03/18/2005
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORKSESSION MINUTES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
March 18, 2005
Present: Frank Hibbard Mayor
William C. Jonson Vice-Mayor
Hoyt P. Hamilton Councilmember
Carlen Petersen Councilmember
John Doran Councilmember
Also present: William B. Horne II City Manager
Garry Brumback Assistant City Manager
Pamela K. Akin City Attorney
Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk
Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter
The Special Work Session was called to order at 8:30 a.m. at the Main Library.
To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not
necessarily discussed in that order.
Summarize Workshop One
Facilitator Dr. James Moore, National Director of Community Planning & Urban Design
for HDR Engineering, Inc., reviewed the last work session. Consensus was that Clearwater
should not resemble every other city.
Analyze & Discuss Results of SWOT Analysis
City Council members identified City Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats.
The City Council recessed from 10:09 to 10:20 a.m.
Dr. Moore organized the Council’s list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats into a hierarchy.
Strengths: 1) safe city (safest of its size in State); 2) full-service City/strong staff; 3)
quality municipal services; 4) County government seat; 5) good public/private schools; 6)
financial strength; 7) geography: harbor, beach, bluff; 8) climate; 9) Tampa International Airport;
10) regional environment attractive for tourism; 11) cultural resources, i.e. Ruth Eckerd Hall,
Francis Wilson Playhouse, Library System; 12) medical facilities include top 100 hospital; 13)
financial/economic Issues: a) high tax base/increasing land values; b) appealing location for real
estate/business investment; c) retiree population; d) strong tourist industry; e) small vibrant local
businesses; and f) no significant blight; 14) administrative issues include strong partnerships;
15) extrinsic Issues, i.e. desirable County has many strong communities; 16) culture,
recreation/leisure issues: a) Pinellas Trail/City trail system; b) great recreational facilities; c)
Phillies Spring Training; and d) local artists; and 17) social issues: a) diverse population; b)
Citizens Academy; c) strong community/neighborhood leaders; and d) large base of volunteers.
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Weaknesses: 1) transportation – auto dependent; 2) no critical mass of energy; 3) no
sense of identity/unique sense of place; 4) no unified citizen vision; 5) no destination or place to
congregate; 6) underutilized Downtown; 7) small land parcels make land assembly difficult; 8)
limited private resources (philanthropies, “deep pockets”); 9) no corporate presence; 10)
misleading perceptions: a) Scientology runs City; b) insufficient beach/downtown parking; c) City
is retirement/bedroom community; d) beach roundabout does not work; and e) traffic is terrible;
11) non-waterfront property owners lack boating access; 12) termination of historic properties;
13) infrastructure: a) public transportation does not work; b) no Interstate Highway; c) difficult
Downtown access; d) limited potable water; e) aging infrastructure; 14) planning/development
issues; a) few greenfields; b) high land values; c) little workforce housing; d) outside real estate
investment; e) aging housing stock/code compliance issues; and f) aging commercial building
stock; 15) financial/economic Issues: a) termination of small businesses due to high taxes; b) no
comparative advantage over adjacent, lower-cost communities; and c) perception that City is
not business-friendly; 16) social issues related to large population of transients, transplants,
temporary residents; 17) extrinsic issues i.e. regional growth/ vulnerability to natural disasters;
and 18) administrative issues, including unincorporated enclaves.
Opportunities: 1) historic Downtown: gridded, dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly; 2)
create Downtown Arts District; 3) Coachman Park – underutilized; 4) all waterfronts – Tampa
Bay, harbor, gulf; 5) Pinellas Trail as commercial destination trailhead, particularly Downtown; 6)
take advantage of momentum to manage growth and redevelopment; 7) apply Condo
Conversion Study findings – incentivize tourism; 8) redevelop Jack Russell site; 9) St.
Petersburg College/higher learning; 10) develop community consensus, particularly on beach
and Downtown; 11) planning/development Issues: a) underutilized space; b) consolidate space,
particularly in depressed areas; c) create mixed-use enclaves as near-downtown residential
areas convert to office uses; d) create more mixed-uses; e) Missouri Avenue – underutilized; e)
return Cleveland Street/downtown to historic form; and f) develop neighborhood “Town Centers”
with parking in rear; 12) administrative issues: a) create effective partnerships with County; b)
develop business-driven, not government-directed Main Street Program; c) foster future political
leadership; d) build on Citizens Academy/foster youth engagement; and e) innovations in
providing community services; 13) tourism Issues - create renewed interest in City to foreign
visitors; 14) social issues include opportunity to capitalize on growing Hispanic population; and
15) infrastructure issues include creating transportation alternatives to the beach.
Threats: 1) real/perceived mistrust of government; 2) apathy; 3) fear of change; 4) lack
referendum successes; 5) controlling growth with higher densities/increased traffic; 6) unfunded
mandates; 7) lack control of schools - countywide system creates homogeneity/loss of
community feel; 8) lost authenticity/community feel/historic properties; 9) higher interest rates;
10) increased costs to provide (increasing) services; 11) extrinsic issues; a) natural disasters; b)
Hometown Democracy Amendment; c) lost Federal/State grant dollars; d) homeland security; e)
onerous State/Federal regulations; f) success of adjacent communities; and g) region
homogenization; 12) social issues: a) language/cultural barriers; b) lack of leadership; c)
conflicts between values; and d) homeless - attracted by social services; 13) administrative
issues: a) disconnect between political will/administration; b) not sticking with Vision over time;
c) not using/following through on Vision; d) lack of good political candidates; e) EMS/fire
services difficult to provide to higher-density developments; f) lack senior services; and g)
perception that government not accountable to citizens; 14) planning/development issues: a)
loss of land that could be used for high-paying jobs; b) balancing neighborhood redevelopment
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needs with desire for stability; c) challenged residential areas; d) lack of diversity in Downtown;
and e) soup kitchens; 15) financial/economic issues: a) rising housing costs; b) economics of
crime; c) lack of qualified workers; and d) recruitment competition; and 16) few higher education
opportunities.
Follow-Up Exercises & Geographic Analysis
City Councilmembers broke into groups and worked on maps, defining areas of the City
based on strengths and opportunities for change.
Re-visit Original Vision Statement
AND
How to Take the Visioning Process to the Community
The next workshop is scheduled for April 8, 2005, at 8:30 a.m. at the Main Library.
The Work Session adjourned at 11:37 a.m.
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