Who voted, who paid, and what's coming next in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
The mayor votes as a member of the council. Council meetings are posted as audio recordings. Here is who decides, when they meet, and every major project we are tracking.
MayorFifth term
In office since 2008. Won 2025 with 60% over Councilman Jeff Boyd.
Place 1First term
Elected 2025 with 68%.
Place 2First term
Elected 2025 with 53%.
Place 3Appointed
Appointed June 2026 after Jerry Johnson stepped down. On the Planning Commission since 2017.
Place 4Chairman pro tem
Re-elected 2025 without opposition.
Place 5First term
Elected 2025 with 52%.
Sources: City of Orange Beach; 2025 official results. As of Nov. 3, 2026.
Status as of Nov. 3, 2026. Every row links to where the information came from. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
| Project | Status | Money | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event Center sale to Wharf Retail Properties Our reporting | Terms modified Sept. 15. City lease-back ends Dec. 31 | $7.5M: $5.565M cash plus $1.935M loan | NBC15 |
| Margaritaville at Wharf Landing Our reporting | 142-lot subdivision before the Planning Commission Nov. 9. 354 rental units at build-out | 50% city tax rebate, warrant up to $95M | Gulf Coast Media |
| Medical Center South (former finance building) | Construction began in October. About nine months. No tenant announced | $1.4M, Langan Development | OBA |
| Possible new civic center site Our reporting | Soil testing approved Oct. 20, south side of Canal Road near the library | $16,300 | Gulf Coast Media |
| Shooting complex clubhouse | State GOMESA grant accepted Oct. 20 | $1.5M grant | Gulf Coast Media |
| Jubilee Point Road elevation | County grant agreement approved Oct. 20 | $950,000 grant | Gulf Coast Media |
| Bear Point stormwater plan | Study released. Mayor and council choosing priorities | $16.7M for everything recommended | Gulf Coast Media |
| Waterfront Park living shoreline | Low bids let the city widen the project scope | Part of a $12.8M Nature Conservancy grant | Gulf Coast Media |
| Boggy Point boat launch | State planning, then about a year of Corps permitting | Nearly $3M GoMESA, run by the state | Gulf Coast Media |
| Comprehensive plan Our reporting | Adopted Sept. 1. Zoning rewrite before the Planning Commission Nov. 9 | Gulf Coast Media | |
| Building moratoriums Our reporting | Extension to June 30, 2027 was on the Sept. 1 agenda. Final adoption not confirmed | Gulf Coast Media |
Both cities
Two councils, three months, and one issue that split the council, in the minutes we could get. Here's what Gulf Shores and Orange Beach did from August through October, and what's coming in November.
Orange Beach
In May, three of Orange Beach's five council members filed a state ethics complaint saying Mayor Tony Kennon threatened them over the release of police bodycam footage from a 2024 call at a city building. Six months later, here is what the public record shows, and what it doesn't.
Orange Beach
A beachgoer who says a lifeguard truck ran him over, the estate of a man who died in the city jail, an attorney who says city officials defamed him, and the ongoing federal fight over bodycam footage from a 2024 police call involving the mayor.
Orange Beach
On Oct. 20 the Orange Beach City Council appointed Hunter Harrelson to the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Board. His wife, Councilwoman Ginger Harrelson, co-founded Beachball Properties, the vacation rental company he is listed with. The meeting recording shows she abstained.
Orange Beach
Orange Beach's police chief says the city can cancel its new drone program at any time. A news preview of the Oct. 6 agenda described a contract that automatically converts to roughly $176,000 a year unless the city gives written notice 90 days before the free year ends.
Orange Beach
The company in line to buy the city's Event Center and the company behind the Margaritaville resort, which is in line for a 30-year tax rebate, are both Louisiana LLCs that list the same principal address. Here is what the state's business records show.
Orange Beach
The city gets $5.565 million in cash and a $1.935 million interest-free loan. The loan gets repaid with tax money The Wharf generates. Under the terms reported in April, after Dec. 31 the city can't book its own former venue without the buyer's permission.
