George N. Cretekos Mayor
Doreen Caudell Councilmember
Dr. Bob Cundiff Councilmember
Hoyt Hamilton Councilmember
Bill Jonson Councilmember
William B. Horne, II City Manager
Pam Akin City Attorney
Jill Silverboard Deputy City Manager
Micah Maxwell Assistant City Manager
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Library Jennifer Obermaier
Parks & Recreation Shaun Beasley
Sandy Clayton
Brian Craig
Kim Foster
Christopher Hubbard
Kris Koch
Julie Schultz
Public Utilities Paula MacDonald
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ON THE COVER
Two ladies stroll through Downtown Clearwater
and stop by the Second Century Studios,
a community space of art and culture.
See the article on page 2 to learn more.
As the New Year begins, I look back at accomplishments of 2017. Last
year, the city made a substantial effort to help revitalize the downtown
core, introducing a new brand for downtown and activating Station
Square Park as the area’s town center. A number of weekly public events
now take place there, such as lunchtime and evening fitness classes, live
music performances and meetups.
Last year, the city partnered with the USDA and the Florida Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide nearly 2,000 free meals
to Clearwater children through the Summer Break Spot program. The
city launched the Studios@Main, unique makerspaces, and opened the
North Beach Parking Plaza, offering more than 400 new parking spaces
for north beachgoers. The Island Estates bridges were constructed, and the
North Marina Master Plan began implementation. Parks & Recreation
staff doubled the number of swim lessons given at city recreation centers
to more than 29,000 lessons.
After an exciting 2017, we can look toward the future, as new challenges
and celebrations lie ahead. This year, the city’s highest priority is the
implementation of the bluff revitalization master plan and the Imagine
Clearwater vision for downtown. I would like to thank the voters of
Clearwater who voted “yes” and supported the city’s efforts to get the
city’s downtown revitalization referendum passed in November 2017. The
ballot item was to obtain voter approval for the Imagine Clearwater plan
and to gain support in revitalizing the city’s bluff and waterfront. The
City Council and I are thrilled to have such community support for this
significant redevelopment project.
Another goal for 2018 is to improve the city’s response during hurricanes
and tropical storms. The city’s senior executive team will spend time
evaluating and improving upon the city’s pre-, during-, and post-recovery
hurricane efforts. Hurricane Irma impacted Clearwater greatly, and our
city was lucky. The city will continue to focus on how to protect our
residents during future storms.
Thank you for being an important part of the Clearwater community.
I hope you will bring your families out to attend some of the city’s
signature events that Clearwater hosts. Some include the National Hockey
League All-Star Game Beach Day on Jan. 27, the Sea-Blues Festival on
Feb. 24 and 25, and the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival from April 13-22,
just to name a few. Visit myclearwaterevents.com and check out what is
happening in your bright and beautiful city!
Sincerely,
Bill Horne
City Manager