The City of Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) met on November 17, 2025 to approve minutes, hear public comments, consider a downtown commercial grant, discuss downtown revitalization efforts, and receive the Director’s Report. The meeting began at 1:00 PM in the Council Chambers at the Main Library.
This time we'll call for order the November seventeenth twenty twenty-five meeting of the City of Clearwater Committee Redevelopment Agency. This time we'll move to item two point one on the agenda. Approval of the minutes. Is there a motion to approve the minutes of the September 15th, twenty twenty-five meeting? So moved. Second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed, unanimous. Is Tom moved item three on the agenda citizens to be heard regarding items not on today's CRA agenda? I'm Kelly Meyer, resident of Clearwater. And I thank you for the opportunity to speak. And I understand this is a CRA meeting, but my comments may actually pertain to the redevelopment area here in downtown, and just wanted to bring up a few questions on behalf of thousands of citizens here in Clearwater. One, something to consider, please, as you go about your discussion today during the work session. Also, I know there's a proposed schedule for council meetings coming up for twenty twenty-six, and I did not see any town hall dates on there. Anyone else to be heard on an item that's not on today's community redevelopment agency agenda. There's you only get one. Are you speaking on behalf of someone else? Like my minutes and somebody else's minutes. No, um that does that rule doesn't apply with the how many minutes do I have? Three minutes. Three minutes. Okay. And again, it's this is about the CRA, so downtown Clearwater, whatever you want to talk about within the CRA, but today's come that this section is for issues not on the agenda that but pertain to the CRA. Yes, I am aware of that. Hi everybody, I'm Erica Escamilla, and I'm with uh Unimex and Lulac, and uh recently the market that I started up in El Mercado, and if I'm not mistaken, El Mercado is part of the CRA, correct? So I'm here for three main reasons. Um the first one really quick is I've made a request to have tables and chairs uh provided uh by the CRA that could be branded with the CRA logo or the city logo just so that it can take off a little bit of the burden and cost of having a market there every month and hauling in tables and chairs. Um, so that's the proposal I made. I believe they're waiting on parks and recs for that. Um, but that's one thing I want to address. The second thing is if since the CR or Mercado is within the CRA, I would like it to be considered to have a micro grant for activities in the Mercado. Um it's it's a little it's been a little bit of expensive of a to have a market there with all the expenses associated with having a market, the park rental fee, the application fee, and the advertisement. So if and I'm not asking for a huge amount, you know, it could be anywhere around a thousand dollars, maybe or even five hundred dollars, but a thousand dollars at least would really help help the vendors try to help them, you know, with their signage and everything because a lot of them are really lower income families that are struggling that are trying that are they selling at the market day for necessity, out of necessity, not out of you know anything else. And I'm not asking for a large amount, but just an amount that can help each vendor, you know, give them tools to succeed as a vendor at our market. Um, and then the third part is I'm seeing like there's a lot of you know uh resources available to businesses that are not getting to the businesses that are um Hispanic. So I would like to request to be considered that there be a grant for organizations like UNIMEX that could help people that um business owners that don't speak English that you know are struggling in that you know area um to be able to help them apply for these types of grants um that are out there for businesses. So that's why I'm here for any questions for me. That's this is your opportunity to give a presentation, so I just want to thank you for sharing those ideas, and hopefully you've spoken with the staff about those two, and that they can help us understand what might be possible. Yes, and I just want to share that our market. Um we had one yet yes on Saturday, and um it's made up of you know a couple of vendors that, for example, one is a mother, a single mother, you know, with little little ones, you know, there out of necessity. Another uh woman is there uh that lost her job, another one lost her husband months ago to cancer, another one is one that has a restaurant right there above the Mercado space that is struggling to keep it open. So um, these are the stories that you know whatever funding we're able to get would you know they benefit from. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Anyone else to be heard today on a uh item that's not on today's CRA agenda? Okay, that will move to item 4.1 approved in an amount not to exceed 122,438 dollars and 25 cents for the downtown commercial grant to 45 sports art and lounge LLC located at 1409 Cleveland Street, Clearwater, Florida, 33756, and authorized your perpetual officials sex QC. Uh good afternoon, Vicky Shire, CR Division Manager. The item before you is request for approval of a downtown commercial grant for 45 Sports Barn Lounge LLC, located at 1409 Cleveland Street. The business has been operating since 2023 and is seeking funding to expand and enhance its existing area.