01/09/1991 - Clearwater Beach Blue Ribbon Task Force
.
.
.
MINUTES
CLEARWATER Beach BLUE RIBBON Task Force
JANUARY 9. 1991
Members Present:
Chairman Deegan, Ms. Garris, Ms. Tiernan, and Messrs. Doran, Fowler,
Gans, Henderson, Homer, Keyes, Little, Martin, McDougall, Rosenow,
and Seaton
Members Excused:
Walter Wellborn
Also Present:
James M. Polatty, Jr., Director of Planning and Development
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Deegan in the Boardroom of the Sea
Stone Resort.
Chairman Deegan welcomed the citizens attending the meeting and invited them to the town meeting
scheduled for January 28, 1991, at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Civic Center which would offer a forum
for their participation.
Motions were made by John Doran, and seconded by Jay Keyes, to approve the December 5
minutes, as written, and the December 19 minutes, as amended. Motions carried unanimously.
The Chairman reported that he had made formal application to the City Commission for a cruising
control ordinance on December 20. He stated the Commission has ordered City Attorney AI
Galbraith to prepare such an ordinance, and that the traffic subcommittee has provided Mr. Galbraith
with several ordinances from other cities to use as a guide. David Little stated the traffic
subcommittee will meet with Mr. Galbraith on Tuesday, January 15. to give him a few more
ordinances from other cities for use as guidelines.
The Chairman reported the City has contracted with Wade-Trim, a consulting engineering company
in Tampa, to do a study of traffic conditions on the beach, and that he had spoken with Mr. Motta
of that firm to set up another meeting with our traffic subcommittee to brief them on the
subcommittee's recommendations, so perhaps both groups would be able to present similar ideas to
the City Commission. Mr. Little advised that the meeting had been set for January 10. The
Chairman further stated that part of the scope of the independent study is not only to look at the
actual traffic, but also to look at the possibility of a cruising control ordinance, and to bring in their
recommendation on that.
Mr. Little reported that people had been calling him about the anti-cruising ordinance. He said in
talking with the other cities, they do not have the anti-cruising ordinance in force all the time and
people are not constantly impacted by it as they are with the use of the rerouting and barricade
system presently in force on Clearwater Beach. Mr. Deegan advised other cities are using the
language "cruising control" rather than "anti-cruising" and the Task Force should do that also.
The Chairman called attention to the fact the Task Force has been in the news more frequently the
last few weeks.
After thanking Mr. Polatty and the City for xeroxing the first draft of the final report to the City
Commission, the Chairman led the Task Force in reviewing the first half of the report. The group
began with page 4, Section II Assessment of Current Situation and worked through the first two
issues of Section III Analysis of Major Issues, changing, deleting and adding language where
necessary. Before beginning, the Chairman reminded the group they should strive to arrive at
consensus on the recommendations which were previously tentatively approved. He further defined
consensus as not meaning unanimity, but rather talking over points in a negotiating manner, making
.
.
.
modifications if necessary in order to arrive at something everyone could go along with. He further
stated if it looked like there would be a split, then a formal vote would be taken and that opinion
would be included in the report. Some members felt a recommendation should not be included in the
report if consensus had not been reached.
The Chairman announced another Task Force meeting would be needed after the town meeting on
January 28, before presenting the report to the City Commission, which was tentatively scheduled
for the work session on February 18. Ms. Garris stressed that enough of the background on the
recommendations ought to be repeated at the City Commission meeting following the work session
so as to educate the general public on how they arrived at the recommendations.
The following recommendations were deleted from the report:
1. Tax increment financing program for commercial/tourist facility areas of Clearwater
Beach.
2. A toll on the Causeway.
3. The request for commercial charter boats not to ask for the opening of the drawbridge
during peak traffic periods so as to prevent traffic congestion, gridlock, air pollution
and consumption of energy.
4. The erection of overhead directional signs for NORTH BEACH and SOUTH BEACH.
The following recommendation was moved forward from page 42 to page 62 of the report
for consideration at the next meeting.
Develop the area between Marianne Street North to Baymont and Poinsettia Street east to
the bay. Erect a well landscaped low profile parking garage. Building harbor-side specialty
shops, restaurants and boardwalk. Provide overhead crosswalks, leaving widened Poinsettia
and East Short Drive open to one-way traffic.
The following recommendation was added:
Increase parking fees and suggest that all the money received from Clearwater Beach parking
lots be used for Clearwater Beach.
Discussion centered on the recommendation for a toll on the causeway, and the following pros and
cons were generated:
Pro: The toll would:
1. provide funds for all the various recommendations.
2. be an incentive for people to use the tram.
3. reduce traffic and act as a qualifier.
4. lessen the tax burden on the homeowners.
Con: 1.
2.
3.
4.
present a negative image to the tourists.
cause traffic to backup.
increase cost to the City for collecting fees and maintaining toll plaza and roadway.
detract from competitiveness of the beach with other tourist places.
Clearwater Beach
Blue Ribbon Task Force
2
January 9, 1991
.
.
.
Mr. Little felt that tourists were accustomed to paying tolls and admissions for a quality product and
it was a way to pay for the other recommendations being made to the Commission. Ms. Tiernan
stated she thought it was too early for a toll, as the beach was not that special yet and there was
no real incentive for the people to ride a tram.
Mr. Deegan pointed out the group had previously talked about private enterprise in connection with
the tram.
Mr. Rosenow asked the group to look down the road ten years, as they had been assigned to do by
the City Commission, and envision the unique beach they had described in their subcommittee
reports. He felt a toll would improve business growth and help to bring about the unique community
they were working towards, and cited Mackinac Island in Michigan as an example.
In rebuttal, both Mr. Keyes and Mr. Henderson felt that including a recommendation for a toll would
hurt the creditability of the Task Force in obtaining the more positive recommendations being made.
The Chairman stated the idea of a toll had some merit, as well as some negative aspects, and it
deserved serious study. He then asked the group to consider a new recommendation for a feasibility
study on the toll with the possibility of follow-up by a Beach Advisory Board, which would be formed
to follow up all recommendations. The following recommendation was presented:
Conduct a feasibility study to determine the cost and benefits of introducing a toll on the
causeway at some time in the next ten years as a means to provide revenue for capital
improvements on the beach understanding there would be substantial discounts for City
residents, beach employees and those staying at beach hotels and motels, and with special
consideration of possible critical concern of any impact on commercial interests on the beach.
Mr. Gans stated he was in favor of the compromise, but voiced concern that when the Sand Key
bridge is built, it would provide a toll free entrance to Clearwater Beach and could cause downtown
to become deserted.
A straw vote was taken on the new recommendation for the feasibility study with six votes in favor,
seven votes in opposition, one vote absent, and the Chairman abstained from voting. The
recommendation was deleted from the report.
Ms. Garris reported she had information from the City on the parking funds showing what percent
was contributed by the Beach and what percent of the funds was spent on the Beach. The Chairman
stated he would incorporate the new information in the report requesting that all monies coming from
the Beach be used for improvements on the Beach.
The Chairman asked the group to give thought to the upcoming town meeting and invited all
subcommittees to embellish their reports with any visual aids they might have. It was agreed the
video tape on cruising in Modesto should be shown. Ms. Garris suggested cards should be made
available at the meeting for the citizens to provide them with written comments.
The group agreed to meet at 5:30 p.m. on January 16, 1991 at the Sea Stone Resort.
Mr. Henderson thanked the Chairman for all the work he had done, stating he was utterly pleased
with the report, to which the group responded with a round of applause for Mr. Deegan.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.
Arthur X. Deegan II, Chairman
Clearwater Beach
Blue Ribbon Task Force
3
January 9, 1991