Clearwater Downtown Development Board Meeting - March 3, 2026
Clearwater Downtown Development Board Meeting - March 3, 2026
Note: The meeting transcript identifies the date as March 2, 2026, but the official meeting date is given as March 3, 2026. This summary uses the official date.
The Clearwater Downtown Development Board (DDB) met on March 3, 2026, to consider financial reports, high-impact event funding requests, and a community event funding request. The board approved the January 2026 financial statement, granted funding for the Taste of Clearwater with an additional allowance for portable restrooms, approved $50,000 for the Florida Orchestra's Symphony by the Sea, and approved $15,000 for Sharkapalooza 2026. A recap of previous events by Saucy Queen was also presented.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (Item 2.1): Approved unanimously.
- Approval of January 2026 Financial Statement (Item 4.1): Approved unanimously. Discussion clarified that the "downtown future initiatives" line item ($592,915) represents unallocated funds, and the Cleveland Street activation balance ($245,000) includes funds allocated for mobile vendors and other programming.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made regarding items not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
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High Impact Event Funding: Taste of Clearwater (Item 4.2): The Rotary Club of Clearwater and Clearwater Charities Inc. requested $30,000 for the second annual Taste of Clearwater on April 18, 2026, at Station Square Park and the 600 block of Cleveland Street. Staff recommended $20,625, excluding portable restrooms. The applicant requested an additional $5,000 for restroom trailers and hand-washing stations, citing health and safety needs. Board members debated whether to include restrooms as an eligible expense, with some expressing concern about setting a precedent. The board voted to approve the staff recommendation of $20,625 plus up to $2,500 for restrooms, for a total maximum grant of $23,125. The vote was 6-1, with board member Cotton opposed.
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High Impact Event Funding: Symphony by the C (Item 4.3): The Florida Orchestra requested $50,000 for a free concert on May 8, 2026, at Baycare Sound. Staff recommended $30,000 (the maximum allowed under policy). The orchestra noted that the venue rental is $37,790 and that they are contributing $65,000 themselves. Estimated attendance was 3,000, with an economic impact of $90,000. Board members expressed strong support for the event, emphasizing its family-friendly nature and community benefit. A motion to approve $50,000 passed 6-1, with board member Cotton opposed.
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Event Recap: Saucy Queen Events (Item 4.4): Michelle (Saucy Queen) presented a recap of three past events—Fall Y'all, Jingle Bell, and Tasty Tampa Bay—highlighting attendance numbers (14,000 and 12,000 social media impressions), media coverage, and support for local businesses. A vendor from Lao Deli spoke about the impact of the events on their business. No funding request was made.
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Community Event Funding: Sharkapalooza 2026 (Item 4.6): Jessica Adnich and Michelle requested $15,000 for a free, family-friendly ocean conservation festival on May 16, 2026, at Coachman Park. Staff recommended $6,760. The applicant emphasized transparency, sharing their bank account balance and marketing expertise. Board discussion centered on the event's potential and the applicant's honesty. A motion to approve the full $15,000 was made and seconded. The motion passed unanimously (or near-unanimously, with no dissenting votes noted).
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Taste of Clearwater: Approved $23,125 (including up to $2,500 for restrooms); 6-1 in favor.
- Vote on Symphony by the C: Approved $50,000; 6-1 in favor.
- Vote on Sharkapalooza 2026: Approved $15,000; passed unanimously.
- Item 4.5 Postponed: The St. Petersburg College Fresh Star Committee event recap was postponed to a later date.
Meeting Transcript
This time we'll call to order the March 2nd, 2026 meeting of the City of Clearwater Downtown Development Board. We'll now move to item 2.1 on the agenda, and that's the approval of minutes. So moved. Second. All those in favor? Opposed. Unanimous. Before we go further in the agenda, I'd like to welcome Mr. Tetrie to the uh to the board. First meeting. And uh so welcome. Thank you. That moved to item three on the agenda that citizens to be heard regarding items not on the agenda. There are any citizens here today who want to be heard on a downtown development board item that is not on today's agenda. Seeing none, we'll move to item 4.1. Approved the January 2026 financial statement for filing. Good afternoon, Ann Lopez, CRA assistant director. Uh this first item that I have for you is to approve the financial statement for filing for the month of January. The expenditures for the month of January are outlined in the agenda item. There was a total of 173,856. Excuse me. Um the beginning of the fiscal year through January, there was a total of 749 dollars. 749,772 that was spent, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Hearing none, is there any board discussion? Vice Mayor? Just for clarity. Yes. Um can you confirm whether the column that says available balance includes unencumbered or unallocated funds or restricted funds? So what I would consider to be unallocated or unrestricted funds would be uh towards the bottom where it says downtown future initiatives that has a balance of nine uh five hundred ninety-two thousand nine fifteen. That would be funding that you have available that has not been allocated to any type of special event, any program, any initiative within the DDB budget for this fiscal year. For this fiscal year, correct. Um that says Cleveland Street activation. Um that has an available balance of 245,000, just a little over 245,000. That's funding that has been allocated for that initiative, but there's no there's you know, still available balance for projects that could come out of that. So that would be the $300,000 that we in March of 2025 approved for the mobile vendors. So as at part of it, part of that. Correct, yes. We've uh we've used some of that funding. There will be at the April 20th meeting. We will bring forward a full presentation on all of the initiatives that we've done under Cleveland Street. Um, but you have we have allocated and spent some of that original 300,000, and then at the February meeting, we did um add an additional. I want to say it was around 150, so we brought that back up to 300,000. Um, but under downtown future initiatives, there still is 592. That has not been encumbered to any program or initiative. Just quick question. Can you just again I I missed it? I didn't have it up on my screen. Sure. Tell me where I can find the unallocated, what I call unallocated balance. It is towards the bottom.
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