Utilities Superintendent Clay Lott at 727-893-1085.

“I think it is a good idea,” Ward Four Councilmember Michael Fridovich said. “I think we should be putting the majority of our COVID relief money into infrastructure. I think it’s important that we take care of our sewers and our streets.” Since joining the council, Fridovich has vocalized support for sewer replacement.

Gulfportians can also use the money to offset the costs of water and sewer work done by certified professionals on the home side of the meter. Residents can apply by Dec. 2 to get reimbursed for work done between Mar. 1 and Oct. 19.

Money for Staff

Council also agreed to spend $300,000 of the recovery funds to repay city staff who worked extra hours during the pandemic but didn’t get full payment for their time worked. City staff originally proposed a wage adjustment – not a raise, but compensation for that extra time worked during the pandemic.

Overheard at Gulfport City Council

“This is an altruistic effort by the City Council to treat people right. We can look at the negative aspects of it and take it apart. You have 8,000 something vouchers that are going out. You have to believe that the majority of those vouchers will be spent in the correct manner.” –Gulfport City Manager Jim O’Reilly

“A 40-foot shipping container flies in the face of everything you’ve done to respect and preserve the character of our community.” –

Susan Davies, describing the container Gulfport United Methodist Church wants to place on its property to grow bean sprouts to raise funds to feed the hungry

“Where do these lawyers get their information to speak for the residents of Gulfport? Neither of these lawyers live in Gulfport, nor does this law firm live in Gulfport.” –Ray Rodriguez, in reference to the lawyers handling a lawsuit against the city “When the city is sued, we have an insurance company, CRM, Public Risk Management that handles these kinds of lawsuits. We (Gulfport) have an independent insurance counsel. Those attorneys are not paid by the city; they’re paid by our insurance company. We don’t pay those attorneys directly, so we would have no bills.” –Gulfport City Attorney Andrew Salzman, in response to a resident’s inquiry into outside attorneys assigned by an insurance company to handle a lawsuit against the city

“I would like to advocate for the possible use of some of the discretionary COVID funds that may be available. A couple of months ago, I put in a written request to look into adding free Wi-Fi internet access to Catherine Hickman Theater.”

–Eileen Navarro, Gulfport resident and president of the Gulfport Community Players, who present their mainstage shows in the theater