Photo by Trei Johnson
Gulfport City Council advanced three pension ordinances June 16 that would clarify how the City counts approved workers’ compensation time toward retirement service.
Council approved ordinances affecting general employees, police officers, and firefighters on first reading.
The general employee pension ordinance passed 3-2, with Vice Mayor Marlene Shaw and Ward I Council member Jennifer Daunch voting no. The police and fire pension ordinances each passed 4-1, with Daunch casting the lone no vote on both.
City Explains the Issue
City Manager Jim O’Reilly said the issue came through the City’s pension trustees and pension boards. He also recognized Human Resources Director Shannon Farrell for her work managing the city’s three pension plans.
Farrell described the earlier practice.
“Previously, it was the credited service was based off of your anniversary date,” Farrell said.
However, Farrell said the City’s new pension attorney read the ordinance differently. Under that interpretation, credited service depends on pension contributions from both the employee and the employer.
“So while an employee is on workers’ comp, they are being paid directly from workers’ comp, not through the City,” Farrell said.
Because of that, pension contributions may stop while an employee recovers.
The ordinances would align the written code with the City’s current practice. Under the changes, employees would receive credited service for time spent on approved workers’ compensation. They would not have to make pension contributions during that time.
[read more below]
That’s not all that happened at the June 16 Gulfport City Council meeting. Read about ADU rules, Centurion Club, Gulfport Elementary, State laws, Town Shores, and what we overheard.
Family Raises Concern
Council also received an e-comment on agenda item 7.c from Toni Smith, who identified herself as the wife of Gulfport Police Officer Cory Smith.
Smith said Cory Smith reached 10 years of service on May 16, 2026. She said he suffered a line-of-duty injury and missed work while recovering.
“From our family’s perspective, time spent recovering from an injury sustained while serving the City should not be viewed as a break in service,” Smith wrote.
Council Members Split
Ward III Council member Jennifer Webb focused on consistency.
She said employees should not lose retirement credit after getting hurt at work.
“When someone is injured in the line of duty, or during their work period, that we do not penalize them for that injury by not allowing them to retire or not counting that towards their retirement,” Webb said.
Ward IV Council member Nancy Earley made a similar point.
“I just think that if you get hurt at work, it’s literally adding insult to injury by saying you can’t retire when you plan on retiring,” Earley said.
Daunch saw it differently.
“I think that it should be based on contributions,” Daunch said.
She said hire dates could matter for seniority, vacation bids, and similar benefits. However, she said retirement service should depend on pension contributions.
Second Reading Required
The police pension item also included a memorandum of understanding with the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association. The union accepted the specific pension language and waived bargaining only for that limited change.
Council must approve the ordinances again on second reading before they become final.
The Gulfport City Council’s next meeting is July 7 at 6 p.m.
Keep Your Community Local: Donate Now To Support Us
Donate now to support The Gabber Newspaper. The owners of the paper take no income from the paper. Every penny donated helps keep your community news hyperlocal. And everyone who earns their living working at The Gabber Newspaper lives in Gulfport and St. Petersburg. Most of our freelancers live here, too. We support our community; please support us.
The Gabber Newspaper? Yeah, We Go There.
Did you know: In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council accountable. Read more of our city council coverage, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding.
Get all your Gulfport and Tampa Bay beaches news and things to do at thegabber.com.
