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Voters approved eight of the ten proposed changes to the city charter Tuesday. The amendments reshape rules on council terms, vacancies, and city oversight of public property. However, voters rejected Amendment 3, which would have extended city council terms to three years, and Amendment 6, which would have removed criminal penalty language related to council interference with city staff.
City leaders placed the amendments on the ballot after a charter review process. Several measures clarify how council seats become vacant or how officials can be removed. Others change how the city manages public property and increase how often the charter will be reviewed.
Amendment 1: Five-year lease limit approved
The most debated measure, Amendment 1, limits leases of city-owned property to five years. The current charter allows leases of up to 30 years. Voters approved the shorter lease limit.
Supporters argued shorter leases give the city more oversight. Council can revisit agreements more often and renegotiate terms when conditions change. However, critics warned the limit could discourage businesses from investing in improvements on city property.
Amendment 2: Fair market value requirement passes
Voters approved Amendment 2, which requires all leases of city-owned property to be based on fair market value determined through an independent appraisal.
Previously, the charter did not specify how lease prices should be determined. Supporters said the requirement protects public property from being leased below market value and increases transparency.
However, critics argued the rule could reduce flexibility when the city works with nonprofits or community organizations that sometime receive reduced lease rates.
These are Gulfport’s charter amendment results.
Read Gulfport’s Ward I and III council election results.
Read the 2026 South Pinellas charter amendment results, the Kenneth City, Madeira Beach, and St. Pete Beach council and commission election results.
Amendments 3-5: Voters reject longer terms but adopt term limits
Voters rejected Amendment 3, which would have extended city council terms from two years to three years. Because the measure failed, council members will continue serving two-year terms.
However, voters approved two related amendments addressing term limits.
Amendment 4 establishes term limits that prevent the mayor and council members from serving more than three consecutive terms.
Voters also approved Amendment 5, which requires officials who reach the three-term limit to wait two years before running again for the same office. The rule includes an exception if no other qualified candidate files for the seat.
Amendment 6: Criminal penalty language remains
Voters rejected Amendment 6, which would have removed language classifying certain council interference with city staff as a second-degree misdemeanor.
Because the measure failed, the existing criminal penalty language will remain in the city charter.
Amendments 7-9: New rules clarify vacancies and removal
Several amendments address how council seats become vacant and how officials can lose office.
Amendment 7 clarifies when a council seat becomes vacant. The office becomes vacant if a member dies, resigns, is removed by law, or forfeits office through a vote by the remaining council members.
Amendment 8 creates forfeiture rules. Council members may lose their seat if they no longer meet qualifications, are convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, or miss three consecutive meetings, or four meetings within a year.
Voters also approved Amendment 9, which establishes a formal removal process. An independent magistrate must hold a hearing before removal. The magistrate must find intentional, willful, or repeated violations of the city charter or council rules.
Amendment 10: Charter review will happen more often
Finally, voters approved Amendment 10, which requires the city to review the charter every five years instead of every ten years. A citizen committee appointed by city council will conduct the review.
The amendments will update the Gulfport City Charter after officials certify the election results. Future councils will implement the changes as new terms begin and as the city negotiates future leases on public property.
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