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Clearwater tax rate stays flat but city spending rises
The City Council voted Thursday to keep the tax rate for 2022 the same it has been since 2018, but additional revenue will cover more hires and projects.
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A sign welcomes visitors to Clearwater, which is experiencing a better budget year than officials expected, despite the pandemic. [ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]
Published Yesterday
CLEARWATER â Coming out of a conservative year amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, the city is finalizing a 2022 budget that will put additional tax revenue to use.
The proposed $615 million budget, 6 percent larger than last year, includes increased expenditures for building and infrastructure renovations, implementing a $15 minimum wage for city workers, seven new hires and capital projects like a Fort Harrison Avenue overhaul and a new recycling processing facility.
The cities of Clearwater and Largo will once again light up the skies for the Fourth of July this year after elected officials gave their respective staffs the green light to plan shows.
Last year, the pandemic forced cities throughout Pinellas County to cancel the annual displays celebrating Independence Day. As the vaccination effort picks up steam, officials said they are now more comfortable with the ideas of larger crowds at BayCare Ballpark and Largo Central Park.
âI support us going forward. I think people want to get some normalcy,â Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard said May. 3.
But that doesnât mean the events will be the same.
Scientology continues its domination of Clearwater coast: Church submits proposal to build on the downtown bluff after buying 60 properties in the Florida city
The church was one of five developers to bid on a project to develop three city-owned parcels of waterfront land
The other developers who bid on the properties are City Center Development LLC, Elevate Clearwater, Office America Group, and SROA Capital
The revelation comes as the Church of Scientology has worked to buy up commercial real estate in Clearwater - where the church is headquartered
The document does not specify what the church wants to build in downtown Clearwater - where it already owned 49 other properties by 2019
Closing time? Clearwater Beach faces limited drinking hours
The City Council will vote Thursday whether to pull sales cutoff from 3 a.m. to 1 a.m. as calls for service to police remain an issue. The change would not apply to the mainland.
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Traffic, including a Jolly Trolley, moves north on Mandalay Avenue on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, on Clearwater Beach. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
Updated Jan. 19
CLEARWATER â Before the coronavirus pandemic pushed more locals and day-trippers to find an outlet on Clearwater Beach in 2020, Police Chief Dan Slaughter was already noticing a trend.
Between August 2017 and September 2020, calls for service on Clearwater Beach stayed flat in the first few hours after midnight, while reports in the rest of the city would significantly taper off. Police responded to more fights on the beach than the mainland east of Keene Road, a geographic area more than double in size.