Fireworks and Computers

Gulfport Council voted to pay $25,000 for New Year’s Eve fireworks.

Notes from the Dec. 7 Gulfport City Council Meeting

By Jim McConville

While most of the Dec. 7 Gulfport City Council meeting focused on whether or not the city would arrest a homeless man in the park (see related story, p. 4), city council spent some time talking about fireworks and computers.

Fireworks

Gulfport council voted to limit the sale and use of fireworks. The ordinance, which council passed unanimously, would set a cutoff time for lighting fireworks on state-designated holidays (this includes New Year’s Eve.) If the ordinance passes on its second reading, this means no more fireworks after 11 p.m. on those holidays.

Last month, Vice Mayor April Thanos asked the council to consider amending Chapter 14 of the city’s code, hoping to apply the city’s noise ordinance to fireworks. Council agreed, and now, on the three state-sanctioned days allowing fireworks, people must stop lighting fireworks by 11 p.m. or face a noise ordinance violation.

Chapter 14 prohibits the sale and use of fireworks in city limits. However, the state now allows fireworks sale and use on New Year’s Eve, Day, and the Fourth of July, and on those days, residents may light fireworks –provided they stop by 11 p.m.

Fireworks remain illegal at all other times.

In other fireworks-related news, city council also voted unanimously to spend $25,000 on its own New Year’s Eve display, provided by J&M Displays. The city will close Williams Pier at 7 a.m. on Dec. 30, designate a “no boat or anchoring zone” with at least a 900-foot radius around the Williams Pier 24 hours before the display, and close the Casino boat dock and – if needed – remove or relocate vessels by 6 a.m.

Computers

Council also approved a resolution to spend $40,399 to replace old laptops for Gulfport police officers. Officers have these laptops – called mobile dispatch units – in their patrol cars. The county dispatches calls via laptop, and officers use them to access information about suspects or calls.

In a memo to city council, IT and Library Director Dave Mather explained that, due to a worldwide glass shortage, the computers wouldn’t ship to Gulfport until March.

Overheard at the Dec. 7 Gulfport Council Meeting

“I am aware that in the proposed Senate redistricting, the City of Gulfport has been split in two. I’ve received calls from the citizens of Gulfport who are concerned about that split. I want you to know that I am also concerned about the splitting of Gulfport in two.” –Florida State Senator Darryl Rouson (D), representing the state’s 19th District. Rouson serves on the Senate sub-reapportionment committee that will re-draw the state’s congressional lines.“

“We have a Scout Hall over here where a wall moved, causing a section of the ceiling to fall in five months ago. That’s a beautiful hall to hold meetings. We’ve been putting off holding a couple of big events because the kids wanted to use that particular hall. I suggest that we at least budget money in the future to make the repair in that hall, so we can get back to using it.” –Tony Angel