City Manager

City Manager Column – This week, I had the privilege of promoting Holden Gibbs to the position of Fire Chief for the Punta Gorda Fire Department (PGFD). Chief Gibbs earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Morehead State University. Holden started volunteering with Punta Gorda Fire in 1998. He
enjoyed it so much that he returned to College and became EMT and Fire Certified. After volunteering for two years, he was hired full-time by the city. Chief Gibbs has been with the city for 21 years and ten months, starting in December 2000, as a firefighter I (entrylevel position). Holden earned the rank of Fire Station Officer in October 2005. This position was later changed in December 2006 to Lieutenant. In May 2013, Chief Gibbs was promoted to Fire Operations Chief, a position he held until his promotion to Interim Fire Chief in May 2022. Holden has been happily married for 22 years and is blessed with three wonderful children. When he is not at work, he enjoys spending as much time as possible with his family, boating, and coaching little league baseball.

I have often said that I like to see how someone in an interim leadership position performs under adverse or challenging times before determining that they are the right person for the promotion. A hurricane wasn't precisely what I had in mind as that challenge, but Chief Gibbs has risen to the occasion. He has led our city team through pre-storm preparations and post-storm recovery efforts.

Keeping with the Fire Department theme, Fire Prevention Month is observed annually every October. Jennifer Molnar serves as our Fire Marshal and encourages residents to take the following information to heart. Fire is fast! It only takes minutes for thick black smoke to fill your home. Fire is dark. Fire starts brightly but quickly produces black smoke and complete darkness. Fire is hot. Room temperature can rise to over 1000 degrees F at eye level. Smoke and toxic gases kill more people than flames do. Have a home fire escape plan for everyone in your home. Some people may need help waking up or getting outside; plan for your abilities. Knowing two ways out of every room is essential to your home fire escape plan. Have a clear path to your exits. Have an outside meeting place safe from your home where everyone should meet. Call 9-1-1 or the fire department from outside your home.

The Fire Marshal with the City of Punta Gorda Fire Department is highly recommending that no open burning be conducted at this time. This advisement means any outdoor fires and open burning of debris or items needing to be disposed of after Hurricane Ian. This would exclude attended barbecue cooking equipment appliances. A great deal of combustible material in and around our city could ignite quickly. If anyone has any questions, they can contact the City of Punta Gorda Fire Marshal at (941) 575-5529.

The PGFD has a wealth of information regarding fire safety available on the city's website at www.cityofpuntagordafl.com. I look forward to the continued growth and development of the PGFD under the leadership of Chief Gibbs. City Manager Greg Murray at [email protected] or by calling the main office line at (941) 575-3302.

Halloween in the City of Punta Gorda – After much discussion and careful consideration, the City of Punta Gorda is encouraging residents to make alternate plans this Halloween. Hurricane Ian has left the City with a number of areas that no longer have functioning street lights. There are also many intersections missing traffic signals or stop signs, and an abundance of debris throughout
City neighborhoods. Streets will not be closed and the City Hall Annex will not be offering trick or treating. We look forward to welcoming residents and visitors back to a traditional Halloween experience in 2023.

Veteran’s Day Parade – The parade is canceled due to current conditions along the parade route.

Commercial Sanitation Routes – Commercial routes officially began on Mon., Oct. 10. Staff is experiencing major issues with commercial properties placing construction debris inside and/or around the dumpster. This is making it extremely difficult for staff complete the commercial routes. We ask that businesses separate regular trash and construction debris and provide a clear space around the dumpsters. In order to safely empty the dumpster, staff requires at least a 5-foot perimeter around the dumpster. Bags of regular trash must be placed inside the dumpster and not on the ground in and around the dumpster. Construction debris is strictly prohibited from being placed in or near the dumpster and is not collected by the City's sanitation department.

Odor Similar to Sewer Gas – The City of Punta Gorda's Waste Water Collection System is up and running with 100% effectiveness. With the restoration of power to the service area, all lift stations are back on the FPL grid. Any minor issues that arise are quickly resolved by the City's dedicated hard-working staff. There have not been any raw sewage spills in Punta Gorda Isles or any of the City of Punta Gorda neighborhoods in recent weeks. The smell that residents are noticing is decaying vegetation. Almost every year, as cooler weather moves into Southwest Florida the canal water 'flips' or 'turns'. This means that the bottom (including silt, decomposing plant material and miscellaneous debris) comes to the surface bringing with it a smell of stagnant water and debris, while the surface water goes to the bottom. This is a natural occurrence and typically happens in dead end canals. This occurrence is expected to only last approximately two weeks then returns to normal. Another source of odor can be the P-trap in your home. Simple advice to eliminate this odor is available at A Dry P-Trap Might be Why Your Bathroom Smells - Water Wise Plumbing (waterwiselv.com).

Click Here To View The City of Punta Gorda: Weekly Highlights Report October 21, 2022