Cathy Salustri
Gulfport’s current ordinance regulating the storage and use of recreational vehicles looks likely to get an overhaul within the next month.
Council directed city staff to bring back at the next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 7, a proposed ordinance that eliminates the setback requirements now in place for those who park RVs in their yards, and also allows RV storage in front yards, which is currently not permitted on residential properties.
A number of local residents spoke out on the issue and asked that RVs be given the same consideration as boats, for which there is no city ordinance and which are routinely parked in front yards of homes.
“It seems like the ordinance was written basically to get rid of RVs,” said Councilmember Paul Ray, who raised the issue at a previous meeting and asked for this discussion. “Things are changing. Things have changed. People are taking great responsibility and care of their property. I don’t think we are going back to the days where people are living in them in their backyard and they’re falling apart.”
Ray said he went door to door throughout his ward asking residents for their thoughts on the matter, and he also researched other cities in the region. He found none with ordinances as strict as Gulfport’s, he reported.
More than a half-dozen resident spoke on the issue during the public comment period that was provided, and all were in favor of loosening the requirements of the ordinance. Various RV owners reported that finding a proper storage location in Pinellas County is difficult to impossible, and some are storing their vehicles outside the county at considerable expense and inconvenience.
Marlene Shaw said she bought an RV in 2020 with the intention of parking it in her backyard, inside the fence on a pre-existing driveway next to an alley, which would provide security and convenience. She received a citation and was made aware of the ordinance, which left few options for her – all of which were difficult.
“I understand there is some history to this and I am sorry, but to me that history is not relevant because this whole situation is not sensible,” she said. “The [ordinance] will return the property rights to owners and would return RV parking to where it is consistent with boats and construction trailers.”
Fred Metcalf, Gulfport’s community development director, gave a brief history of the issue. He said there were 14 meetings between 2010 and 2013, including workshops, and several iterations of a proposed ordinance, none of which passed until the one now in place finally passed its second reading.
“That ordinance resulted in no changes to any of the setbacks,” he said. “It actually became more complex for people who wanted to keep an RV.”
Mayor Sam Henderson pointed out that the setbacks were initially considered in part to reduce the potential fire hazard from having an RV parked so close to a residence. Other council members raised concerns about a resident being unable to escape a house fire because a window might be blocked by an RV parked outside.
In response to a question by Councilmember April Thanos, Metcalf confirmed that one boat/trailer combination is allowed in a yard and a resident can have as many utility trailers as he or she wants on the property as long as they are licensed.
Thanos and Ray both expressed support for the “one toy” concept – the ability to have a single vehicle parked in the front yard, whether it be a boat, an RV or something else.
“I know at one time they were talking about [Gulfport] being a fishing village and having this boat culture, but now we have an RV culture,” said Thanos. “Populations change, times have changed, and I think we need to treat boats and RVs and, in my opinion, trailers all the same – one in the front yard, whatever you want in the backyard.”
Metcalf said that was among the ideas proposed a decade ago, but the council at that time could not reach an agreement.
“This is not an HOA. These are the kinds of rules that come up in an HOA,” said Ray. “We are not going to allow people to live in them. They will not be allowed to be plugged into water and sewer, but they can be plugged into electricity. I like the idea of ‘one toy.’ That is fair. These are people who own their property, and we need to respect their property ownership.”
Ray added that the issue is not about RVs that are junk or classified as nuisance. He pointed out that one of the citizens who spoke owns an RV that is probably valued in the $200,000 range.
“We are talking about a totally different era and a totally different group of people who do respect and love their properties,” he said.
Henderson cautioned that if the measure goes forward, council would likely hear from people on the other side of the issue, although perhaps not as many as in the past.
“I’d like to bring this to the next meeting,” said Ray. “I think it will be a different discussion with all of us. We do disagree, but we disagree with respect for each other’s opinions.”
City Manager Jim O’Reilly asked for clarification and confirmed that the ordinance desired by council would allow RVs in the front yard, although not in the public right-of-way such as blocking a sidewalk, and remove the rear and side setbacks.
A separate discussion on the meeting agenda, requested by Councilmember Michael Fridovich regarding regulation of scooters, was tabled at Fridovich’s request.
