Photo by Studio Shed
Council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 2026-04 on first reading. The ordinance would create formal rules for ADUs in Gulfport’s zoning code.
An ADU is a smaller, self-contained home on the same lot as a primary home. These units can house relatives, caregivers, renters, or older residents who want to stay on their property.
Gulfport’s current zoning code does not define ADUs as a distinct residential use. City staff said single-family residential districts lack a clear path for building one.
Council Keeps Owner-Occupancy Rule
The most significant change came before the vote.
Council removed language that would have created an exception for property owned by nonprofit entities. That exception would have applied to properties used for institutional, educational, or affordable housing purposes.
The proposed exception drew concern because it could have applied to properties owned by institutions such as Stetson University.
The revised ordinance keeps the owner-occupancy requirement intact. Under that language, the property owner must live in either the main home or the ADU as the owner’s permanent residence.
Mayor Karen Love said the original concept focused on one ADU on one owner-occupied property.
“I feel like we are trying to create additional workforce housing and in-law housing at single-family homes,” Love said.
Vice Mayor Marlene Shaw also supported keeping the owner-occupancy requirement. She said the rule creates an immediate management presence on the property.
Ward III Council member Jennifer Webb raised concerns about neighborhoods where one institution or entity owns several nearby homes. She said the issue involved more than nonprofit ownership. It also involved parking and neighborhood impact.
Residents Raise Stetson Concerns
Several residents focused on parking, neighborhood character, and Stetson-owned properties.
Cheryl Segal, who lives on 12th Avenue South, said the March impact assessment did not address nonprofit ownership because the issue had not come up yet. She said Stetson owns several houses in nearby blocks, including six of the seven houses across from her.
“If they are gonna build, they’re not going to just build one ADU,” Segal said. “And then you have doubling the houses from six to 12. You have doubling the residents. If you say there were two, so now we’re talking 24 instead of 12. You’re talking about 24 cars.”
However, resident Courtney Prokopas offered a different view. She said she lives near Stetson and supports more housing options, including dorms and institutional housing.
“Yes, yes in my backyard,” Prokopas said.
Gulfport resident and former Vice Mayor April Thanos supported removing the nonprofit and institutional exception. She also asked how the ordinance would apply to homes held in trusts and to snowbirds who live in Gulfport part of the year.
Residents Share Personal Examples
Resident Marilyn Macclellan said Council should remember the original reason Gulfport began discussing ADUs.
“I remember when we first started talking about ADUs. It was really about our aging population and the ability to stay in your home,” McClellan said.
She said ADUs could help older residents house a caretaker, an adult child, or another family member. She also said the nonprofit discussion shifted attention away from that original purpose.
“I think we’ve lost the focus of that,” McClellan said.
Resident Laura Botsford also supported a legal path for ADUs. Botsford said she lives in a duplex on a half-acre property, and her sister lives on the other side.
“She got a divorce and was having hard times, and so I sort of took her in,” Botsford said. “It’s been a really positive experience for us, and I would like to build an ADU in my backyard.”
Botsford said she wants to build a garage apartment. She said that could help address parking if the City considers requiring garage space underneath some ADUs.
She also said some residents already use extra space informally.
“I think people are gonna do it regardless,” Botsford said. “Having a legal route for residents to do is a positive thing.”
Flood Zone Questions Remain
Gulfport business owner and resident Aimee Kosta asked Council to revisit the flood-zone restrictions. She said her property sits at the edge of an AE flood zone. She argued that residents who meet flood construction standards should not automatically lose the chance to build an ADU.
The CRS program helps determine flood insurance discounts for residents.
Fisher said FEMA’s local technical assistance system remains in limbo. She said the federal government has not renewed the consultant contract used for that assistance. It also has not authorized federal staff to answer those questions directly.
Therefore, Council members left ADUs out of the Coastal High Hazard Area and Special Flood Hazard Area for now.
Officials said it would be easier to expand eligibility later than to allow ADUs in those areas now and restrict them later.
Short-Term Rentals Addressed
Council also discussed whether ADUs could become temporary tourist housing.
Webb asked whether the City could use a restrictive covenant to ban short-term rental use. City staff confirmed the covenant would include that restriction. The covenant would also address owner occupancy.
City Manager Jim O’Reilly said homeowners with properties in trusts could still qualify if the trustee lives on the property. He also said snowbirds could qualify if the Gulfport home remains their primary residence.
Forward Pinellas Studied Impacts
The Forward Pinellas impact assessment identified parking as the most sensitive neighborhood-level issue tied to ADUs.
The report stated that residents tend to perceive parking stress when about 85% to 90% of curbside spaces are occupied.
However, the report also said Gulfport’s projected ADU growth would likely remain gradual. Under the proposed limits for R-1 and R-1A zoning districts, Forward Pinellas projected 50 to 82 ADUs over 10 years.
The report concluded that ADUs would likely create gradual and distributed impacts. It did not predict sudden system-wide strain.
The June 2 discussion followed months of review. Forward Pinellas presented an ADU kickoff presentation to Gulfport in December. The Planning and Zoning Board reviewed the proposed ordinance May 6 and voted 5-0 to recommend approval with changes.
Those changes included an 800-square-foot living area cap. They also clarified that the City’s short-term rental rules apply to ADUs.
Council must still approve the ordinance on second reading before the rules take effect.