Efforts to reopen the historic Gulfport Casino could take another 2 years

TAMPA, Fla. — One year ago Friday, the City of Gulfport endured catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene, and while the majority of businesses near the city’s waterfront spanning Boca Ciega Bay have reopened, the historic Gulfport Casino is still closed after it sustained substantial damage from historic flooding.

The storm’s impact was so powerful, the building shifted on its foundation and sustained $3 million in damage, according to city spokesperson Justin Shea.

“The repair plan would be to reset the pilings that are underneath the casino to essentially future-proof it to allow 100 more years of ballroom dancing, weekly dances, and community events,” Shea said while walking through the fencing erected as a safety barrier that currently surrounds the entire hurricane-damaged site.

“As the Cultural Facilities’ most important revenue-generating venue, the Gulfport Casino’s prolonged closure represents both a significant loss of operating revenue and the temporary absence of a cherished community gathering place,” Shea said/.

Last year alone, prior to Hurricane Helene’s landfall on Sept. 26, the casino had generated nearly a half-million dollars in revenue for the city, serving as the preferred venue for wedding receptions, trade shows, bar mitzvahs and seminars.

Gulfport City Council just approved $300,000 to draft the engineering design and repair plans that will mitigate flooding damage from future storms and retain its historic designation.

The timeline for restoration and preservation could take two years before the casino reopens to the public, due to the complexity of working with state and federal leaders and complying with historic preservation standards for rehabilitating historic buildings.

“We expect the engineering design and related documentation could take, easily, eight months to be completed, but it’s important to let our residents know that we are making progress with approvals from FEMA and the U.S. Department of the Interior for the historical register,” said Gulfport Mayor Karen Love.

“The expectation is that once everything is approved by all the different groups that I just mentioned, then we’ll be able to start construction and that probably could take another year, and we are going to build in some additional resiliency to better protect, not only against the water, but against anything crashing into it like boats,” Love said.

The Gulfport Casino serves as the anchor to the city’s neighborhoods and has been drawing visitors and tourists to downtown since the early 1930s, according to city manager Jim O’Reilly.

“This is the third iteration of the casino, and we worked hard to get it on the National Historic Registry because of deep ties to our rich history and forefathers,” O’Reilly said.

“The Gulfport community held the very first town meeting at the casino 100 years ago. It’s one of the founding buildings of the City of Gulfport and represents the roots of our community and generational knowledge,” he said.

While planning and major repairs are underway, the city is inviting the community to other locations for weekly dances and social events. Click here for the Gulfport calendar of events.