By DIANTÉ MARIGNY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
With a former mayor now seeking his seat, South Padre Island Mayor Patrick McNulty says voters will have a choice in November between changing course or continuing the investments and projects his administration has put in motion.
McNulty, who has served as mayor for the past seven years, is seeking another term and will face former Mayor Barry Patel in the Nov. 4 election.
For McNulty, the campaign is about finishing what the city has started — from the long-awaited second access and Wind and Water Sports Park to additional bay access, street improvements and continued beach renourishment.
“I feel that it is so important to give back to a community that has given me so many opportunities,” McNulty said. “We have accomplished so much over the past seven years, but there are still some major projects that we need to see to completion or at a minimum start construction.”
McNulty pointed to quality-of-life investments as one of the defining features of his time in office.
According to figures provided by the mayor, the city has invested more than $9 million in street improvements, including work along Laguna Boulevard, East Mars Drive, West Morningside Drive and several other streets. He also cited $3.5 million in beach access improvements, $1.4 million in parks, $7 million in beach renourishment and more than $5 million in bay access projects.
Those investments include the Island’s first new public boat ramp in 30 years, land purchases for the Wind and Water Sports Park and dredging of the Tompkins Channel. McNulty said the city has also increased its land ownership significantly during his tenure, which he believes will help address future needs.
At the same time, McNulty said the city increased excess reserves in the General Fund by $2.2 million and Beach Maintenance and Renourishment reserves by $7.2 million. He credited city staff and the City Council for helping accomplish the work.
If reelected, McNulty said expanding public access to the Laguna Madre will remain a priority. Despite the recent opening of a new boat ramp, he believes the Island needs another ramp with parking as well as a deep-water marina.
With investments in the RGV Reef and Texas FADs network, McNulty said South Padre Island is becoming a premier destination for offshore fishing, but the Island needs the infrastructure to harbor those boats locally. He said a marina project could also create marine islands that would serve as inshore reefs and support habitat.
Recreational spaces are another priority. McNulty said he wants continued investment in nature trails, pickleball, skateboarding facilities and dog parks, describing community parks as an important part of the Island’s quality of life.
One of the larger projects expected to move forward soon is the Wind and Water Sports Park. McNulty said the city purchased the 119-acre property last year following a lengthy permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Groundbreaking on the first of three phases is expected in September.
McNulty also wants the city to continue its beautification efforts. With Padre Boulevard median improvements nearing completion, he said the Island’s entrance should be the next focus, with additional native landscaping and lighting.
“We need to light up the medians to reflect the attitude of the Island, get people excited that they are arriving to the best beach destination in Texas where we have all types of fun activities for everyone,” McNulty said.
Beyond quality-of-life projects, McNulty identified the electric grid, parking, the seasonal economy and the second access route as some of the most significant issues facing the Island.
He said strengthening the electric grid will require continued coordination with AEP, particularly as the Island grows and infrastructure demands increase. The city has also hired the Fishbeck group to study parking and identify potential solutions to congestion during peak periods.
McNulty said the Island’s seasonal economy remains another challenge. Because South Padre Island depends heavily on visitors, he believes expanding youth sports tourism could help attract families during traditionally slower months.
That effort is tied in part to the future of the South Padre Island Convention Center. McNulty supports renovating and expanding the facility but said he does not support spending $100 million on the project.
“We need to continue our work on this project to renovate and expand the convention center, but at a reasonable cost,” McNulty said.
According to McNulty, more than $44 million has been saved since 2019 among the Venue Tax, Convention Center and Hotel Occupancy Tax funds for convention center improvements and other eligible venue projects. The Venue Tax fund, generated through a 2% tax on hotel and short-term rental stays of less than 30 days, is adding approximately $2.5 million annually, he said.
Perhaps the most consequential long-term project, McNulty said, is the second access to South Padre Island — an effort that has been discussed for more than two decades.
McNulty said construction on the entrance could begin within the next 12 to 18 months, with work on the bridge potentially starting by 2028.
“This is a generational project for our Island and region,” McNulty said. “We are almost to the finish line, and we need to do all we can to make sure that the construction starts in 2028.”
Beach renourishment will also remain a priority. McNulty said the Island has undergone three renourishment projects during the past five years, with another anticipated this fall or winter.
“Without the best beach in Texas, we would be a small coastal community,” McNulty said. “Sustaining a healthy beach is so important to our community.”
McNulty’s tenure has included challenges ranging from the 2019 straight-line wind event and COVID-19 pandemic to hurricane threats, Winter Storm Uri and an eight-alarm fire. Rather than focusing on the difficulties themselves, McNulty said he looks at how the community responded.
“All these challenges might seem huge in the moment, but working together — City Staff, Council and the community — we have all overcome them, stronger at the end of the day,” he said.
Asked about Patel, who previously served as mayor from 2013 to 2016, McNulty characterized the race as a difference in approaches rather than a personal contest.
“I don’t consider him running against me, we just have two different approaches,” McNulty said. “I believe that we need to make investments in quality of life on our Island and he wants change.”
McNulty is a Dallas native whose connection to South Padre Island began with childhood family vacations. He moved to the Island full time in 2004 and has worked in real estate, construction and the restaurant industry. Before being elected mayor, he served on several Island committees, including Planning and Zoning, the Shoreline Task Force, Capital Improvement and the Island Way Comprehensive Plan.
As the November election approaches, McNulty said he hopes residents will look at the work completed during his tenure and give him the opportunity to continue it.
“It has been an honor to represent our Island for the past seven years and hope that I have earned our residents’ support to continue all the good that we have been doing for our community,” McNulty said. “Let’s continue to work together to make our Island a better place to live, work and play.”