Expect uh Councilmember Cotton would be joining us later, and I don't know about Council uh board member Fraser if she's gonna be here today or not.

But yeah, okay.

With that, we'll proceed to agenda item 2.1.

Is there a motion?

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed, unanimous.

Agenda item 2.2, approve the minutes of the September 17, 2025 downtown development board meeting.

Is there a motion?

Move to approve gender item 2.2.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, unanimous.

Jet item 3.1.

Good afternoon, Vicki Shire, Sierra Division Manager.

This item was originally presented to the board on the April 2025 board meeting, um, part of the Cleveland Street activation plan.

Due to the scheduling coordination challenges, staff along with our partners at St.

St.

Petersburg College agreed to postpone the market to early next year to allow more time for marketing, better recruitment, and overall planning.

We are now seeking approval for the revised dates for the night Friday night market series, which will run for six consecutive weeks from January 9th through February 7th, every Friday evening from 6 to 9 p.m.

on the 400 and 500 block of Cleveland Street.

The final weekend will be February 6th and 7th, and will feature special Friday and Saturday market to close out with a big ta-da.

Staff recommends approving the revised dates, and I have Miss Amaginda Monterra and Annabelle LeBish from St.

Peter's College to answer any questions at this time.

Okay.

Either of you want to share anything further.

What's been shared?

Good afternoon.

Um we're just excited for this project to eventually uh launch finally, and um this is something that we've been looking forward to having.

Our students, our um entrepreneurs are excited as well.

So thank you for your time and and consideration for this project.

We're happy to be celebrating the 60th year of the Clearwater campus of St.

Petersburg College, and such an important part of our community and has been for 60 years.

So we appreciate this opportunity to partner with the college again.

So with that um is there a motion?

Move to approve agenda item 3.1.

Second.

Not all those in favor.

Aye.

Opposed, unanimous.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here today.

Jet item 3.2.

This next item before you is for the world's largest rubber duck exhibit.

You've been provided with a revised budget with staff, which staff received on Friday, October 31st.

After reviewing the updated information, staff is still recommending 21,500 in eligible expenses for DDB.

At this time, I have Amber Bryce from Arts and Culture Affairs Manager and Jules Smith, recreation supervisor, whom are producing the events and here to provide any additional information regarding the budget and the event details.

Okay.

Amber Bryce, Arts and Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Clearwater.

I have with me Jules Smith.

Um she's recreation supervisor for special events.

I know most people don't do presentations, but I felt words really didn't do this exhibit justice.

I feel like you really need to see photos to get the whole scale.

So since stepping into this role three years ago, my goal has been to bring the world's largest rubber duck to Clearwater.

And I'm happy to announce that she will be here in January.

So here's some specs on Mama Duck.

She is 61 feet high, so approximately six stories tall, uh 64 feet wide, 74 feet long, and you can see her mission statement here.

On this slide, we have what we're lovingly called our duck days, which are our events that we are hoping to put on surrounding the rubber duck.

So in the ninth, we're having like an a special photo opportunity exclusive to Jeep owners or whoever.

So we're gonna sell time slots, we're gonna move the barricades out of the way so people can have an unobstructed view of the duck and take photos with her.

And then if this is successful, like if we sell out of time slots, this is something we can continue to do over the course of the next week.

This also acts as free marketing and promotion for us because these Jeep owners will go and put these photos on in their Jeep clubs, Facebook groups and social media.

Then we have our Market Marie, which is already a well-established event, but this is the first major event for the duck.

We've spoken with Blair, she's very excited about having the duck at her event.

Then special events is gonna put on a duck-5k, um, which we're really excited about.

We're estimating 175 runners pace uh based on the past 5k they've done, but this census is themed, it'll be January.

We're hoping that there'll be more people.

Then we're really excited about how our rubber ducky birthday bash.

So we're celebrating National Rubber Duck Day.

We're gonna have performances by Jack Hartman, which if you know you know.

If you don't, he's a YouTube sensation.

He has five million followers on YouTube.

He's a child song performer.

He does a lot of um concerts on the libraries, and they always have waiting lists, like a hundred people.

So we're excited to do a big event where all the families will get to participate, along with Mr.

Brad, also a child song performer, face painters, balloon artists, uh paint bus, hopefully kids' craft vendors.

Then on the 23rd, there'll be a scenes on the grain, which is essentially a movie in the park with a duck theme, hopefully.

This is an event that special events is put on many times.

And then a culminating event will be our duck and drive Jeep invasion, which we're playing off of the fact that Gasparilla's the next weekends.

We're using the word invasion.

Um this will be all out Jeep themed live music, axe throwing and touch a Jeep area, and this event will hopefully extend all the way up into the 500 block of Cleveland, and we hope to have Jeeps parked all the way along the streets.

So she can be illuminated from within, which is great.

She'll people be able to see her on the bridge, driving by in their boats, maybe they're going to Capitol Theater and they'll go, what's that down there?

And come down and take a picture.

Um, lots of sponsorship opportunities, and then I'll talk about the baby duck Timmy is a 10-foot tall baby duck.

It's kind of a pop-up photo.

Um, he'll be here a month before Mama Duck.

So we're allowing our sponsors to ask if they would like Timmy in front of their businesses.

We can partner with downtown businesses, and then we'll have a full list of you know, baby duck sightings for people to come take photos with.

As you can see in this picture, uh there'll be 28 barricades that surround the ducks.

So there's lots of signage opportunities, um, social media.

We're in talks with a Jeep dealership to see if they would like to, you know, sponsor and maybe park some Jeeps on in Coachman that can act as a barrier.

Um we haven't spoken with the merch in Seattle.

I'll just preface by saying that we will work with CRA to approach businesses, but there's many opportunities for them to use this duck theme to you know get more people in the doors.

And then I'll just end with saying, you know, this is um the community benefits, but I know this is super unique kitschy, fun opportunity for the city of Clearwater and downtown.

You know, some people won't get it, some people will think it's funny, some people will think it's stupid, but they will be talking about the duck.

And even if they don't like it, they will come down and they will take pictures with the duck.

And that is our goal.

It's to show that Clearwater can be playful, silly, and fun, but our other main goal is to get people downtown.

Um and to bring people from not all over, not even all over Clearwater, but neighboring counties.

And this is something unique enough that I think we'll do that.

So thank you for your time.

If you have any questions, we are here to answer that.

Yeah, Councillor Robran.

Uh, was Daddy Duck not invited?

I only have one.

Okay, well, um, you know, when you have an event like this, which I think is great, uh, the most important part of this is getting the word out.

And um, you know, when I was doing this back on the DDB 15 or sore years ago, I went well, I went to Bright House at the time, and then got some PSAs on TV.

I mean, I was lucky to get some during like prime time, but you know, the more you can get it out there.

I think I think this will be a big hit.

But you need to get if you can get the Jeep guys to do it, they can help with getting the word out, and uh it'll attract a lot more people.

And we are in commun communication with multiple Jeep groups for the Jeep event.

Okay.

This is a great example of strategic well thought out planning from involving the Jeeps with their affinity and their history with rubber ducks to actually timing it perfectly in conjunction for the birthday bash and even including sponsorship opportunities.

Very well planned out.

I'm impressed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh, I'm excited for the rubber duck week as well.

I'm glad that it's not just a one-day, one afternoon thing, it's two weeks.

I think you have a lot of opportunities uh to get some traction via social media and whatever hashtags we're doing downtown clearwater.

I think this could be part of a larger movement that we keep discussing about rebranding our downtown and having something, a hashtag this and doing best picture award wins a dinner at whatever.

I think these are some good opportunities.

Seems like a no-brainer with the Jeep dealership, right?

This is uh every Jeep you see driving around Pinellas County has 50 to 60 little ducklings in there.

Uh, don't know if it's Timmy's relatives or not, but we'll um we'll see it.

Uh the thing looks massive.

It looks like the Macy's Day Parade is coming to Cosmone Park, so that's uh that's exciting.

Look forward to to being a part of it.

One thing that caught my eye, the first thing when I get these is I always go and look at the budget, obviously.

And so often when we see a non-City of Clearwater presenter, this marketing and advertising number always seems just astronomically crazy.

I don't know if that's because we pad it or not, and then I look at our staff, who's obviously not gonna pad the numbers per se, and it's only $1,500, right?

Which is quite a bit of difference.

And I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm saying that's a good thing that's appreciated because we see some events that get a couple thousand people and they put $30,000, $40,000 in a marketing budget, and I don't know if that's truly where the money goes.

And to be fair, we have a public communications department, but agreed, so it's nice to nice to see that that number where my eyes just naturally go.

But I'm looking forward to the two weeks and uh welcoming Timmy and his mother into town, and it should be a lot of fun.

So thank you.

Councilman Warcott.

Yeah, I don't disagree.

I think that this is uh unique fun.

Even the haters, like you pointed out, are going to be talking about it.

So I think when you have that type of buzz, people are gonna want to see the giant six-story duck, right?

So um, even those uh visitors that we have coming from out of state, out of country, they're going to our beautiful beach will see it, and another reason to draw them into downtown.

So I think this is great.

You good well, um, yeah, I think you you touched on what I was gonna say.

I mean, that my son's a big Jeep owner too.

So yeah, it's a whole community of Jeep owners that really I think could pull together a good crowd for this, so tap into that's wise idea.

It's not just the Jeep dealers, but it's the accessories, all these accessories that go to the Jeeps that some of those might be interested in sponsoring too to make it a kind of a bigger Jeep community event.

What I'd like to see is just uh, you know, we're committing whatever we're committing DDB funds here for this.

I'd just like to see if you if you get a great feedback return from uh from the community from sponsors to see uh see our conduction lesson.

We're we're kind of a backdrop uh backstop for you.

Uh that if you really do get an overwhelming support from the Jeep community, we'd like to see some of that return back to the DVD.

So uh, but looks looks like a great idea and unique thing, and I think that's what we want to be known for, Goshen Park, you know, different unique things, and this certainly is unique.

So thank you for bringing that idea.

This time, is there anybody here from the public that desires to come on this agenda item?

If not, is there a motion?

Make a motion to approve agenda item 3.2.

Second.

All those in favor?

Opposed, unanimous.

Okay, look forward to it.

Yeah.

Hey, this time we'll move to agenda item 3.3.

Good afternoon again.

Vicki Shire, CRA Division Manager.

The Jingle Bell Family Fun Fest is a new holiday celebration designed to attract family residents and visitors.

This event will take place on Saturn Saturday, December 20th, 2025, from 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

throughout Potion Park, including the Green, Lower and Upper Plaza, the Cleveland Street Extension, and the Baywalk Promenade.

The one day event will feature community vendors, holiday theme contest, live entertainment, family activities, including Santa Claus, and photo opportunities with holiday characters.

Attendance is expected to reach approximately 3,000.

The applicant is requesting funding not to exceed 12,900 to cover direct cost and city fees.

The same applicant applicant previously previously hosted the Fall Y'all Festival at Koshen Park.

This event received strong community feedback, robust social media engagement, and positive coverage.

The total event budget for the Jingle Bell Family Fund Fest is 25,500.

And the applicant is requesting 12,900 in eligible DDB expenses.

Staff recommends approval of the 12,900 to support the Jingle Bell Family Fund Fest, a new family holiday event that advances the DDB's mission, supports the city strategic goals, and meets all the DDB program criterias.

At this time, I have a saucy queen family here to answer any questions.

Thank you.

You want to present somebody's share a few words?

Yes, so we have Mr.

and Mrs.

Claus coming.

We have Rudolph, Frosty, tons of photo ops.

We also already have some media lined up.

I'm hoping the mayor again will be able to step in because he would he did such a great job with Charlie Belcher and Channel 28.

We were really excited with the amount of media we did get for Fall Y'all, so we anticipate having just as much or more for Jingle Bell.

We're gonna have some really cute contests for pets, families, and kiddos where they can the kiddos could dress up on stage.

So I'm hoping maybe some members of council can come and help pass out the little reindeer awards, which is just so cute.

I know Vicky was able to do that for fall y'all, and it's just totally adorable.

So we're excited, and the one thing I do want to say is that we do shows all over the Tampa Bay area.

In fact, this weekend we're doing the Tarpon Springs Seafood Festival, and the staff at Clearwater is unlike is the best.

All of the staff that we work with on site, day of and before, they're just excellent.

So they made our job easier, and they were so positive.

And we look forward to doing that again for Jingle Bell.

Thank you.

If not, is there any more discussion?

Council Member Alburn.

Yeah, I just wanted to say I think it's a great event.

You know, any time we can use the green at the park.

Um I was so glad to see the expansion of that green area.

Uh we we need more of these things, and uh, you know, it it just shows the diversity and what we can have there.

So I'm gonna look forward to seeing it.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Council Manino.

Thank you.

Um excited about the event.

Obviously, um Peak did some of the events you guys have done in the past.

You've done a great job.

Um, not joking about community feedback being very high.

You did get a lot of accolades on organization and professionalism, uh, and I appreciate that as it matches our staff, as you did say.

Greatly appreciate you sharing the feedback regarding our staff.

Yes, uh, they are they are amazing.

We are blessed in this city, so I I thank you for that.

In the order of consistency at what I just said on the last one, can you chat with us a little bit on what your advertising and marketing plan is?

Sure.

Identified $1,500 on the past one two-week event, and now we're looking at a one-day event with a nine thousand dollar figure, so I'm just wondering.

So for fall y'all, we had asked for $30,000.

We ended up coming in under budget um by twelve thousand less.

So we take what we put out there very seriously.

Um this is a little bit more than what we actually probably will spend, but we don't know until we get into it if we get a radio opportunity or a TV station opportunity.

Currently, for Tarpon Springs, I just did like a cable ad, you know, similar to what you were talking about.

So I am working with that, so that's a possibility that would make it higher.

So realistically, it would probably be around 5,000, but that includes PR, meaning booking all the TV stations, that includes ads, that type of thing.

It also includes our um video and drone footage.

So it's not just marketing, it's the post things too, a photographer, that type thing.

Gotcha.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, I'll uh thank you, sir.

I'll I'll hit on what the mayor said too.

You know, I'm looking forward to something like this, and um you guys did great on the last event.

Um it's just going forward again, trying to find other sponsorships to start lowering that cost, right?

Right.

Um, but which for last time, like I said, we did come in so much lower if we plan on doing continuing that trajectory exactly.

We go through it, we'll we'll understand the Clearwater area a little bit easier.

I'm already in all the community groups, so that makes it easier and lower the cost as well.

No, that's awesome.

And I also want to uh say thank you for recommend or recognizing staff.

I I think they work tremendously hard too, and it's always good to hear it from vendors when when you come in.

I am working directly with them.

Right, and I am looking for somebody to wear the Grinch costume.

So I don't know without your hand.

Oh no, that might be the same.

I saw your right hand just we have to see that would be from 12 to 1 if we could.

Maybe I can be your Grinch, I'll have to say that would be great.

That would help me lower the cost as well.

Oh, that was a good interjection.

I do appreciate that.

But I look forward to this.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

I would hate to follow me for it.

I guess I will.

Thank you so much.

Um it was so well publicized.

Thank you.

Got a lot of live TV coverage, uh, and well attended.

Yeah, and folks I would met there from we're from all over Tampa.

So that was the first time, and and uh again, you shared with me the day of the event how wonderful all your staff was and how good they made your experience.

We so appreciate them and what they do to help post your events.

So uh with that, is there a motion?

Um motion goes.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed, unanimous.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Grinch.

We'll say thank you very much.

Move item 3.4 approved the July through September 2025 financial statement for filing.

I don't have costume requests, so we're safe on this one.

Yes, the next two were safe, no costume requests.

Yeah, uh Anne Lopez, CRA assistant director.

This first item that I have before you is uh your financials.

So this uh takes you from July to September, so this kind of takes you through the end of last fiscal year.

Um there was for the month of July 15,482 and 98 cents that was spent in August, 20,989 dollars and fifty-eight cents.

Um in September, 72,787 and 96 cents, and unencumbered at the end of the fiscal year.

Right now, we had 216,109 dollars and seventy-one cents.

Um, I will say there are still some expenses that are coming through, so we still have a couple items left to be paid out of next fiscal year, so that hasn't officially been closed out yet.

Um, but what I do plan to do is once the year does close out, so hopefully around uh the January meeting, I'll bring a budget amendment to bring whatever was unallocated back forward to you and allocate that into the budget for the remainder of this year, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Anyone here from the public desire to speak to this agenda hearing seeing none, is there any board discussion?

No more discussion, is there a motion?

Move to approve agenda item 3.4.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye opposed, unanimous.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So we'll just call this the assistant director's report for October.

Yeah.

Um for today.

So the um what we're gonna really be reporting out today is a lot of our wins.

So you're gonna see um quite a few of the micro grant program that the DDB currently has.

So the first event that we have coming up is the gimmick art walk scheduled for this Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m.

on the 400 block.

This was in partnership with Blair from the Market Culture.

There'll be some live painting, pottery, music games, an interactive art experience, and also something that I read called the Gimmick Community Canvas, which is a large wooden art piece for guests to paint on and express their creativity.

So very excited to see that.

Then on Friday, November 7th, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Also on the 400 block, an event brought to you by the Clearwater Sister Cities.

They will be celebrating our two sister cities that the city of Clearwater has with Nagno, Japan and Ix McKilpan, Mexico.

There'll be international goods, make and take cultural arts and crafts, music snacks, and more.

The third is Cornhole.

This has been going on for a couple of months now.

This is in partnership with St.

Pete Cornhole and Prelude down on the 500 block of Cleveland Street.

The November will conclude their current application that they have.

So we'll sit down with the owners of St.

Pete Cornhole and staff to sit down and see what this looks like moving forward for them.

And then your first Friday lunchtime market.

So October 3rd was the first lunchtime market.

We had a little over 150 attendees.

We collected about 80 raffle tickets, 11 vendors, and there were three restaurants on the 400 and 500 block that participated on that event.

I will say in all the time that I've been working here at the city, this was actually my first interview I'd ever done.

So you know that that was the first for me on First Friday.

We also had Nola, who is uh one of the owners of Chiang Mai.

She did uh an on the spot interview.

I got to watch it.

It was amazing.

I have never seen so much enthusiasm come out of one person.

It was great.

Um, but they were one of our participating merchants, and they said that they had a specific deal that they had for their pop-up lunch, and they got about 12 to 15 different grab and go deals that day.

This is some of the feedback that we received from Kevin, who is the owner of Olive in Time in the District Bistro, he really appreciated the event.

Um, said that it it's exactly what the merchants wanted to see.

This was also the same feedback that we had received from uh Chiang Mai as well.

And then the upcoming, so for November this Friday, November 7th, from 10 to 2 on the 400 block of Cleveland Street.

We have how many vendors?

We have about 15 vendors scheduled.

Um, so that's uh four more than we had last year or last month last year.

Uh this past Saturday was Salsa at the district, the de los muertos costume party.

Saw lots of pictures and videos of that on social media.

It was it looked like there were lots of people down there.

So very excited to hear back from Richard Del Rio on the report out for that event.

We also have our outdoor cafe grant.

So right now we have four businesses that have applied since October 1st.

Um again, it's a reimbursement of up to $8,000.

And anybody who's interested on the four and 500 block can contact CRA staff to work through that program.

And here you can also see uh quote that we received from Frank, who is one of the co-owners of Downtown Pizza.

And these are just some of the thank yous that we received on behalf of grant recipients from the DDB.

You can see your very own saucy queen right there for fall, y'all.

I will say I took my kids to that, and they had they had a blast.

And then I did want to uh just provide a really quick update regarding Cleveland Street Market.

Um, we did receive notice that slow or on the go cafe has closed for unforeseen reasons.

Um we did also hear that Top Nosh uh Tap House and Tap House, who are by the same owner will be closing as well.

Um, Top Golf, which is the golf simulator that's in there.

We're unsure if they are closed or not because that's being run by the NM residential who's um the owners of the Nolan.

Our last conversation with Wayne from Machi Boba, he was unsure if he would be closing.

We did see a sign in there that said uh a new restaurant would be opening soon called Saboroso, so um, hopefully, something will be going in there soon.

We have reached out to the director of operations for the Nolan.

Um, I have emailed and given her a call, so waiting for them to give us a call back to see if we can schedule some time to sit down and talk about um the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And then one last thing before I um answer any questions.

Uh probably have seen that right at the corner of Cleveland and Garden signs right there at the telephone building for Flip Side Burger.

Um, I did reach out to Scott Dobbins with the consulting group for that build out, um, and I got uh contact information.

So I did send an email out to Michael Schwartz, who is the going to be the owner of Flipside Burgers.

So as soon as they get some information back on opening, uh we'll definitely share that.

Any questions for the temporary director for the week, and then he can have his thought back.

All right.

Thank you for presenting.

Absolutely.

Okay.

If not, then we will adjourn the November 3, 2025 meeting of the City of Clearwater Downtown Development Board.