Belleair Beach adds 3 interim members to the City Council

BELLEAIR BEACH — What to do about filling empty seats on the City Council? That has been a nagging problem since the beginning of this year, when only four of the seven seats were filled.

City officials recently reopened the application process, intending to fill one empty seat, until hurricane recovery pressures prompted the mayor to call for all three vacancies to be filled. During an emergency meeting held via Zoom on October 8 – the day before Hurricane Milton made landfall – the topic of filling empty council seats was at the top of the agenda.

Officials basically had to decide between seven or five members. Based on a ballot initiative last March, the council size will be reduced to five in November 2026. But until then, it is still a council with seven members.

City Attorney Randy Mora said at an earlier meeting that it is up to the council to fill one, two or three seats, “but there are actually three vacancies.”

Several council members agreed with the idea of ​​filling just one seat, creating a five-member council, as they will go to five in 2026 anyway.

But that thinking changed when the hurricanes hit.

“During this critical time, the council must respond promptly to all emergency meetings, regular meetings and work sessions to restore our city quickly and efficiently,” said Mayor Dave Gattis, who emphasized the importance of having a quorum to conduct business.

“Tonight we have the three candidates who answered the call for a new councilor. … Any interruption of government business makes Belleair Beach ripe for dissolution. We need to be able to do business in these difficult times. So tonight I ask you to approve these three volunteers as interim council members,” Gattis said.

The candidates – who would have to run again in 2026 if they want to continue in office – were all appointed after short presentations.

Todd Harper, a Belleair Beach resident since 2015, noted he served on the council from 2018 to 2019.

Harper said he has always been focused on serving his community, which “takes priority over many other things,” and touted his three decades of experience in a technology company.

Jody Shirley was a member of the council from 2018 and vice mayor from October 2022 until her resignation in December due to stricter financial reporting rules – a requirement that is now on hold following a court ruling. Shirley said her current motivation for serving on the council is to assist with hurricane recovery efforts.

She was asked what she would do if the state were to impose stricter disclosure requirements again.

“I think we should address it at that point,” Shirley said. “It is clear that the city has bigger issues than whether or not I will resign when Form 6 (disclosure request) rears its ugly head again.”

Anders Wellings had applied for a position on the council earlier this year, but officials were not ready to fill seats at that time. He has since joined the Board of Adjustments.

Wellings said he has attended council meetings and is “fairly knowledgeable about many of the issues.” As a professional engineer, he wants to “get things done and do the right thing for this city,” Wellings said.

“I want to thank all three of you for your efforts,” Gattis said. “Our city is in dire need right now.”

Regarding the possibility of the Form 6 requirements being reinstated, the mayor said, “I feel like the state of Florida will not go after our elected municipal officials during these difficult times.”

The vote was unanimous to appoint Harper, Shirley and Wellings to the open seats on the council, and each was sworn in by City Clerk Renee Rose.

Emergency measures instituted

Resolutions were passed extending the emergency status for Hurricane Helene and adding Hurricane Milton.

After City Manager Kyle Riefler issued a status report, Councilman Frank Bankard had words of praise for him.

“One thing I missed in the city manager’s report was the city manager who rescued elderly couples at the height of the storm (Helene). Unbelievable, Kyle. You are a jewel to this city. We have to do something for you and the rest of the staff. It has to be something financial because ‘thank you’ only goes so far,” Bankard said.

Riefler said that with Helene and other storms in the past, “we have been very fortunate. I think we are a little higher than the rest of the beach communities on the barrier islands, so sometimes our damage is less.

Gattis added: “We must continue to keep Madeira, the Redingtons, Treasure Island and all those communities in our thoughts and prayers, as well as Belleair Beach, because what has happened to everyone is devastating.”