Gulfport’s Post-Hurricane Plans at Oct. 15 Gulfport City Council
In August, Tropical Storm Debby brought intense flooding, left one boater dead, and several boats on Gulfport's beach. The next month, September, brought Hurricane Helene and an unprecedented storm surge. In October, Hurricane Milton's winds downed power lines, trees, ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, and felled a crane in downtown St. Pete.
Now Gulfport looks toward the future.
City Manager Update About Gulfport's Post-Hurricane Plans
Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly spoke about what the City has done and will do to recover from the storms. Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls said the City is spending nearly $200,000 a day in debris cleanup, with a total of 500 truck loads sent to Pinellas County Solid Waste.
"It's going to take a few months to get all the brush off the street," said Nicholls. "The total cost at this point is close to $1 million."
O'Reilly brought up how a priority for recovery is Gulfport's children. The City will work to fix Chase Park's playground, and the playground at the beach, as well as after-school programs.
Read about Gulfport's post-hurricane damages .
Although Gulfport gets water from St. Petersburg, the City was under a boil water notice longer than surrounding areas. O'Reilly said this is because uprooted trees throughout Gulfport caused damage to underground water lines.
"All these storms are very different," said O'Reilly. "Two very different events in a very short period of time."
After O'Reilly detailed damages to City facilities, he provided an estimate on how long recovery could take in the City.
"It could be 36-40 months," said O'Reilly. In response, the audience gasped. "That's an aggressive timeline."
He also said that, due to these damages, the City is losing revenue from City programs while spending money on return.
"I'm going to bring you some emergency purchase orders that are going to be shocking at your Nov. 19 meeting," said O'Reilly. The City canceled its Nov. 5 meeting because of the elections. "I hate to be the cloud, but this is going to be a very expensive and slow process."
We're the calm during the storm. No hype, only help!
The Gabber Newspaper's storm coverage page for quick access to relevant tropical storm updates. No hype, no guessing, just updates on shelters, sandbags, and closures. And sign up for text alerts to get real-time guidance and prep advice when there's a named storm heading our way. Also, check out our downtown Gulfport, marina, and beach web cams
Public Comments at Oct. 15 Gulfport City Council Meeting
As expected, public comments at the Oct. 15 meeting centered around hurricane recovery. While all residents expressed gratitude for City staff, many brought up ideas on how to deal with storm damages and the future.
Marlene Shaw was the first to bring up the permitting process. As property owners deal with repairs, they must apply for permits . Shaw mentioned how difficult the permitting process can be to understand, and how the City should hold town hall meetings to help residents learn.
Angela Lagan agreed with Shaw, talking about how the permitting process should be more streamlined. Lagan asked the City to make it so, "when I walk in, I know what I need, so that I can walk out successfully with a permit."
Read about what you need a permit for in Gulfport .
Mayor's Answers
Mayor Sam Henderson spoke to the commitment of the City. He spoke about how something he sees in the City is how day one after a storm, people are asking how they can help.
"The best way to help is by helping your neighbor," said Henderson. "Public facilities will come back. We are going to do that."
As the City moves forward following these storms, the City will update residents on program and facilities changes.
