Displaced hurricane survivors urge council for temporary permitting on Ninth Street lot; staff directed to connect residents with code enforcement

Several people displaced by last season’s hurricanes addressed Pinellas Park City Council on Oct. 23 seeking help to avoid becoming homeless again after being told to leave a vacant lot where they had parked RVs and campers.

Michael Walsh, who said he was speaking for a group living on the lot, told council the site is zoned M-1 (Hotel/Motel in the transcript) and that residents had received code-enforcement notices requiring them to leave. “We were all in RVs and campers and could not find a place because of all the places that were closed down to park our vehicles,” Walsh said. He asked the council to allow more time for code enforcement to work with the group, and to identify whether a temporary permit, rezoning or another administrative path might be available so the group could avoid returning to the street.

Multiple occupants described the practical importance of the site: Robert McMill said he is disabled and on a fixed income and that the location keeps him near medical care. Andrea Gorgon — who said she had secured employment installing water meters and had bought a 1999 camper so she could work on nearby contracts — said the lot owner had been a “huge blessing” by allowing flexible lease terms and repairs. Carrie (last name not specified in the transcript) read a letter explaining that residents help one another and that the site had become a close-knit community.

Mayor Sandra Lee Bradbury and other council members directed the speakers to contact code enforcement and to set up a meeting with city staff. The mayor asked the group to call code enforcement and Nick’s team (city planning/building staff) the next business day so staff could start a formal inquiry and document the residents’ attempts to find a long-term solution. “Make sure that you call code enforcement first to let them know that you're going to try to work through the process so that they have it on the records,” the mayor said.

The council did not vote on any ordinance or grant any temporary permits during the meeting. Staff indicated that rezoning or a formal temporary-use permit would require review and that property ownership, applicable zoning (the speakers said M-1/Hotel Motel) and infrastructure limits all affect available options.

Why it matters: residents who said they were displaced by hurricanes described the lot as essential to their access to health care, jobs and community supports. The exchange flagged a housing and recovery gap for households dependent on RV or temporary shelter, and it prompted a staff follow-up to determine whether short-term relief or a longer-term regulatory solution is possible.

Next steps: city staff advised the speakers to call code enforcement and request a meeting with planning staff (Nick’s team). Council encouraged the property owner and residents to work with staff and offered that staff would document the request on the public record; any formal permit, rezoning or administrative relief would require further staff study and, if necessary, a future public hearing.