Gulfport Election: Council Races and Charter Amendments

Gulfport voters headed to the polls Tuesday to decide two competitive City Council races and a sweeping set of 10 charter amendments that could reshape how the small Pinellas County city governs itself for years to come.

Polling locations are open until 7 p.m. at Gulfport City Hall, the Gulfport Recreation Center, and the Gulfport Neighborhood Center. As of 10:30 a.m., roughly 1,791 residents had already cast ballots in person or by mail. Final results will be posted after polls close at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections website.

The charter questions give this election unusual weight. Among the referendums are proposals that would end long-term lease agreements on city-owned property and establish or adjust term limits for elected officials. Together, the 10 ballot questions represent one of the more consequential local votes Gulfport has seen in recent memory.

Ward 1: Two candidates with deep roots in public service

In Ward 1, Jennifer Daunch faces Joe Guenther.

Daunch brings a background in municipal work, currently employed in code enforcement in St. Pete Beach. She previously worked in community development in Treasure Island and spent time as an emergency dispatcher with the St. Pete Police Department. Her pitch to voters centers on bridging the gap between residents and City Hall, cutting through permitting red tape, supporting local businesses and the arts, and preserving the neighborhood character that defines Gulfport.

Guenther is a longtime Gulfport resident and local business owner. He argues that running a business inside city limits gives him a ground-level understanding of how municipal decisions ripple through to families, workers and entrepreneurs. His campaign leans into fiscal responsibility, balanced development and infrastructure investment, framing responsive government as a baseline expectation, not a bonus.

Both candidates are singing from a similar hymnal on transparency and City Hall accountability, which means Ward 1 voters are largely choosing between a candidate with government administration experience and one with private sector skin in the game.

Ward 3: A policy veteran versus a legislative alumna

The Ward 3 contest may draw more outside attention. Keri Nelson and Jennifer Webb offer two distinct professional profiles.

Nelson spent more than two decades in government before arriving at her current role as a project manager overseeing a human resources information system modernization effort. She started her career as a marine biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, then moved into policy, natural resource management and coastal permitting. She later worked in Gulfport’s own City Clerk’s office. Her campaign leans heavily on that institutional knowledge, arguing that effective government requires people who understand how bureaucracies actually function.

Webb is a former state representative who held House District 69 from 2018 to 2020. Since leaving Tallahassee, she has served as Executive Director of Live Tampa Bay and worked on community initiatives including Project Opioid Tampa Bay, in addition to founding a consulting firm focused on public affairs. Her campaign emphasizes transparency and community engagement, with a particular focus on helping Gulfport continue its recovery from recent hurricanes.

Webb’s legislative background and public profile could give her a name recognition advantage in a low-turnout municipal race. Nelson, meanwhile, is counting on voters who want a council member who knows the machinery of local government from the inside.

The charter questions loom large

Beyond the two council contests, the 10 referendum questions sitting at the bottom of the ballot deserve serious attention. Proposals to restrict long-term leases on city property could affect how Gulfport manages public assets for generations. Term limit adjustments would directly alter the political dynamics of future elections. Charter changes are notoriously easy to overlook in local races, but they tend to outlast any individual council member.

Residents unsure of their voting precinct can look up their address on the Pinellas County Elections website before polls close at 7 p.m.