Residents press Gulfport council on flooding, blight and budget shortfalls during lengthy public forum

A long citizens forum at the Gulfport City Council meeting highlighted deep community frustration over neighborhood neglect, storm recovery and the newly adopted budget.

Residents described unsafe abandoned properties, collapsed homes and recurring flooding in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Daniel Nelson detailed multiple abandoned structures on his block and asked the city to enforce cleanup and demolition programs. Nancy Patton Evans and Ruth Robinson described severe house-repair needs and long-standing infrastructure deficits — including tarped roofs and failing drainage — and urged the council to prioritize neighborhood repair over other projects.

Kelvin Barnett delivered a pointed critique, accusing city leadership of neglect and asserting that minority and low-income neighborhoods have been disproportionately affected since major storms. He said the community cannot rely solely on promises: "When you choose roads over people, projects over lives…that to me seems like it's a political image over human beings." Other residents urged the council to allocate money for youth centers and homelessness services; Eric Cooper requested support to reopen the Willie Locke Center for after-school programming.

Councilors acknowledged the comments, thanked speakers and said staff would continue to work on neighborhood issues. Several council members said the recently passed budget was the product of a difficult process but pledged to pursue neighborhood improvements and to bring more detailed plans to future meetings.

Next steps: Councilors asked staff to follow up with residents and directed municipal staff to connect speakers directly to relevant programs (for example, code-enforcement and cleanup contacts). No formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting.