Gulfport council orders cleanups, residents press city over vacant-lot debris and event noise

The Gulfport City Council opened a code-enforcement hearing and issued orders to remove debris and secure properties while residents urged the city to do more to address trash on vacant lots and noise from nearby events and a longshoremen hall.

Residents and council members said the issue matters because vacant properties can become neighborhood nuisances and the current service rules mean many lot owners are ineligible for city pickup.

At the hearing the council identified parcel 191440 Fourth Avenue and ordered that it be cut, cleaned and boarded up. A man who said he is in the process of repossessing the property told the council his attorney advised him to wait; he said, “I had financed it for the fellow.” Mayor Billy Hughes told the man he should follow his attorney’s advice but also directed the owner to have the property cleaned within 30 days and to coordinate with code enforcement. “Tell Mr. Orgler that you have been given a mandate to get it cleaned up, and he needs to have it done within 30 days,” the mayor said.

The hearing also included a notice regarding debris on Dixie Avenue; the agenda item described removal of trash and debris from that location. The council opened and closed the hearing without a recorded roll-call vote on each lot; the mayor instructed staff to follow up with individual property owners.

In public comment, several residents said vacant lots remain cluttered despite paying property taxes. One resident asked why city tax dollars could not be used to clear lots. Council members and staff explained Gulfport’s collection rules: the city’s contracted hauler (referred to at the meeting as H2O) will pick up household garbage only where a property has an active water account and a garbage contract tied to the water bill. A staff member said, “If you do not, then H2O is not allowed by law to pick it up.” The council suggested residents with vacant-lot problems contact code enforcement (Mr. Johnson) or county offices; the meeting provided Supervisor Kent Jones’s office contact for additional county disposal resources.

Staff told residents that county residents may use the Pecan Grove landfill and that the county allows a limited free dump for Harrison County residents; council members said they would try to connect residents with supervisors’ offices or small businesses that could haul debris.

Residents also raised noise and event concerns. One resident, Carolyn Jones, described repeated disturbances from a longshoremen organization’s hall behind her home, frequent meetings and music, and multiple street festivals with food trucks. She urged the council to consider moving such events to parks. The council said special-events staff and the city would follow up.

Council members urged residents to contact code enforcement for case-specific help. The mayor and staff emphasized that long-term policy changes—such as extending municipal garbage service to vacant lots—would require council consideration and coordination with county services.

The hearing was closed after staff and council members agreed to follow up with affected property owners and supervisors’ offices.