Photo by Trei Johnson
Gulfport boaters may soon get a dedicated City workshop after some residents used public comment May 19 to raise concerns about dinghy dock access, mooring field expansion, and communication with City officials.
Several speakers who live aboard or support Gulfport’s anchorage community told City Council that current access points create safety concerns. They also asked the City to consider repairing or rebuilding the dinghy dock.
“My children and I have lived on land and off land,” said a woman who identified herself only as Ms. Jones.
She said the temporary dock near Clam Bayou does not solve the problem because it lacks enough space for dinghies and provides no legal parking nearby.
“I also propose that our docks be rebuilt,” she said.
Boaters Ask for Better Access
Another boater, Fred Rowe, said he has lived on a boat as his primary residence for more than 10 years. He said he supports compliance with laws and regulations but questioned whether a proposed mooring field expansion would help.
A mooring field is a designated area where boaters tie their vessels to fixed floating buoys, rather than dropping their own anchors. Some boaters worry an expanded mooring field could reduce open areas where they can legally anchor for free.
Rowe said he had heard the City might expand the mooring field. However, he questioned that plan because the current mooring field does not always fill.
“What it does is it takes the really good anchorage spots and turns them into an exclusion zone where nobody can anchor,” Rowe said.
He also asked whether boaters could help repair the dinghy dock themselves, “one board at a time.”
That’s not all that happened at the May 19 Gulfport City Council meeting. Read about ADUs, community updates, Lions Club payout, parking, Senior Center, workshops, and what we overheard.
Photo by Trei Johnson
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Marina Director Explains Dock Plans
City Marina Operations Director Denis Frain told The Gabber Newspaper that the City already has a temporary dock in place near the channel entrance to give boaters another place to come ashore while the Casino dock remains out of service.
“I took a piece of the old Casino dock and put it out here on the channel entrance to have people come in and tie up there as another alternative place to tie up your boat and go to work or get groceries or whatever,” Frain said.
Frain said boaters who pay to use the mooring field have access to marina amenities. These amenities include restrooms, laundry, a pump-out boat, and dinghy space inside the marina.
He said the mooring field has 25 spots in the bay and 25 dinghy spaces inside the marina. The City plans to expand the mooring field, he said, possibly to 75 to 100 moorings.
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Casino Dock Work Could Start After July 4
Frain said some boaters who spoke at the meeting did not know how far along the City was in the Casino dock rebuilding process. He said the City was preparing to award the bid for the dock work.
Frain said the project required environmental review, permitting, FEMA funding, and insurance funding before construction could move forward.
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City Marina Operations Director Denis Frain installed a temporary dock at the channel entrance for boaters.
Photo by Trei Johnson
“They just thought we were dragging our feet when there was a lot of environmental processes we had to go through to get our permitting and FEMA funding and our insurance funding to get the dock rebuilt,” he said.
According to Frain, demolition could begin after July 4. He said the contractor would have 180 days to complete the work.
He also said the news that the City is moving forward with the dock replacement reassured the boaters.
Frain said the Casino dock issue affects more than liveaboard boaters. The dock also serves people who come to Gulfport by boat to visit restaurants, bars, and other waterfront businesses.
“There’s no place in Pinellas County that I know where you could dock your boat and have a dozen restaurants and bars to choose from,” Frain said.
Anchorage Community Remains Part of Gulfport
Frain said boaters outside the mooring field do not pay for marina services. However, he said the City still recognizes that many of them are part of the Gulfport community.
He said some people use boats outside the mooring field for storage, while others live aboard. He estimated that about 30% of the boats outside the mooring field are liveaboard vessels, though that number changes as boaters come and go.
He said the marina itself remains busy. Depending on the season and weekend traffic, he said, the mooring field can range from about 75% full to nearly full.
Frain said liveaboards in the paid mooring field may stay up to six months. After that, they must leave for six months before returning. He said that rule comes from the City’s submerged land lease with the state.
Ward I Council member Jennifer Daunch invited boaters who feel they do not fit neatly into one of Gulfport’s wards to contact her.
Photo by Trei Johnson
Council Supports a Workshop
During Council comments, Ward I Council member Jennifer Daunch suggested a workshop focused on boaters.
“Should we have a workshop about how we can be helpful? Because I do consider them to be citizens of Gulfport,” Daunch said.
Council members agreed.
Mayor Karen Love said she wants a better conversation with boaters because she believes misinformation has created mistrust.
She said some residents complain about boats that break loose or come ashore. Meanwhile, some boaters say the City misunderstands their concerns.
Daunch later invited boaters who feel they do not fit neatly into one of Gulfport’s wards to contact her.
“If there’s any boaters, landlocked people, whoever it is, that feels like maybe they don’t fit into a Council person’s Council area specifically, call me,” Daunch said. “I’ll be your rep.”
The Gulfport City Council’s next meeting is June 2 at 6 p.m.
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