Orange Beach leaders are set to take up a busy agenda at tonight’s joint regular and work session meeting, including funding for sea turtle rehabilitation equipment and a redesign of a planned Marriott hotel near the beach.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution awarding an $84,297.04 bid to Integrated Aqua Systems, Inc. for new life-support equipment at the Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle Facility. The upgrade is intended to support the city’s ongoing work caring for injured and rehabilitating sea turtles along the coast. The meeting is scheduled for this evening, Tuesday, July 21, at 5 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Orange Beach City Hall.
Also on the agenda is a Planned Unit Development modification for the AC Hotel by Marriott, proposed for 23370 Perdido Beach Boulevard at the site of the former Romar Beach Baptist Church. The amendment would eliminate a previously approved off-site parking lot located more than a mile from the hotel. In its place, developers would add a new level atop the hotel’s existing parking structure to provide all 160 required on-site spaces, while also relocating eight guest rooms to the rooftop level.
The council’s agenda includes several other notable items:
Jason Kudulis, executive director of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, is scheduled to give a presentation to the council. Council members will also hold a second reading on an ordinance lowering speed limits from 25 mph to 15 mph on several streets within the Lauder Place subdivision, including Barracuda Street, Cobia Avenue, Sailfish Lane, Tarpon Street and Yellowfin Street.
On the public safety front, the council will consider a mutual aid agreement with Lifeguard Ambulance Service, doing business as Medstar EMS, aimed at preventing the city’s medical transport system from being overwhelmed during peak tourist season. Members will also weigh a memorandum of understanding with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office to assign local police officers to the multi-jurisdictional Baldwin County Drug Task Force.
A resolution on the agenda would appropriate $10,000 for the 2026 fiscal year to CARE House, Inc., which operates as the Baldwin County Child Advocacy Center, to support trauma-informed counseling and forensic interviews for young victims. Separately, the city is looking to purchase two new Polaris Ranger Crew 1000 Premium utility vehicles from Baldwin County Victory Polaris for $44,853 each, replacing older beach patrol vehicles that have suffered undercarriage rust.
Community Development staff will present a temporary six-month permit allowing a portable building at 27075 Marina Road to serve as a temporary office for Bluewater Yacht Sales. The council will also review non-exclusive taxi franchise applications from One Love Shuttle LLC and Granbury Executive Transport LLC to operate within city limits and the police jurisdiction, and consider adopting an official City Seal Style Guide establishing standardized fonts, colors and logo formats across city departments.
Council members are also expected to discuss joining multi-district litigation against fire apparatus manufacturers over allegations of collusive pricing and delivery delays, and to review a 12-month extension of a performance contract with Brandy Reeves to continue youth tennis instruction at the Orange Beach Tennis Center through August 2027. First readings are scheduled for code updates covering recreational vehicle rentals and a new ordinance regulating bicycles, micromobility devices and electric motorcycles.
During the Committee of the Whole portion of the meeting, the council will discuss a negotiated contract for removing invasive plant species and restoring native landscaping for the Coastal Resources Department, along with a bid for a new work skiff to support the department’s operations. Members will also consider a cooperative agreement with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for local permitting, monitoring and inspection services.
Other items include a resolution recognizing retiring Sergeant Joey Brown with his duty weapons and badge after more than 20 years of service, a software agreement with Motorola Solutions for dispatch and records upgrades, and a separate agreement with Whelen Engineering for patrol vehicle software. The council will weigh a professional services agreement with Adams Stewart Architect, LLC, including a task order not to exceed $306,000 for design and engineering work on a first responder Hurricane Safe Room.
Additional items on the agenda include the reappointment of Bill Brett to the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Board of Directors, a participation agreement with the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund, and a resolution accepting the donation of a police canine named Nox from the Orange Beach Police K-9 Foundation. The council also plans to set an Aug. 18 public hearing date for the Amenity District PUD at Wharf Landing, home to the planned Margaritaville Resort, and to remind residents of an already-scheduled Aug. 4 hearing on a freestanding sign for Columbia Southern University. Finally, the council will review an ordinance amending the city’s Flood Damage Prevention code to remove an outdated subsection.