>> [ GAVEL ]
>> This time I'll call
to order the June 1, 2026,
meeting of the City of
Clearwater Downtown
Development Board. Move
to item 2.1 on the agenda:
approve the minutes for the
May 18, 2026, Downtown
Development Board meeting. Is
there a motion?
>> So, moved.
>> Second.
>> All those in favor?
>> Aye.
>> Opposed? Unanimous. Move
to Item 3. Is, is there anyone
here today
from the public desires
to be heard on a Downtown
Development Board issue that is
not on today's agenda? Hearing
and seeing no one, move to
Item 4. Excuse me,
I think we wanted to go to 4.2
first. Okay, no, no objection.
We'll, we'll go to 4.2 and come
back to 4.1. Present the event
report out for the Second
Annual Taste of Clearwater
hosted by Rotary Club of
Clearwater Charities.
>> Good afternoon, Vicki
Shire, CRA manager. The
Rotary Club of Clearwater
hosted the Second Annual Taste
of Clearwater on Saturday,
April 18th, 2026, from 11 AM
to 5 PM. On the 600 block of
Cleveland Street and Station
Square Park. At this time, I'd
like to invite the members
of the Clearwater Rotary to
come forward and provide the
board with an event recap and
highlights from this year's
Taste of Clearwater.
>> Thank you.
>> Good afternoon. I'm
Melissa Stamos with the
Rotary Club of Clearwater, and
Adam Blackwell, who's the
president on April 18th,
we had the Taste of Clearwater
event. This was our second
year. We did switch the format
this year. Last year was in
Coachman Park. We had some
delays due to the hurricanes.
We moved it this year to
Cleveland Street. We put an
emphasis on having the downtown
merchants and vendors,
and we had a nice stage area
with some great bands. We had
about 2,000 attendees,
which was a nice number. It was
a nice flow. We had the vendors
up and down the street,
and then we had the stage
inside that courtyard. We had
nice decorations. We had a
variety of vendors. We had
Chiang Mai, we had Lazy Jerk,
Coco Crush, Andy's Custard. So
again, a lot
of downtown merchants,
Clearwater merchants. We did do
a lot
of social media marketing.
Prior to the event, we had
about 21,000 people who visited
the site on Facebook and
Instagram. We had almost 1,000
during the event.
After the event, we had 1,555
impressions. That's people
coming back
to say they enjoyed the event.
And our total reach was
23,051. Every content event
content was also cross-posted
across Pinellas County,
Clearwater, and Tampa. So, we
didn't just post on the
Rotary Club, we had a variety
of sites. We featured on over
50 online event calendars
throughout Tampa Bay leading up
to the event. Our live music
acts were The Brigade, which
was a hardcover band. They
really,
really were great. A lot
of people really liked them.
And they maintained the crowd.
So, the people that were there
stayed. We also had St. Pete
Sons, who is a great band. It
was just a really nice day,
great music.
>> Good weather.
>> Good weather, too. That
helped, absolutely. Because
last year our event got rained
out kind of, so we didn't have
the attendance that we did this
year. And we're hoping
to continue to build on this
event. I think this format
really works for us. You know,
the people come in,
walk up and down the street,
visit the vendors, buy some
food, and then when you go
into the stage area,
it's all laid out for you. We
did engage Amplify
Clearwater, and we conducted
outreach to downtown merchants
to encourage participation. A
key initiative
of this event was
to support the downtown
Clearwater businesses. What we
did was we offered them turnkey
booth opportunities
at no cost. So that was a good
invitation
for the downtown businesses
to come and be a part of it.
It also increased involvement
and exposure
for the local merchants. Our
event highlights again was live
music performances, shaded
seating and gathering areas.
That really helped because last
year was very, very hot,
so people didn't tend
to linger. We had high-quality
restroom trailer accommodations
that were air-conditioned and
very easily accessible. The
cleanliness and upkeep of the
event space we had volunteer
dedicated volunteers that were
going around making sure there
was no trash,
keeping it clean. We also had
family-friendly elements. We
had the Clearwater Threshers
mascot come. We had games and
activity areas. We had a bunny
interaction area so kids could
pet the bunnies. It was great.
We had a walk-through display
highlighting the history
of the Rotary Club of
Clearwater. Many attendees
remained at the event
for several hours. So that was
great because then they would
visit the vendors more often.
Some of our challenges. Our
alcohol sales,
next year we need to
consolidate. I think it was too
spread out and therefore we
didn't get as enough revenue
that we wanted from that.
Also, we didn't sell water, and
I think we missed a big
opportunity there. So next year
we will also sell water
bottles. The event structure as
a vendor-focused format
continues to evolve. We did get
feedback from a lot
of people that they were there
for the music. So, we're going
to continue to hone the event.
To make, you know,
the best possible opportunity.
Also, the adjustment of time
for the event. I think having
it that early in the day kind
of dissuaded some people from
coming because it's so hot. So
if we maybe pushed the event a
little bit later to lead right
into a sound event, you know,
we'd get more attendees and
then people wouldn't be as
dehydrated. What else do we
have here? The parking
situation was great. Because we
had the Garden Avenue parking.
And the support
of the city was great. We had
some employees come the day
before and they were able
to take care of any issues that
last year we had to deal with
on the day of the event. So, it
was a very smooth,
clean event. It was great. We
look forward to continuing
to do so. I think Adam has some
comments.
>> Thank you. I don't want
to break the furniture.
>> Thank you, Melissa.
>> As you may know, the
Rotary Club of Clearwater is
now over 100 years old,
and events like this allow us
to plow back
into the community roughly
$200,000 each year
through scholarships, grants,
support of the ROTC, support
of the Legion, and other,
other community organizations
in Clearwater. So,
without fundraising events
like the taste of Clearwater,
that would be impossible. So,
we're very grateful
for your support. It was good
to see many of you
at the event. And just to add
that law enforcement that day
was key,
and they did a phenomenal job.
So, we're very grateful
for that as well.
>> So, thank you. Okay, any
questions from the board for
Councilman Raulston?
>> Yes, so just a couple
of things. I know you talked
about the alcohol. It could
have been a little bit better.
But in the challenges, it says
alcohol sales logistics
presented operational
challenges. And I didn't know
whether people were trying
to take alcohol out
of the area or something like
that or if it was just the way
that you were selling it.
>> No, so I think it was
signage for us. We didn't get
the exposure. People were
walking around trying
to figure
out where do I get a drink. We
also had two other vendors
selling alcohol,
so I think it kind
of detracted from our sales.
We're also thinking about next
year maybe changing the format
of how we raise the revenue.
So instead of having each
vendor take their own payment,
we might do tickets and then
pay the vendors
at the end and keep part
of the proceeds. So, I think
that would also increase our
revenue.
>> Okay. And then
under the market Marketing and
promotion, the Facebook
campaigns, you gave me the
impressions and the
engagements,
and maybe I just missed it,
what do you think, feet
on the street,
what was your count there?
>> We estimated 2,000.
>> Okay. Yeah. So that's pretty
good. 6 hours, you got 2,000
people.
>> Yeah, and it was
before an event at the Sound,
so people were coming
in later, and the last band,
Brigade, really draw people
drew people in. So again,
if we shifted the time, I think
we'd probably get even more
attendance.
>> Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
>> I should also add, just
in closing,
that we did have a great group
of sponsors. Everybody from
ProVise, Duke Energy,
of course Clearwater Downtown
Development Board, Coastal,
Forbes, Abe's, Publix, Habitat
for Humanity, National
Aviation, And of course, the
Threshers. So we're very
grateful to our sponsors.
>> That's Moneeno.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Thank you
for being here. I was part of
that early group that got there
when it was scorching hot. I
did search for a bottle
of water. I think we settled
for snow crab or something. But
we had a great time. I agree,
maybe shifting that timeframe a
little bit later might make not
deter some people from wanting
to come out there because it is
so hot and there isn't much
of a breeze blowing
through those buildings. As
well as alcohol and signage. I
had some people that were
looking around,
I think they found something
at Coco's, but it was all kind
of disjointed on that side. But
the number one thing I did walk
away knowing is how good that
AC in the bathroom felt.
>> Right.
>> I agree with that.
>> Is that where you were?
>> That's where I ate my
lobster Reuben, I think.
>> Wow.
>> Well, good thing they were
very clean.
>> They were clean and it was
very refreshing. It was
appreciated. It was a good
event. I look forward to seeing
staff's place or AI data.
Just, yeah, yeah, perfect.
Thank you.
>> Great job.
>> Anybody else? Council
Member Teixeira.
>> Just a clarification,
if you will. It says here that
there was 641 attendees and
described the peak hour as
noon. So my question is,
was that 641 attendees captured
just at noon and does not
include throughout the day?
Okay, so that's just part
of the picture,
not the whole picture.
>> Thank you.
>> Just wanted
to clarify that.
>> Yeah. We had a clicker,
we were trying to keep track,
but you know, you can't get an
exact number when people are
coming in from both sides
of the street.
But we had a good crowd
at the band shell,
and that was really nice,
so.
>> Okay. Anybody else? Okay,
thank you, thank you,
thank you for coming today.
Yeah, okay, moved to item
4.1, the agenda, June 2022
director's report.
>> Good afternoon. Jesus
Ni o, CRA Executive Director.
This is an update for you
for the June 2026 Director's
Report. So first, we'll talk
about a little bit here,
event recaps that are coming up
in July. So, the first one here
is Sharkapalooza. This was a
very fun family event that took
place. This took place on
March 16th at Coachman Park.
And they estimated 1,000
attendees. And our place area
data show that 1,300
individuals showed up. So, they
underestimated a little bit
there. But I also have a few
little pictures here for you.
Nothing spectacular,
but I always want
to show people. It's not I can
show them
after the presentation
since it's up. So, this one was
also another completed project.
I'm not sure why it's
behind that slide
of upcoming events,
but this is another event.
This is part of the Hello
Cleveland Street live music
series. This is put together
by Downtown Pizza. This takes
place in the 400 block. And so
far, it's starting to become
more and more popular. And we
hope that they continue this
particular series. So, the last
one was the Hello Cleveland
Street Ginger Rose. And we had
a fairly good turnout. This was
also part
of the DDB microgrant program,
which is up to $5,000. Now,
this is for upcoming
DDB-sponsored events. This one
is Symphony by the Sea, which
takes place on June 6th.
Location at the Baker Sound.
This is DDB funding up to
$50,000
for this particular event.
This is to celebrate America
250 with waterfront evening of
live orchestra music featuring
patriotic favorites, Broadway
hits. Movie themes from Star
Wars and Jaws and the iconic
1812 Overture. So, it's kind
of good that we have a lot
of people here so we can kind
of promote our events that we
have out there. So, we hope
that you can attend. Again,
this is June 6th at the
BayCare Sound. Market Marie,
they're back
at their usual location at
Coachman Park. This will be
June 13th from a.m. to p.m.
And we're also hoping
to see if we can bring them
to do kind
of an event recap when they
were over at the 600 block.
Now, if we can just put the
overhead, please.
>> You can do it.
>> These are just a few
pictures of Sharkapalooza. I
always want to show people
out there having fun. It seemed
like the kids had a lot
of fun. In addition, I do want
to say that Clearwater Marine
Aquarium was also
in partnership
with this particular event.
In addition, I also want
to talk a little bit
about the Clearwater CRA's
2026 Grad Chalk Walk that's
celebrating the graduating
seniors from Clearwater High
School and Countryside High
School. So, this event already
took place,
but it was spectacular as far
as from what I understand
from staff and just
from individuals that talked
about it. You can see your
social media on Facebook if you
want
to see the clear pictures.
Very proud parents
of graduates out there. These
graduates might be the new
leaders that sit up here one
day. You never know.
>> Few more.
>> Oh, wow.
>> I like that one.
>> That's cool.
>> And that's the chalk art
there.
>> The chalk.
>> They're beautiful.
>> That's beautiful.
>> Nice, right?
>> Go Tornadoes.
>> We're proud
of those artists. I also want
to celebrate a new business
in downtown. This is
at the atrium. So, this is
Nourish and Nosh. It's a bakery
bistro. So, if anyone
in the audience wants
to go get a pastry, go there.
This is one
of our staff members, Marilyn
Brown. She was there just kind
of welcoming the new business
owners.
>> And that's the interior.
>> It's a very beautiful place.
If you haven't gone,
I encourage you to go. And
we're working closely
with the business owner just
to make sure that they're
Welcome here in Clearwater.
So, I do also want
to give a little bit of update
on the Cleveland Street
activation and mobile vendor
initiative. Nothing real
intensive, but because the
ordinance was amended already
by the city council, I do want
to let you know that we are
working on the mobile vendor
right-of-way program permit,
working with Public Works to
make sure that we can get those
individuals that are mobile
vendors on the street.
In addition, we do have a call
for mobile vendors that has
been issued out. It's been
published and we're spreading
it on our social medias.
To date, I think we have 13
individuals that are interested
in bringing their mobile
vendors to Cleveland Street.
And I have Vicki here just
in case, you know,
you have questions
on that particular program.
But the last item I do want
to get Mr. Battle here to talk
a little bit about. RBOA. RBOA,
that's the marketing company
that was hired by the DDB to
come and rebrand the downtown.
>> Sure, I'll speak,
I'll speak from,
from my seat here. My apologies
if you can't hear me. I'll try
my best
to speak up as well as I can.
It's at our last meeting
at least a special meeting,
a lot of great feedback. I
think they, the consultant,
felt very good in that there
was consensus or majority like
of one of the concepts, the
Horizon concept,
the more artsy of the two,
representing the bridge and the
sound and palm tree and kind
of that flowing image,
if you will. However, there
seemed to be a lot of interest
in the other concept as well.
So, we're going
to take one more pass with you
in terms of some one-on-ones
to have some conversations
about really how to use both.
and one is a lead and one is a
secondary, if you will,
and try to figure out how
to weave both
of those concepts. And they
have some experience
in doing that, so we asked them
that question because there
seemed to be a definite
recognition that both seem
to represent the city well.
So, we're going to do that
exercise and hopefully come
back with a platform and an
approach that uses a bit
of both, and that be the
platform, and that be the
announced branding marketing
approach. Going forward. So,
your feedback at the last
meeting was phenomenal.
Definitely appreciate it. And
the words I had from some
of you about it, I appreciate
that feedback as well. So next
time we come back, we'll
definitely be more
laser-focused
about one approach with, you
know, some options included
in that. So, I just wanted
to bring that
to your attention. So, thank
you for a few minutes.
>> That concludes the report.
>> Okay. Any questions
for the Director? Not. Thank
you. Okay, that time we'll move
to item 4.3 on the agenda,
approve the April 2026
financial statement
for filing.
>> Good afternoon, Ann Lopez,
CRA Assistant Director. The
item that I have
before you is the April 2026
financial statement
for filing. The expenditures
and transfers year to date
through the month of April were
$800 $59,524. For the month
of April, there were $25,057.
Your Future Downtown
Initiatives line has a balance
of $592,915. And the available
balance as of April 30th was
$1,213,172. I did want to let
the board know that staff had
reviewed all of the outstanding
purchase orders and events that
had been completed,
and any events that came in
under the estimated approved
budget, we've taken those funds
and we've reallocated them to
your unallocated special events
grant line. So those funds are
available
between now and the end of the
fiscal year.
>> I'd be happy
to answer questions.
>> Any questions
from the board? Does anyone
here from the public desire
to speak to this agenda item?
Seeing none is there a motion?
>> Motion
to approve agenda item 4.3.
>> Second.
>> All those in favor?
>> Aye.
>> Opposed? Unanimous. Move
to item 5, but you've already
given the director's report,
so thank you
for that earlier. Moved item
6, board members to be heard.
Any board member
to be heard today? Okay, you
see none. We will adjourn the
June 1, 2026, meeting of the
City of Clearwater Downtown
Development Board. We'll recess
till 1:30 when we will start
our work session.
>> [ RECESS ]
>> This time we'll call to order
the June 1, 2026, work session
of the Clearwater City Council.
Before we get into the agenda,
first two items
under presentations encourage,
you know, folks to cheer, you
know, do what you want. We're
honoring some folks today. But
after that, when we get
to our meeting,
our work session portion
of it,
this is a work session. It's
not a we don't have public
comment today. And so, it's
really, you know, to moan,
groan. You may
like something any one
of the five
of us says or anybody up here
at the Mayor says or doesn't
say, but we ask you to,
to not disrupt our meeting by
showing emotion or whatever
when something is set up here.
It's, it's a work session
for us to discuss city items.
You'll have the opportunity
certainly to come Thursday
night to talk about whatever
agenda item you want. And I say
that to everybody because I
know there are a couple issues
on the agenda today that all
of us have heard
from the community about. So
just want to make I want to
make sure that everybody
understands today is not an
opportunity
for public comment. Come out
Thursday night if you want
to have public comment
on any agenda item that's
on here today. So, with that,
we'll move to Item 2.1. I'd
like to call forward Rodney
Malpass, Fire District
Commander,
for his taking the oath
of office.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council Members, City
Manager, and Assistant
Manager. On behalf of Chief
Pittman, I'd like to introduce
our newest command staff
member, Chief Rodney Malpass.
Over 30 years of service
in the fire service,
so we're super excited
to bring him
to you today as one of our new
district commanders.
>> [ SWEARING IN ]
>> Thank you.
>> So next we'll move to item
2.2, which is the Executive
Leadership Academy graduation.
This time I'd like
to call forward Michelle
Sheldon from our Human
Resources Department.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council, City Administration.
My name is Michelle Sheldon,
and I represent the Training
and Engagement Division
of the Human Resources
Department. The Executive
Leadership Academy was created
through the vision and
commitment of Jennifer
Poirier, who recognized the
importance of investing
in the City's future leaders.
Her belief that great
organizations are built by
developing great people
inspired the creation of this
program and its continuation.
Continued growth. Would the
executive leadership
participants please come and
join me? It's a good thing,
y'all. So as part
of the city's Clearwater's
strategic plan
for superior public service,
which includes building a
diverse, talented workforce
through opportunity, wellness,
and growth. We specifically
Objective 5.2, encouraging
professional development
through education, skill-based
training, and leadership
succession planning. We took
another big step forward this
year with our second cohort
of this academy. We focused on
developing the next generation
of city leaders,
and not just any leaders,
They're Clearwater leaders,
the kind who show up,
they take initiative,
and support others
along the way. Building
on the success
of the inaugural cohort, the
Clearwater Executive
Leadership Academy continues to
provide a year-long leadership
development experience
for high-potential employees.
The purpose
of the academy was first
to equip employees with
practical leadership
strategies, tools,
and problem-solving skills to
navigate both everyday
operations and then those
occasional unexpected
challenges. Last year's cohort,
you know, the hurricane, so.
Second, to retain and invest
in our talented employees
by creating opportunities
for growth. We want
to keep our stars shining here,
right here in Clearwater. And
third, to boost engagement
across the board,
because let's face it, an
inspired team is a powerful
team. And finally, to build our
bench strength so when new
leadership opportunities arise,
we have strong,
prepared candidates to step
into those roles. We provided
monthly half-day trainings
on topics
like embracing chaos,
workforce dynamics,
governmental communication and
records policies, optimizing
efficiency, and of course,
real-world challenges.
But that's not all.
Participants had homework.
>> Sorry, guys.
>> They completed outside
assignments. They did a
community impact project. They
took the CliftonStrengths
assessment. And engaged in
workshops where they spent time
learning how to lead by
leveraging their own unique
strengths. Through it all,
they stayed committed,
they showed up,
and they leaned in,
and they grew together. So now
it's time to recognize the
incredible individuals who
completed the Clearwater
Executive Leadership Academy.
Please join us in
congratulating the following:
Allie Chandler-Bair. Cassie
Cordova.
>> Oh, you got your hands full.
>> Thank you, Alex.
>> Thank you.
>> Graham Donaldson.
>> Congratulations. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> Congratulations.
>> Brooke Harris.
>> Congratulations.
>> Fred Hemrick.
>> Jared Hood.
>> Jared Hood. David Kaidow.
Meredith Kambick. Jesus Ni o.
>> Congratulations.
>> Heather Parsons.
>> Good job. Superstar.
>> Kailyn Price.
>> Congratulations.
>> And Michael Vaca. And
Alexis Wells. Let's give them
all a big round of applause.
>> [ APPLAUSE ]
>> They certainly earned it.
>> Yeah, very fun. Yeah,
Graham, we might maybe come
down a little bit.
>> Yeah, just Graham, go
to the outside.
>> Graham, go to the outside
down here. It's just a height
thing.
>> I always jump it up 1, 2,
3. Perfect.
>> What a great group
of graduates. We're so proud
of our entire team, but
particularly these leaders that
are developing and committed
to being part of the future
of Clearwater going forward.
So, thank you
for organizing this,
Michelle.
>> Yeah, that will move
to item 3.1 on the agenda:
approve recommended changes
to Penny for Pinellas project
funding.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor and
Council. Kayleen Castle, budget
director. By ordinance,
we are required
to hold a public hearing at any
time when which there is a
change in Penny for Pinellas
project funding greater than
$500,000. This item
before you today and for
Thursday night is seeking
approval to eliminate the
police equipment facility
project, transferring $750,000
of Penny for Pinellas funding
to the new main PD parking
expansion project. Capital
project C2206 PD equipment
facility was funded with
$750,000 in money for
Pinella's revenues
in fiscal year '22. That
project was originally created
to provide a storage facility
for the police department's
oversized vehicles and
equipment. It's being changed
in scope. We're requesting
approval to transfer that
previously approved funding
to a new project, Main PD
Parking Expansion. This new
project supports Clearwater
Police Department's need for
additional secure parking
spaces which support their
operations,
and it also supports the new
City Hall construction,
freeing up spaces
in the garage for incoming
City Hall staff. I'd be happy
to answer additional questions
that you have, and I also have
some support help from PD and
Public Works if you have
questions for them.
>> Any questions
on this agenda item? Okay, if
not, thank you.
>> Move to agenda item 3.2,
amend the city's fiscal year
2025-26 operating capital
improvement budgets.
>> Mayor and Council, if I will
if I may, please, just want to
jump in. I know that we are all
aware that currently the
legislature is meeting in
Tallahassee
for a special session
to discuss property taxes. As
we've spoken on Friday,
certainly we're encouraging
everybody to just reach out and
make sure that our legislature
understands the impact that
this will be to the City of
Clearwater. You've all been
provided those numbers, and if
there's any additional
information that we can provide
to help aid in that
communication and education,
please just let us know. Go
ahead, Kayleen.
>> So, this item is the
mid-year budget review
for fiscal year '25-'26 budget.
This report reflects 6 months
of activity from October
through March and also includes
council action to date. There
are no general fund amendments
necessary at mid-year. That
doesn't happen very often.
General fund reserves are
approximately $73.4 million or
32% 2.8% of the fiscal year
'25-'26 general fund
expenditure budget. This
exceeds our minimum requirement
by $54.4 million. I want
to point out to you,
if you compare
to the first quarter report,
this is a little bit different
in that we've although your
action hasn't been formally
approved,
we included the commitment
for the commitment of reserves
for your approval of the
Philly's term sheet in April,
so we reduced for that
commitment that you made.
In the Air Park Fund,
amendments reflect an
allocation of $350,000
from fund reserves transferred
to the Capital Fund for the
apron relayment project,
and this was previously
approved by Council. In the
Capital Improvement Fund, we
are recognizing a net increase
of $3,574,619 at midyear,
and this is primarily related
to previous action approved
by the Council. As just
mentioned, the transfer of
$350,000 from Airpark Reserve
to the Apron Relayment
Project. And in the Aviation
Operations Center Project, we
are recognizing an increase
of $400,000 in grant revenue
from FDOT and an increase of
$2,099,765 in reimbursement
revenue ultimately from
FlyUSA. Other significant
amendments to capital projects
in this report include an
increase of $42,500
in fine revenue and $3,491 in
Duke Energy refund revenue
in the Green Print
Implementation Project. We an
increase of $45,200
in insurance claim
reimbursement in the
Motorized Equipment
Replacement Project. An
increase of $66,429
in grant revenues from FDLE
in the Police Equipment
Replacement Project. An
increase of $40,000 $455,000
in property owner share
revenues in the gas systems
Pasco new mains and service
lines project. And an increase
of $361,600
in FDOT reimbursements and
$139,073 in special program
fund revenues are recognized in
the ATMS infrastructure
upgrades project. And ATMS, I
can't exactly remember right
now what that acronym is,
but it's related to streets.
Street lighting. And
in the special program fund,
an increase of $1,247,674 is
reflected at mid-year.
Significant amendments
in that fund include an
increase of $343,696
in contractual services revenue
for police extra duty,
$773,843
in reimbursements received
from FEMA, $54,138
in fines and court proceeds for
public safety programs and the
tree replacement program.
We've recognized $22,935
in special event revenues
from the Sea Blues Festival.
And finally, a total of
$38,481 is transferred between
existing special programs. I'd
be happy to answer any
additional questions you have.
>> Okay. Any questions
on this agenda item?
>> Okay, all right.
>> See you Thursday.
>> Thank you.
>> Agenda item 4.1, accept
ordinance 2026-2339, an
interlocal agreement gas
franchise with the City of
Newport-Ritchie.
>> Good afternoon, I'm Brian
Langille, Executive Director
of CGS Energy. This is a
franchise with
Newport-Ritchie. It will go
for a 30-year time period.
In return, we will be providing
a 6% franchise rate
to the city
for all gas customers billing
on their customer bills every
month. So that would continue
on. Currently right now it's
at 6%, so it's not changing.
The original 30-year expired
at the end of December
of last year. We've been going
month to month,
and so now we've been able to
negotiate and get this new
agreement in place,
and I'd be happy
to answer any questions.
>> Any questions on this? We
have none, so thank you.
>> Agenda Item 4.2, ratifying,
confirming,
increase per change order
number 1 to utility work
by highway contractor agreement
with the Florida Department
of Transportation.
>> Good afternoon, Council. I'm
Alex Leon, Assistant Director
for CGS Energy. This item is
looking seeking
for a ratifying confirm
from you for a total amount
of $80,369.73
for an FDOT project
along the US 19. The original
estimates were obviously too
low, and as a result,
once the project was bid out
by FDOT,
the budget the total amount
for the project came out too
high or higher than originally
estimated, which required these
additional funds to be added
to the project. Project. I'll
take any questions.
>> Okay, any questions
on this agenda? Here, none. Do
we have consent? Yep, consent
on 4.2.
>> Thank you.
>> Agenda item 5.1: approve the
right-of-way vacation request
from the Church of
Scientology Flag Service
Organization for the
right-of-way more particularly
described as the southern
portion of Garden Avenue.
>> Good afternoon, Council.
Kyle Vaughn, Public Works
Department. This item is the
request for vacation
of a portion
of the platted right-of-way
of South Garden Avenue lying
between Franklin Street and
Court Street. If approved,
drainage and utility easements
would be reserved
over existing infrastructure.
And I can take your questions.
>> Just to remind the really
the public, but also the
Council, We vote
on this item twice,
but not today. We vote
on it once on Thursday night
and then again,
the next meeting
on the following Thursday night
meeting. So, as I said earlier,
this is there will be an
opportunity for the public
to come out twice,
not just this Thursday, but
at the following meeting
to speak to this issue,
but not today. So, with that,
is there any questions or
council discussion?
>> This is a good opportunity
to discuss it, or do you want
to wait for the if you have
questions.
>> Yeah, not necessarily
questions, but I did want
to voice my opinion.
>> Is that you may. Yeah, you
can discuss it however you
choose.
>> Okay. All right.
>> Thank you.
>> Move to agenda item 6.1,
authorize a purchase order
to attend 8 Fire and
Equipment Anka Freightonston,
Florida, for one Osage
Warrior Type 1 rescue.
>> Good to see you again.
Scott Babry, Deputy Chief.
Clearwater Fire and Rescue is
requesting the approval
to purchase and Osage Warrior
Type 1 rescue vehicle on a
2027 Ford F-450 crew cab
chassis to replace a rescue
unit currently that we have
with a G number 5234. We
recognize that G number as
Rescue 49 at a total cost of
$387,920.45. The purchase
includes a $319,748 base price
on the vehicle, $88,263 in
competitively procured options
through the Florida Sheriffs
Association contract, also a
$26,262 model year discount,
and a $6,171.45 in
department-specific options
required for compatibility and
operational needs. The upgrade
configuration supports CFR's
urban EMS operations
with a heavier-duty chassis,
reinforced drivetrain,
which is consistent
with the current fleet,
improving maintenance and
training efficiency. Due to an
estimated 24-month production
timeline,
early ordering is necessary.
Just a reminder, funding,
funding is included in the city
capital improvement plan and
will be reimbursed
through the Pinellas County EMS
tax funding anticipated
in fiscal year 2020. 2027,
2028. Once the new unit is
placed into service, again,
at Station 47, which is at 565
Sky Harbor Drive, then that
rescue unit, the G5234,
will transition
into reserve status. Open for
questions if you have any.
>> Any questions
on this agenda item?
>> Not a question. Thank you,
sir. Not a question. Thank you,
Chief, for explaining that. I
just want the public to,
to hear exactly what honed in
on the last portion there
of funding, you know,
we're putting the money up,
but then Pinellas County
through our EMS taxes will be
reimbursing us at that time.
So, it's a big dollar cost,
but it's an important piece
of equipment that we need
to make sure works. So when you
ever have to, hopefully never,
call 911, somebody shows up
at your door.
>> Thank you.
>> Any other discussion or
questions? If not,
then do we have consent? Yep.
Consider on 6.1.
>> Game 7.1, approve a
revocable license agreement
between All Around Amusements
and the City of Clearwater.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
council members. The item
before you today is our
approval
of a license agreement with
All Around Amusement LLC to
continue providing beach
amusements
on an area that's west of Pier
60 Park. All Around Amusement
was the only respondent
to the RFP, and they have been
providing this entertainment
concession on Clearwater Beach
since 2014. Most notably,
they use things like large
inflatable rides or slides,
you can't miss them, jump
houses, trampolines, and that
human guinea pig ball. I don't
know if you tried that lately,
but in any event, if approved,
the agreements for 5 years,
which will allow the licensee
the opportunity
to purchase some new equipment
to be able to put out
on the beach
during that time. I'm available
to answer any questions you
might have.
>> Now, this, this does not
include the Ferris wheel,
right?
>> This is that is correct.
This is just the equipment
that's on the sand.
>> And how long about I see
it's a 5-year agreement, but
how long have they been doing
this?
>> They've been doing this this
particular vendor's has been
doing it since 2014. We have
done it prior to that,
but it's been with different
vendors that have come. And
unfortunately, it's a, I think,
a thankless job in many ways
because they are there every
single day, 365 days,
and required to be there,
and it's on the sand.
But it's, it's an entertainment
that families love. They may
not look that attractive
at times, but they are
certainly something that we can
gain revenue by, and the
families can still enjoy while
they're here.
>> I see families using them.
Yes.
>> Thank you.
>> Any other questions? If not,
do we have consent? Yeah, we
have consent on 7.1.
>> 8.1: approve the annexation
for 1399 Pineapple Lane ADRIAN
YOUNG, Planning and
Development.
>> This is a voluntary
annexation request for 3.4
acres located
on the south side of
Pineapple Lane, approximately
210 feet south of Naval
Drive. The parcel is currently
vacant. The applicants request
annexation to receive city
services and combine the parcel
with Moccasin Lake Park.
Planning and Development staff
concludes that the annexation
petition is consistent
with the Comprehensive Plan,
Community Development Code, and
recommends approval. If there
are any questions
>> Any questions
on this agenda? We have none.
>> 8.2, approve a future land
use map amendment from the
residential low category to the
recreation open space category
for 1399 Pineapple Lane.
>> Excellent. Adrian, again
this voluntary future land use
map amendment request is for
3.4 acres located south located
south of Pineapple Lane,
approximately 210 feet south
of Naval Drive. The applicant
is requesting future land use
amendment from Residential Low
to thank you, to Recreation
Open Space. The Planning and
Development Department
concludes that the future land
use petition is consistent
with the Comprehensive Plan,
Community Development Code, and
recommends approval.
>> If any questions. Any
questions
on this agenda item?
>> Agenda item 8.3, approve a
zoning atlas amendment
from the Residential
Agriculture Pinellas County
District to the Open Space
Recreation OSR City of
Clearwater. Adrian Young again.
>> This voluntary zoning atlas
request amendment is for 3.4
acres at the same location,
south side of Pineapple Lane,
210 feet south of Naval
Drive. The applicant's
requesting a zoning amendment
from Residential Agricultural
to Open Space Recreation.
Yes, open space recreation.
Plan development again
concludes that this amendment
is consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan,
Development Code, and
recommends approval.
>> If there are any questions
any questions? This
for those that don't know,
this is a great addition to
Moccasin Lake Park. It's really
going
to be a great additional space
for to connect with the park.
So, yes, sir. Thank you.
>> Okay, move to Agenda Item
8.4, approve the annexation
initial future land use map
designation residential low and
initial zoning atlas
designation of low medium
density residential for 1554
Owen Drive. Excellent. Thank
you.
>> Again, Adrian with Plan
Development. This voluntary
annexation request is for 0.43
acres located on the west side
of Owen Drive, approximately
597 feet south of State Road
590. The applicants request
annexation
to receive sanitary sewer
from the city. Again, the
planned development concludes
that the annexation petition is
consistent with the Community
Development Code, consistent
with the Comprehensive Plan,
and recommends approval.
>> Have any questions? Okay,
any questions
on this agenda item? Okay,
none.
>> Agenda Item 8.5, a perfect
development agreement
between MHG Palm Pavilion
Hotel LP, Six Flags Planted
LLC, and the City of
Clearwater
for property located at 10
Bay Esplanade and 18 Bay
Esplanade.
>> All right, good afternoon.
Lauren Matske, Planning and
Development. So, this item has
previously been presented to
City Council for first reading
on May 14th, and at that time
there were no additional
comments or changes recommended
or asked for
in the development agreement.
So, this was scheduled for the
final approval consideration
on Thursday night. As a
reminder, the a couple
of key points about the project
and the development agreement:
it's a 1.06-acre site located
at 10 and 18 Bay Esplanade.
It's located within the tourist
zoning district, and more
specifically, the Old Florida
District of Beach by Design.
The request is
for the allocation of 91 hotel
units from the Hotel Density
Reserve. Combined with the
permitted density already
entitled to the site, the
project will contain a maximum
of 144 rooms. The building
height is 75 feet,
and that's measured from the
design flood elevation, which
is our base flood elevation
plus the required feet
of freeboard. The project
provides 173 parking spaces,
which meets the Community
Development Code requirements
for off-street parking. Access
is provided from both Kendall
Street and Bay Esplanade. The
project includes hotel rooms,
a lobby,
back-of-house operations. The
existing restaurant is attached
and will be accessory
to the hotel, and then there's
a small pool amenities
on the 5th floor. It's been
found
to be generally consistent to
Beach by Design Hotel Density
Reserve criteria, and the
development agreement is
consistent
with the comprehensive plan and
Beach by Design redevelopment
objectives,
as well as the criteria
in the Community Development
Code. So, the proposal is
consistent with the applicable
minimum lot requirements,
parking requirements, etc.,
and it's been reviewed against
the hotel density reserve
criteria. It's generally
consistent and complies
with everything. And I already
said that, sorry about that.
So, we're seeking approval of
the development agreement and
adoption of Resolution 2609
on Thursday night.
>> Okay, any discussion?
Councilman Raulston?
>> I just, you know,
I've been getting a lot
of emails. I'm sure all
of us have about the I guess
the thing that concerns me is
the traffic. Now, I have a I go
back and forth by that property
all the time because I have
property at the end
of the beach. And almost every
day I'm back and forth. I don't
notice the traffic
on that portion as bad as it is
on the South Beach because I
know we've got a road no
problem down there. But as far
as the traffic study went that
was submitted that you, I
guess, looked at,
it doesn't seem to me
like there's going
to be that much
of a difference with 144 rooms
with people coming
in and out. A lot of people
in hotels, people don't know,
they don't have a car. Most
of them fly
in and they take the grouper
over to the beach or whatever.
But what was your opinion on
that?
>> I personally did not review
the traffic study. Our Public
Works traffic engineering group
as well as the planning staff
reviewed it, and they found
that they based it was based on
the methodology that was agreed
upon with the Public Works
Department, and they found that
there would not be any
substantial impacts
to the level of service
in this area. So, I think The
project is the ultimate size or
request for the number of rooms
and everything is limited.
It's less than what officially
could be requested,
and that's based
on the ability
to provide the necessary
parking on site
for the hotel. So, they did not
ask for a request
to reduce the number
of parking spaces. I think
to your point,
we have good walkability
in this area, and we also run
additional services so people
can traverse the beach
without necessarily needing
to drive their,
their individual cars. But that
would have all been factored
into their traffic study,
which was reviewed. And then I
would also remind that this is
the first step. The next step,
if, if City Council does
approve this resolution and
this conceptual plan, is that
it would then move forward
to a more detailed review
by the Development Review
Committee and then ultimately
would need approval by the
Community Development Board.
Okay, thank you.
>> You're welcome. Any other
questions? Councilman Menino.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Just a
quick question, Lauren, for
clarity. I had a couple
questions regarding I know
we've identified Kendall
Street as well as Bay
Esplanade is going to have
parking garage entrances and
exits. Are they
on both roads,
or is it one way in, one way
out, or in and out
on both sides.
>> Let me see. Sorry, just no,
that's okay. You know what, I
think it'll be better if I just
say I'll get back
to you. I can, I can get that
information and clarity instead
of thumbing through
to find the site plan. And
that's fair.
>> That was just some
residents' questions.
>> Sure, I'm trying
to look real quick. It looks
like, looks like it might oh,
that's the pedestrian. I'd
rather just get back to you.
Apologies on that. No, you're
good.
>> Appreciate you. Any other
questions? I have a couple.
You said it's generally
consistent with Beachbody
design. What would be some of
the exceptions or flexibility
that they need?
>> I mean, in this instance,
because it's conceptual, that's
the way that we phrase it
because and like anything,
by the time it comes through
for a more robust review
for the Development Review
Committee, there could be a few
tweaks here and there. So, this
is reviewed
at the conceptual level.
That's the way the process was
set up so that City Council
could do this review
in particular
for the allocation
of the room. City Council does
both readings for hotel density
reserve as opposed to a more
traditional development
agreement where it goes
to the Community Development
Board and this. And so as a
result, like,
it was agreed upon years ago
that, you know, at this level
we would accept a more
conceptual plan so that way the
development community,
the developers did not go into
the full very detailed design
and then reach this stage and
find out that City Council did
not want
to allocate the rooms. So, it
just gives us a little bit of,
you know, what the
to the detail that we have,
it's consistent. So.
>> The other question I got
from a community member was
concern over the number of
rooms and the relatively small
amount of space,
how big the rooms were going
to be, and, you know,
do they have a relationship
with the flag, hotel flag,
what type of, you know,
would it be on the lower end
of our,
the nightly rate scale. I know,
you know, we tried to have a
mix when we allotted these
rooms, you know, the higher end
and the middle and then lower
end. Do you know anything
about that, what type
of property they propose?
>> No, we're not given a flag
if it's not selected yet. That
wasn't provided to us,
but these, the Hotel Density
Reserve was a established to,
to help out with kind
of the mid, mid-scale fewer
amenities,
not the resorts or anything
like that. This is the type
of project that,
that was intended or
to be incentivized by this.
You real quick, in, in 2006-ish
is when the city did work
with outside entities to help
determine and establish this
Ocean City Reserve. So, it
stemmed from, at the time,
there were a lot
of conversions
to condominiums. Our hotels
were being converted. And
without going
into it's a great white paper,
but I don't have it memorized.
But in general,
it was found that there needed
to be a minimum of 120 rooms
per acre
to really make projects work
on our beach at that time. And
then looking further
at what it would take
to accumulate the amount
of parcels
to make that number happen,
it really wasn't feasible. So
that's why Beach by Design
enables a couple
of different pathways. So, on
properties that are less than
2.5 acres,
that's where they can get up
to 150 units per acre maximum,
and only 100 units could come
from the reserve. Larger
properties,
if they have more than 2.5
acres in size,
they are limited
to a maximum density of 90
units per acre. So, but
in terms of room size,
what we focus on
in the review is the amenities
in the room, so they can't have
full kitchens. We always review
for any lockout rooms just to
make sure that they are meeting
the maximum density,
or they are comporting
with the code and the beach
by design. Okay. All right.
Thank you.
>> Nothing else, then. Thank
you for that. We'll see you
Thursday night.
>> Okay, that will move
to agenda item 8.6, approve a
First Amendment to a
Declaration of Covenants and
Restrictions by Gulfview
Boulevard Owner LLC.
>> All right,
and good afternoon again.
Lauren Matsky with Planning and
Development. So, this item
relates to the Hyatt Regency
Hotel property, which is at
301 South Gulfview Boulevard.
This is unique for us. The
developer had entered
into the a development
agreement with the city in the
early 2000s and subsequently
received hotel density reserve
units for the project. As part
of that development agreement,
they had
to record a declaration of
Covenants and Restrictions,
which was done in 2006. The
existing declaration limits the
occupancy of any hotel unit
by an owner or other occupant
to no more than 30 consecutive
days per state,
which is consistent with our
overnight accommodations uses.
It also requires that hotel
units,
when not when not occupied
by owners, be made available
to the public
for overnight rental
for no fewer than 305 days per
calendar year. So, it's pretty
prescriptive in terms
of that. The, the owner's
representative reached out to
the city a few months ago
because they are proposing a
First Amendment
to this covenant. It would
delete and restate that use
provision and clarify though
that the hotel units may be
owned in operated as interval
ownership or timeshare units.
It would still retain the
30-day consecutive stay
limitation. So, it's really a
change
in ownership model as opposed
to a change of use because it
remains consistent with our
overnight accommodations use.
So, as you all are aware,
Beach by Design requires hotels
that receive these reserve
units, they have
to remain available
to the public for overnight
transient lodging. It should be
noted that the development
agreement that granted the
original units expired because
it's more than 10 years old.
This agenda item presents that
context just
for your consideration, and the
proposed amendment does not
change the short-term occupancy
limitation and it's otherwise
consistent with the Community
Development Code. So, the real
request is
to change this covenant
to contemplate or allow for
timeshare where it wasn't
specifically spelled
out before. But it comes back
to City Council because the
original covenant was a
requirement of the hotel
development agreement. So even
though that development
agreement has expired,
any changes
of those requirements,
because it's required,
must be approved by City
Council.
>> Okay. Questions on this
agenda? Okay. Do we have
consent? We have consent on
8.6. Thank you. Thank you very
much. Agenda item 8.7.
>> Appoint Nancy Mack as
special magistrate pursuant
to Section 162.03, Florida
Statutes, and Section 5-406, 6
and Article 7 of the
Clearwater Community
Development Code.
>> Good afternoon, Council,
City Management. I'm Sarah
Green, Code Compliance
Manager. The item
before you is to appoint
Nancy B. Mag as a special
magistrate and approve a legal
services agreement. The intent
of the special magistrate is to
enhance the city's enforcement
mechanisms. Currently, we have
a Municipal Code Enforcement
Board made up of volunteer
citizens who hear cases
regarding potential violations
of the city's ordinances. This
item is not replacement
of that. Florida Statute 162
and the city's code of
ordinances reflect the
authority of both the special
magistrate and code boards
to enforce the city's codes.
The implementation of a special
magistrate would provide a
second enforcement option
for staff. In doing so, we've
reduced large time-consuming
agendas
for the board and residents, as
well as segment technical and
time-intensive cases. This is
part of an ongoing effort
to enhance the efficiency
of the enforcement process for
both staff and residents.
>> Happy
to answer any questions. Any
questions
on this agenda item? Not we'll
move to agenda. Thank you.
>> Agenda item 9.1, approve a
purchase order with SHI
International Corp of New
Jersey for Microsoft software
and telephone services. Good
afternoon, Mayor, Council.
>> Jared Barton, IT manager.
This item before you is
requesting approval for
software licensing and
maintenance for our existing
office productivity suite and
enhanced security programs.
This item renews the city's
Microsoft Enterprise
Enrollment through SHI
for a 3-year term from July
1st, 2026, through June 30th,
2029. The renewal supports core
city technology operations
including Microsoft 365
Government Community Cloud,
email, Teams, identity
management, cybersecurity,
and compliance tools. This
helps maintain continuity
of essential productivity,
security, compliance, and cloud
services while preserving
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement
coverage. And with that,
I'll be happy
to answer any questions.
>> Any questions
on this agenda? If not,
do we have consent? Yes.
Consent on 9.1. Thank you.
>> Agenda Item 10.1: approve
the second phase
of marina slip rate adjustments
for recreational tenants
consistent with the previously
adopted market rate study.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council. Mike McDonald, Marine
and Aviation Director. Before
you today is the second phase
of the marina slip rate
adjustments identified in the
marine market rate study
completed by Walter Duke and
Partners. As Council may
recall, Overall, the study
found that marina slip rental
rates across the city's marina
system were significantly
below comparable market rates.
The Marine Advisory Board
reviewed the study and
recommended a phased
implementation approach
to allow tenants time
to adjust while moving rates
toward market alignment.
Council subsequently provided
staff direction to proceed with
that phased approach and return
with a second phase
for consideration.
In accordance
with that direction,
staff is recommending approval
of the second phase of
recreational slip rate
adjustments for the Beach
Marina, Harbor Marina, and
Island Marine Estates effective
October 1st, 2026. Staff is not
recommending any additional
rate increase for the Beach
Marina commercial tenants
at this time due
to the ongoing Beach Marina
reconstruction project and its
impact
on commercial operation. Staff
believes that it is appropriate
to defer any further commercial
rate adjustments until
construction is substantially
complete and a new market rate
study can be performed. As part
of the Council's prior
direction, staff also completed
a long-term financial pro forma
for the Marina Enterprise
Fund. The analyst demonstrates
that the proposed rates provide
positive operating cash flow
and improve the long-term
financial position of the
Marina System. However, the
Enterprise Fund continues to,
to face significant obligations
associated with future capital
replacement, infrastructure
maintenance, interfund
commitments,
and depreciation associated
with major marina redevelopment
projects. The recommended rate
adjustments help move the
marina system toward long-term
financial sustainability while
ensuring that the Enterprise
Fund remains responsible
for funding its own operations,
maintenance,
repairs and future capital
needs without reliance on the
general fund.
>> I'll be happy
to answer any questions.
Questions?
>> Councilmember Albritton.
Okay, so I remember we
discussed this and we had a
bunch of people here talking
about a lot of long-time
renters that were there
from the beginning of time.
And, you know,
I know we did we were way
behind on raising our rates.
My question is, how many of
those longtime renters did we
lose because of this?
>> We lost a few, but we still
have a waiting list. So, when I
say a few, I'm going
to say there are 7 or 8 tenants
that left.
>> Okay, but we do have a
waiting list?
>> Yes, sir. It's not as long
as it used to be, but we still
have a waiting list.
>> Okay. All right.
>> Thank you. Any other
questions? Okay, thank you.
Thank you. Do we have consent?
We have consent on 10.1.
>> Agenda item 11.1, authorized
purchase order Shannon
Chemical Corporation
for the supply of dry blended
polyphosphate corrosion control
chemicals.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council. My Planning Public
Utilities Director. Today I'm
requesting your authorization
to award ITB 22-26
for corrosion control chemicals
to Shannon Chemical
Corporation of Malvern,
Pennsylvania. This contract
establishes a term supply of
dry blended poly/ortho
corrosion control chemicals
to support our 3 water
treatment plants. As the lowest
responsive bidder, Shannon
Chemical Corporation will
provide their product
at a unit cost of $3.43 per
pound, bringing the estimated
total annual cost of treatment
to $141,094.77 for initial
one-term one-year term with two
optional one-year renewals.
This chemical treatment
prevents the corrosion of
distribution pipes and leaching
into drinking water, which
directly preserves our public
health and infrastructure
in alliance
with our commitment to
environmental stewardship. I'd
be happy to respond
to any questions that you may
have.
>> All right, any questions
on this agenda item? Okay, if
not, do we have consent? Yep.
We have consent, 11.1.
>> 11.2, thank you. Authorized
purchase orders Ferguson US
Holdings doing business as
Ferguson Enterprises and
Consolidated Pipe Supply
Company for the supply of
potable and reclaimed water
meters.
>> My apologies. Afternoon
again, Mayor, Council. I am
Michael Vaca, Public
Utilities Infrastructure
Manager. Before you today,
I am requesting your approval
to award the potable and
reclaimed water meters to
Badger Meters Consolidated
Pipe Supply and Ferguson
Enterprises, LLC. As the lowest
responsive and responsible
bidders, these vendors will
provide metering
infrastructures
for an estimated annual amount
of $400,000
during the initial 1 year,
which includes a 2-year options
with 1-year renewals. Securing
these standard meters ensures
that accurate utility billing,
resource management,
which directly supports
with our commitment
to high-performing governments
by maintaining public
infrastructure and optimizing
city assets through systematic
management efforts. And I am
happy to respond
to any questions you may have.
Yes, sir.
>> Any questions on this
agenda?
>> Councilmember Albritton.
These drive-by meters? AMI?
Not yet, sir. We are
in the process
of reviewing them. This is the
standard water meters that are
currently that we deploy out
in the field. These meters that
we are purchasing will coincide
with when we do move
to that automatic reading.
>> Good. Thank you. Any other
questions? Okay, do we have
consent? We have consent.
11.2.
>> And just to follow up,
we are working towards AMI.
We're working on our RFP right
now as we speak,
so we're hoping
to have something to bring
to you soon.
>> Yes, thank you. And
to your, to your point, I mean,
there are other municipalities
surrounding us here in Tampa
Bay are moving of that. And I
think it's good
to hear that we're
on the path to,
to do that ourselves.
>> Yes, we are. Actually,
there's ironically,
there's the conference in
Tampa for AMI this week that
we're attending.
>> Yeah, thank you. Thank you.
>> Move to agenda item 12.1,
authorized purchase order, No
Waste Equip Manufacturing
Company, for the purchase
of roll-off containers,
compact
for some compactor parts.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council, city staff. Jacoby
Washington, Solid Waste
Assistant Director. This
request provides the Solid
Waste Department
with the ability to purchase
roll-off containers,
compactors, and replacement
parts as needed. These are
critical assets that support
daily collection operations,
customer service needs, and
ongoing equipment replacements.
Approval of this item ensures
continued reliable service,
supports operational needs, and
ensure the city can effectively
manage its equipment needs
through May of 2029. I'll be
glad to answer any questions if
you guys have any.
>> Okay, questions on 12.1? Do
we have consent
on this agenda item? Yeah, you
have consent on 12.1. Thank
you, sir. Thank you. 13.1.
>> Reappoint John Connolly
to the Pension Investment
Committee with a term
to expire June 4, 2028.
Council members, Mr.
Connolly, has been serving
in this capacity and is
eligible for reappointment and
is willing.
>> Okay, any discussion? If
not, do we have consent? Yes.
We have consent on 13.1.
>> Agenda item 13.2, appoint an
individual to the community
defined contribution the City
of Clearwater defined
contributions plan Fiduciary
Investment Committee
with a term expiring June 4th,
2030. Council members, this is
one board that we've been
trying to fill
for a long time. We only have
one position, and we finally
have several applicants
for your consideration.
Attached to the agenda item,
we have Nielsen Lionheart, who
lives in the 33759 and has a
teacher background. Carrie
Nelson, who lives, off of 1216
South Missouri Avenue and is a
retired HR consultant.
William Johnson, who lives in
33764 and is an accounting
manager. And Lori Watson, who
lives in 33761 and is a retired
institutional financial
services client service
consultant.
>> Any discussion or
suggestions
on who we might appoint? Not
everybody jumping at once.
Yes, Mary Tishida.
>> I believe both Mr. Dukeri
and Mrs. Raulston would be my
front runners with their
professional background,
financial services. I know it's
one, but trying
to get some leeway here.
>> Mayor, I'll throw in Lori
Watson. I wrote
down as well because of her
experience and background.
>> I'm fine. Anybody else?
Lori Watson sounds great.
Lori Watson then. We have
to send them the word. Yes.
>> Agenda item 13.3: appoint 2
individuals to the Community
Development Board, with one
with a term expiring June 4th,
2030, and one as the alternate
member with a term expiring
June 4th, 2030. Mr.
Mastrosario completed his
unexpired term and is not
wanting to reappointed, and
Mr. Heinrichs, who was serving
as the alternate member, has
completed his term and is
unable to continue his,
his service on the board. So,
for your consideration,
we have one individual with the
preferred professional
backgrounds, Mr. Luis Serna,
who lives in 33761. And then,
for your consideration, we've
received several applications
Communications as well. Mr.
William Johnson, who also lives
in 33761. Michael Mark,
33767, a retired physician.
Richard Maza, 33761, a retired
doctor. Loretta Mitchell, a
business owner in 33755. Todd
St. John Fulton, 3755, sales
property and management, and
Eliseo Santana, 33755, a
retired technologist. And
over the weekend,
I received an application
from former Council Member
Hoyt Hamilton, and it's not
attached to the agenda item but
will be attached if the
discussion is deferred to
Thursday.
But I did provide copies
at your seats.
>> Okay, Vice Mayor. Yes, thank
you, sir.
>> First, thank you to all the
applicants that applied
for this position. Greatly
appreciate it. For me,
I had two standouts. I'll start
with Mr. Cerna. Seems
overqualified in my opinion,
which I think is going
to be huge going into the
upcoming development that we
have, especially with county
properties coming online and
him being a planning director
and working directly
with municipalities, living
in the city for 6+ years. I
think that he would he'd
probably be an asset
to this board. My second one
would be Hoyt Hamilton. I mean,
he's been here for 14-plus
years as a city councilman.
Family's generationally known
here for being out on the
beach. I think that he would
bring a very unique and
knowledgeable skill set
to this board just because of
how well he knows how the area
has grown over the years and
where it can have the potential
to go. So those would be my two
nominees out
of the list presented. Okay.
Absolutely agreed.
>> Mr. Cerna is qualified. No
surprises there. And I agree,
Mr. Hamilton, I'd actually
enjoy I would enjoy seeing him
reengaged. He brings a lot
to the table. So yes,
absolutely.
>> Councilman Menino.
>> Thank you, Mayor. I support
the same sentiments that were
just said. Luis Cerna, 30 years
as a city planner, that
experience and expertise is
definitely needed in a place of
development we are as a
community. He'll definitely be
an asset to that board. As well
as Hoyt, I agree
with what's said,
but it also should be pointed
out that he is currently
serving on Pinellas' local
planning agency, and I think
that's vitally important
for this role as well. So those
two. Okay, anybody else to?
>> I think we have consent,
unanimous consent. Well, then
my next question is
>> Is which one? Who do you
want to serve in which role?
So, I need someone
in the regular member role, and
then I need an alternate
member.
>> I would say, I would say
Cerna as the regular member and
Hoyt as the alternate.
Agreed.
>> Okay, may I place it
on consent?
>> Thanks. Okay, we'll move
to agenda item 14.1. Mayor,
it's a second reading. I don't
have anything to add. Okay, any
questions on it? If not,
we'll move to Agenda Item 15,
City Manager's Report.
>> I think you have something
special for us to um,
yes sir I just wanted
to bring up yesterday's
incident out on Clearwater
Beach, specifically at
Coronado Drive. I know that it
was troubling and certainly
caused a disruption for the
residents and visitors and
employees and businesses that
are out there on the beach.
Clearwater Beach is one of the
most visited and recognizable
places, not only in our city,
but our beach wins national,
nationwide,
and worldwide awards annually.
But it's also a neighborhood,
and it's a workplace,
and a destination for families
from here to
around the world. And what
happened yesterday, we want to
make sure just everybody
understands, that does not
reflect who we are as a
community or the experience
that we expect people
to have when they are here in
Clearwater. I wanted to express
our sincere appreciation to
Clearwater Police Department
and Clearwater Fire and
Rescue, as well as the
dispatchers and our partner
agencies
for their immediate response.
Also want to thank the
residents and businesses,
and businesses who cooperated
with us
during the difficult situation.
We are continuing
to coordinate
across city departments,
law enforcement agencies,
and regional partners to
protect the safety and quality
of life, and the
family-friendly character that
defines Clearwater Beach. And
if I may, I would like
to call up Deputy Chief
Wallach
to provide a little bit of an
update and answer any questions
you may have.
>> Good afternoon, Mayor,
Council, City Manager. Deputy
Chief Mike Wallach, the police
department. Provide you a quick
update
into reference yesterday. I,
I can't go
into a lot because there's a
lot of investigative resources
involved, but we had have
identified a suspect, so we are
working towards that. I want to
also be very clear that this
involved parties
from outside the local area,
surrounding counties. This was
not a Pinellas County local
event. The police department
was aware of it. We had
allegations allocated resources
to it, and they took the
appropriate actions as they
could. And we got support
from the surrounding agencies,
be it the Pinellas County
Sheriff's Office and the
Largo Police Department. Since
yesterday,
I've had numerous conversations
with the Pinellas County
Sheriff, and we've also have
plans going forward to
aggressively attack this so
this does not happen again
in this type of environment.
Just a few things
to touch upon too. We've have
used a copious amount of
resources that we have red
light cameras, tag readers.
There's a surplus of plus 20
of them. Our Real-Time Crime
Center has been very
influential to helping us
identify the persons involved
in this one-off situation.
There's city cameras. As you
know,
every officer is outfitted
with a camera that they display
on their chest. They have some
officers have cameras inside
of their car, and also the
Sheriff's Office has cameras
on their persons and in their
cars as well. I'd be happy
to answer any questions.
>> Any questions for the
Chief? Mainly a statement.
Chief, thank you for the police
department and the work that
men and women of our police
department did yesterday.
Thank you to Largo and
Pinellas County Sheriff's
Office too for coming to our
assistance when we needed it.
You know,
we're a vacation destination
for the world. We have
world-class beaches. Our
residents enjoy it,
and we want
to be family friendly. And you
all provide the safety and
security that we are already
enjoy. And what we saw
yesterday is behavior that is
completely unacceptable. It's
reprehensible and will not be
tolerated
within the city limits of
Clearwater as far as I'm
concerned. I did send
out an email
to the police chief, city
manager, and city attorney
to look into ways to be more
unique and give our police
officers more teeth
in holding people accountable,
be it the parents,
be it these organizers.
Because when you're sending
out teenagers to disrupt
family-friendly lives and
environments, as we're seeing
from Tampa to now
on our beach, it's, it's, as I
said, unacceptable. I know you
also said that it will not be
tolerated. So, if you're
planning on coming
to the beach, you might end up
in handcuffs and in jail. I
echo that sentiment 1,000%
because that's not what we're
going to tolerate here in
Clearwater. So, thank you again
to the men and women of
Clearwater Police Department
keeping us safe, all the first
responder agencies including
Clearwater Fire and Rescue,
Sunstar, who are
out there too as well. So, I
look forward
to seeing what we can't come up
with
to help equip you all better
to be able to keep our beach
and city just as safe as it's
already been.
>> So, thank you. I can touch
upon one thing real quick that
might provide you a little
insight. Since December of
2025, December 31st,
there's been 11 of these
identified type situations that
we have encountered. Of the
11, 9
of them never took place, and
2 were I'm sorry, 9 were One
never happened and two were
totally dismantled
at the time. But we also use a
letter that we've been sending
out
to people that post these type
of these incidences and letting
them know that we got this
letter from working with
Volusia County Sheriff's
Office that this type
of event is not going to be
tolerated and there's
consequences that go along
with it. And I have a copy
of the letter if you'd like
to see it. As you can see,
this is one that has been sent
out previously. The name has
been redacted, but there's a
letter that's formulated. It
outlines unsanctioned events,
and it's ultimately signed
at the end by the chief.
>> Perfect. Okay. Okay. Any
further? Yeah. That's for
Nino.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Thank you
to our entire team, men and
women. I know when we all got
that phone call,
we were completely devastated,
especially being as the first
day of summer as we rolled
into. I don't think any of us
on the leadership team have any
questions in the ability
of our team. So, thank you.
Your strength in the media was
appreciated. I think your exact
words were a trip
to the beach. May earn you a
trip to jail. And that strength
is needed at times like this. I
think we also should take that
time to look
at the whole picture. And while
our team is fully capable
to manage these situations,
it's a shared responsibility
in our entire community
to keep our community safe,
and not just the men and women
with a badge. Guardians,
parents, neighbors, community
leaders, we all share
in that responsibility
in being vigilant
in our community. We need
to make sure as we get into the
summer as families and
neighborhoods,
we keep our kids busy,
keep them structured,
keep them accountable,
find things for them to do that
help them make positive choices
with their lives and not just
out of boredom show up
to some other town, because
we've seen time and time again
we're not unfortunately immune
to situations
like this that we see
on the news. So, I wish nothing
but the best
to our first responders,
our entire team. Prayers
to keep everybody safe. And
hopefully as a community, we
can stay vigilant and work
alongside of
with our men and women
in the agencies
to keep our community safe.
>> Thank you. Anybody else?
Well, I have two things.
Number one,
I've seen the flyer. There was
a, it was an event promoter,
I believe from Lakeland.
That's where the gentleman
Polk County. Polk County.
Okay. Who was promoting the
event. There was a free event,
a gathering on Clearwater
Beach, and then a paid event,
an after party taking place
in Tampa that the gentleman
was, and the group
of people were charging money
to attend the after-party. So
you're the information you gave
us on making sure the folks
aren't, you know, trying
to bring people
out here and then somehow,
either here or
off the beach somewhere else,
you know, make money off
of it, that's we're not going
to tolerate that. You have
to have a permit if you want
to hold an event, and,
and we're not going
to people get away
with doing what he did.
>> Yes, sir. As soon as we
received that information
from the after-party, I talked
to my counterparts at Tampa
Police Department and relayed
that information as well.
That's the type
of relationships we have
across the bridge and with the
sheriff and surrounding
agencies.
>> Second thing is,
I actually learned about it
from my son, who, thank God, he
was He was safe like all the
other folks around, but he was
within about 100 to 200 feet
from the incident when it
happened outside of the
Wyndham. He was working
at the Wyndham that night. And
so, I learned about it right
away. I've learned
to be very careful. And I've
had people say,
why haven't you said anything?
Well, you know,
we all don't want to interfere
with whatever investigation is
going on. So, we all are very
careful, so the public knows,
all 5 of us, very careful
making any comment publicly
until you've had a chance
to process things. And I knew
from my son who was working
with you all to kind of, you
know, keep, keep things
across the street to Wyndham
kind of under control. The URL
were on top
of it and you needed,
needed that space
to gather information. The
other thing that I tried
to do is
to let you speak as you did
on television last night and to
the media very eloquently. I
want to thank you
for what you shared publicly.
You did a great job
at the press conference
in getting
out the appropriate
information. But I wanted
to and I want
to thank you and the police for
what you did. I have a
different perspective on it
for two things. One, I walked
the beach yesterday,
the shoreline. I was there.
At the pier about
between and yesterday,
and I saw these groups
of kids. Nothing was out
of control
at the time. I mean, it was
but I did see groups of kids,
but not differently
from what I would see sometimes
during high school spring break
week. And I saw some, you know,
some mainly young guys walking
past me or whatever,
and I I don't know if one of
these was the one who had the
gun or whatever, but I was
out there 2 hours before this
and I didn't feel unsafe. I did
feel like, you know,
maybe and we often have groups
of kids gather
around the pier that, you know,
maybe doesn't look family
friendly, but most
of the families move, you know,
down away from that pier when
things are happening
out there.
But I didn't see any of this,
the social media that we've
gotten,
that it was complete chaos.
From my perspective,
it was not that. And my son,
who was across the street
from it, until
like the incident happened,
he didn't see groups
of kids running up and down.
So, some,
I just want everybody
to know that some of the social
media things you've seen the
videos. In my view,
my personal view, and talked
to my son last night,
it made it look
like it was complete chaos
for a long period of time
out there, and it was not. Our
police officers, as you said,
knew it was coming,
had the beach under control
at all times. Were there some
moments where there would yes,
obviously it got out of hand,
and thank God that my son
wasn't somehow
in a inadvertently involved
in it. And I've all those
families that were around,
there was traffic
on the street. I, I thank God
for their safety because it was
there were difficult moments,
as you know. But I want
to assure the public that,
because I've seen some posts,
don't go to Clearwater Beach,
it's not safe it is safe every
day. It was safe last night.
Our police last night were
in complete control
of the situation and the crowd.
And there is no reason and I
say this as someone whose loved
one was within harm's way of
this gentleman there is no
reason to not visit
Clearwater Beach
for safety reasons. We have a
safe beach. Our police do an
incredible job because I've
made this point before,
I'll make it again, we have
on a busy day,
we have as many people
out there
on the beach as they have at
Baker Ballpark for the
Phillies game,
any sporting event
in the area. But we had we
don't have a hard perimeter
like we do
with those other places. It is
an incredibly hard job
for our police to keep track
of that, and you all do a
phenomenal job every day.
>> Thank you, Mayor. I just
want
to add two things real quick,
just so everybody knows,
there's a lot of posts
out there on social media right
now that are going on, be it
TikTok or Instagram. A lot of
those videos that you're seeing
are not actually Clearwater.
There are some are that
Clearwater, but there's a lot
of them that occurred
from other locations,
from other events. So, take
caution with that. Also, I want
to reiterate that the priority
to the having this the beach
being safe is 100% our
priority. And just
to reiterate one last time,
this is two groups
of kids that don't get along.
This is these guys argue, and
this is not just attacking
random people.
>> These are two groups going
at it. Yeah, yeah. And, and
like I said, you,
you all do a phenomenal job.
Our, our beach is safe, if not
safer than any other beach
in the United States. You do a
phenomenal job. We definitely
want these promoters,
these folks who want to come
out there and cause problems
to know you are on it and are
in control,
and we're not going
to tolerate this stuff. We, we
have a safe beach. It was a
safe beach yesterday. We had
some incidents we had
to take care of,
and it will be a safe beach.
We are going
to make sure that Clearwater
Beach continues to be a
family-friendly destination and
one of the safest beaches
in the United States. United
States. So, thank you
for what you do. You know,
we're always hesitant
to react too much
to what happens on social media
because sometimes you can make
it worse and make the, you
know, it kind of unleashes more
and more nonsense.
Like you said,
videos that aren't even
Clearwater Beach. So, we want
to be careful on that,
but appreciate what was shared
by others here today. And I
just wanted to share that from
my own personal perspective.
>> Appreciate it. The, the men
and women of the police
department appreciate the
support they get, and as long
as the sheriff's office in
Largo too. So, thank you.
Appreciate it.
>> Thank you. Thank you.
Okay. Any other nothing else.
With that, we'll move
to agenda item 16, City
Attorney for reports.
Nothing, Mayor. Okay. Agenda
item 17, new business.
Nothing. Agenda Item 18,
council comments. Nope.
Agenda Item 19, closing
comments. I don't have anything
else today, so we will adjourn
the work session of
Clearwater City Council for
June 1st, 2026.
>> [ GAVEL ]