OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Clearwater City Council Work Session Summary - March 2, 2026

Clearwater Municipal Meetings — Monday, March 2, 2026
BodyClearwater, Florida
SessionClearwater Municipal Meetings
DateMonday, March 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:13:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Development agency.

0:12

Move to item 2.1 on the agenda.

0:17

March service awards.

0:26

Matt, I would like to script here.

0:33

Here we go.

0:35

So with that, we'll call forward.

0:38

We have two service awards to present today.

0:41

We have five-year employee award first.

0:44

I'd like to call forward Cedric McCaffey from or McAfee from the Parks and Recreation Department.

0:54

Here he comes.

1:16

Well, I've got one here.

1:19

Well, I guess it's my next thank you.

1:25

Here I've got the letter for you.

1:26

Okay.

1:28

So watch our speaker.

1:30

Yeah, no.

1:33

Yeah.

1:34

Yeah.

1:37

I think that was my fumble.

1:39

Sedric, appreciate your service to the community.

1:42

Appreciate it.

1:42

Yeah.

1:44

That we'll move to the next one.

1:46

Uh, employee of the month award for March 2026.

1:49

Now this room we're gonna have.

1:50

Right.

1:51

So I'd like to call forward Justin Colin from the public communications department.

2:02

We would like to extend sincere appreciation to Justin.

2:07

Colin for his outstanding work and dedication and bringing our new recruitment flyer and hiring video to life.

2:13

Justin's expertise in filming and photography was instrumental to the success of this project.

2:18

From capturing compelling visuals to presenting the department in a professional and engaging way.

2:24

His attention to detail and creative vision helped authentically tell our story.

2:28

The quality of his work reflects the pride, professionalism, and commitment that the City of Clearwater represents.

2:34

Because of his expertise and willingness to go above and beyond, we now have high quality recruitment materials that will help attract future firefighters and paramedics while showcasing what makes our organizational an exceptional place to serve.

2:47

His contributions played a key role to turning this vision into reality.

2:51

Efforts like this directly support our commitment to being a high-performing government organization dedicated to superior public service.

2:58

By investing in professional, thoughtful recruitment tools, we are strengthening our ability to attract top talent, bring a strong workforce, and continue delivering the level of service our community accept, expects, and deserves.

3:11

Thank you, Justin, for your time, your talent, and your commitment to excellence.

3:15

Your efforts are truly appreciated and do not go unnoticed.

3:19

You represent the very best of our organization, and it is because of our dedicated employees like you that makewater continue to thrive.

3:27

Thank you.

3:37

Congratulations.

3:43

Justin.

3:53

Thank you, Justin, for your great work.

3:57

Uh 3.1 on the leadership briefing on Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

4:09

Good evening, or actually good afternoon, not good evening yet, Mayor and Council.

4:13

Um, I am incredibly excited to invite our innovation team up here to describe our project and where it's at so far.

4:21

I know that many of you have participated in a lot of the activities that we've done, but there's a lot that goes into this process.

4:27

A lot of the team has done, a lot of support that the um Bloomberg Harbor team has done for us.

4:32

And so with that, I'm gonna go ahead and turn it over to Hunter for our presentation.

4:36

Excellent.

4:37

Thank you.

4:37

Good afternoon, Mayor Council.

4:39

I'm Hunter Carlson with the Office of Management and Budget.

4:41

I'm excited to be joined today by our core team to provide you all with a leadership update on the city's involvement in the Bloomberg Harbor City Leadership Initiative.

4:51

So to provide you all with some context of our identified challenge.

5:03

The city has more than 20 individual types of permanent services, each with their own unique process and requirements.

5:10

As a team, we've heard from our customers and staff alike that our permitting processes can often be full of unexpected hurdles, and that's why we're focusing on that experience to identify areas for improvement in support of our strategic priority of being a high performing government.

5:24

We acknowledge that the permitting process isn't just a regulatory one, it's one with a real life impact and carries emotional consequences for those we serve.

5:33

Also, we acknowledge that this shapes the impression that our customers as well as our staff have with the city, and that's why we're really focusing on that experience.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████17%
Technology and Innovation████████████████16%
Public Engagement██████████████14%
Procedural██████████10%
Active Transportation███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Tree Regulation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Clearwater City Council Work Session - March 2, 2026

The Clearwater City Council held a work session on March 2, 2026, at 1:30 PM in the Main Library Council Chambers. The session included service awards, a presentation on the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and discussions on affordable housing, insurance, fire apparatus, the Connecting Clearwater Active Transportation Plan, and several other administrative and policy items. Many items were approved by consent, while others received extensive deliberation and direction for future action.

Consent Calendar

  • March Service Awards – Recognized Cedric McCaffey (5-year award) and Justin Colin (Employee of the Month).
  • Affordable Housing Loan – Approved $1,391,938 in HOME-ARP funding for 35 affordable rental units at 1718 North Betty Lane (HEP project).
  • Excess Property Insurance – Approved $5,901,000 for coverage including bridges, boiler, machinery, terrorism, UAV/drone, and docks/pier from April 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027.
  • Beach Marina Building Reconstruction – Approved $265,000 for reconstruction and replacement work by SERVPRO.
  • Fire Apparatus Purchase – Approved $3,497,068.01 for one Pierce Heavy Duty Velocity Platform and one Pumper, piggybacking on Sourcewell contract.
  • Fire Station Alerting System – Approved $108,940.46 for a Motorola Mach Alert system at Fire Station 45.
  • Tyler Technologies Maintenance Agreement – Approved $2,115,445.57 for three-year support of Munis Financials, HCM, and Tyler Time & Attendance.
  • Airport North Hangar Pre-Construction – Approved $63,666 work authorization with Register Construction and Engineering.
  • Resilient Florida Grant – Approved acceptance of $4,000,000 grant from FDEP for resiliency improvements at Clearwater Beach Marina, and adopted Resolution 26-07.
  • Beach Vehicle Use Agreements – Approved agreements with six hotels/resorts for limited use of vehicles on public beaches.
  • Reappointment to Community Development Board – Reappointed Michael Boutzoukas.
  • Appointment to Code Enforcement Board – Appointed Chelsea Gerd to fill unexpired term through November 1, 2028.

Discussion Items

Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative (item 3.1)

  • Staff presented an update on the city's participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, focusing on improving the permitting process using human-centered design. The team has conducted over 60 focus areas, generated 1,200 ideas, and will prototype two solutions by June 2026. Council members expressed strong support for the cultural shift from process-oriented to experience-oriented service. The next leadership briefing is scheduled for June 2026.

Connecting Clearwater Active Transportation Plan (item 7)

  • Rick Hartman and Catherine Tellez presented the plan, which identifies a low-stress active transportation network, improved crossing projects, and policy recommendations. Over 750 people provided input. Councilmember Cotton expressed concerns about the resolution's language referencing Complete Streets and potential road diets, and stated he would oppose the resolution. Other council members supported the plan as a framework for grant eligibility and community vision. No formal vote was taken; discussion concluded with direction to staff to bring individual projects forward for approval.

Traffic Studies Update (item 15.1)

  • Councilmember Mannino provided an update on three traffic studies along SR 60 corridor: (1) Clearwater Beach mobility study (completed, recommendations to be presented to Forward Pinellas), (2) SR 60 corridor study from roundabout to McMullen Booth (funding gap; request for $200,000 city match to match Forward Pinellas's $200,000 and FDOT's $400,000), (3) Courtney Campbell Causeway PD&E study (100% FDOT funded). Staff will explore funding mechanisms for the $200,000 match and bring back for approval.

Alignment of Tree Regulations with Pinellas County (item 15.2)

  • Councilmember Cotton requested staff review Pinellas County's updated tree ordinance (December 2025) which uses a tiered mitigation structure instead of Clearwater's inch-for-inch replacement. The goal is to ease burdens on homeowners while protecting canopy. Council supported directing staff to present a comparative analysis at a future meeting.

Downtown Construction Projects Webpage (item 15.3)

  • Mayor Rector discussed concerns about including private development projects on the city's official construction webpage due to fairness and endorsement issues. Other council members supported including all projects with standardized, neutral descriptions (by address) to showcase downtown investment. Council directed staff to present a proposal with color-coded categories (public, public-private, private) and definitions of major construction.

Opioid Abatement Funding Update (item 15.4)

  • Vice Mayor Teixeira reported that Pinellas County continues to see declines in fatal and non-fatal overdoses, with 2024 trends approaching pre-2019 levels. Fentanyl purity has dropped, but methamphetamine use is rising. The task force recommends strengthening recovery supports and prevention efforts.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent items approved as listed above.
  • Code Enforcement Board appointment – Chelsea Gerd appointed by a 3-2 vote after discussion on zip code representation.
  • Meeting Date Changes – Council agreed to cancel work sessions on August 17 and November 2, 2026, due to election conflicts, and to consider moving the September 3 council meeting to the following week for the League of Cities conference.
  • Traffic Studies – Staff will research funding for the $200,000 match for the SR 60 corridor study and return to council.
  • Tree Regulations – Staff will prepare a presentation comparing Clearwater and Pinellas County tree ordinances for a future meeting.
  • Downtown Construction Webpage – Staff will develop a proposal with standardized neutral project listings and bring back for approval.

Note: The Connecting Clearwater Active Transportation Plan resolution was discussed but not voted on at this work session; it may be considered at a future council meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Development agency. Move to item 2.1 on the agenda. March service awards. Matt, I would like to script here. Here we go. So with that, we'll call forward. We have two service awards to present today. We have five-year employee award first. I'd like to call forward Cedric McCaffey from or McAfee from the Parks and Recreation Department. Here he comes. Well, I've got one here. Well, I guess it's my next thank you. Here I've got the letter for you. Okay. So watch our speaker. Yeah, no. Yeah. Yeah. I think that was my fumble. Sedric, appreciate your service to the community. Appreciate it. Yeah. That we'll move to the next one. Uh, employee of the month award for March 2026. Now this room we're gonna have. Right. So I'd like to call forward Justin Colin from the public communications department. We would like to extend sincere appreciation to Justin. Colin for his outstanding work and dedication and bringing our new recruitment flyer and hiring video to life. Justin's expertise in filming and photography was instrumental to the success of this project. From capturing compelling visuals to presenting the department in a professional and engaging way. His attention to detail and creative vision helped authentically tell our story. The quality of his work reflects the pride, professionalism, and commitment that the City of Clearwater represents. Because of his expertise and willingness to go above and beyond, we now have high quality recruitment materials that will help attract future firefighters and paramedics while showcasing what makes our organizational an exceptional place to serve. His contributions played a key role to turning this vision into reality. Efforts like this directly support our commitment to being a high-performing government organization dedicated to superior public service. By investing in professional, thoughtful recruitment tools, we are strengthening our ability to attract top talent, bring a strong workforce, and continue delivering the level of service our community accept, expects, and deserves. Thank you, Justin, for your time, your talent, and your commitment to excellence. Your efforts are truly appreciated and do not go unnoticed. You represent the very best of our organization, and it is because of our dedicated employees like you that makewater continue to thrive. Thank you. Congratulations. Justin. Thank you, Justin, for your great work. Uh 3.1 on the leadership briefing on Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Good evening, or actually good afternoon, not good evening yet, Mayor and Council. Um, I am incredibly excited to invite our innovation team up here to describe our project and where it's at so far. I know that many of you have participated in a lot of the activities that we've done, but there's a lot that goes into this process. A lot of the team has done, a lot of support that the um Bloomberg Harbor team has done for us. And so with that, I'm gonna go ahead and turn it over to Hunter for our presentation.

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