George N. Cretekos Mayor
David Allbritton Councilmember
Dr. Bob Cundiff Councilmember
Hoyt Hamilton Councilmember
Jay Polglaze Councilmember
William B. Horne, II City Manager
Pam Akin City Attorney
Michael Delk Assistant City Manager
Micah Maxwell Assistant City Manager
EDITORIAL STAFF
Executive Editor Joelle Castelli
Editors Jason Beisel
Heather Parsons
Assistant Editors Sandy Clayton
Krystie Epperson
Mike Lockwood
José Patiño
Rob Shaw
Graphic Designer Laura Del Valle
CONTRIBUTORS
Library Jennifer Obermaier
Linda Rothstein
Library Managers
Parks & Recreation Shaun Beasley
Rosemary Davis
Kris Koch
Kerry Marsalek
Public Communications Allie Chandler
MyClearwater is published three times a year
by the city of Clearwater.
If you would like a free subscription,
call 562-4708.
All phone numbers are area code 727
unless otherwise indicated.
CmyLEARWATER
MyClearwater.com
Winter/Spring | Jan. – Apr. 2020
ON THE COVER
I’d like to wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New
Year. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on our successes as an organization
from last year and to look toward the opportunities that lie ahead in 2020.
The city celebrated many accomplishments in 2019. The city completed and
opened the Morningside Recreation Center and the Emergency Operations
Center, and Clearwater Beach was named the No. 1 beach in the United
States for the second year in a row and No. 6 in the world by TripAdvisor.
com. Clearwater improved accessibility of city websites and social media
feeds to make information available to people with disabilities. The city
continued its focus on reaching out to the city’s Hispanic community through
200 specialized programs offered at the city’s library branches and policing
programs.
Safety remains our top priority, last year and every year. The Clearwater Police
Department saw significant drops in several categories of crime. Through
partnerships with the community to prevent and address crime-related issues,
the department achieved a 32 percent reduction in burglary offenses, 31 percent
reduction in stolen vehicle offenses and a 13.5 percent reduction in robbery
offenses. For other city accomplishments, visit myclearwater.com/annualreport.
The city has mapped out its goals and objectives for 2020. This year, Clearwater
residents will have the opportunity to elect a new City Council at the March
17 election. Since Mayor George Cretekos cannot seek re-election due to term
limits, Clearwater will welcome a new mayor and will fill two City Council
seats.
One of the city’s highest priorities remains the implementation of the bluff
revitalization master plan, Imagine Clearwater. The City Council and staff will
continue its work on the plan, of which you can read more about on page 5 of
this magazine and online at imagineclearwater.com.
Other priorities for 2020 include the North Marina/Seminole Boat Ramps
redevelopment plan, Crest Lake Park improvements, the Phillies agreement
extension, workforce housing, sustainability, and finalization of a Sister City
relationship with Bourges, France.
In 2020, I encourage you to be a more engaged resident and encourage civility
when and wherever you believe it is needed. Thank you for being an important
part of the Clearwater community.
Sincerely,
Bill Horne
City Manager
Designs for Imagine Clearwater, the city's
waterfront redevelopment strategy, are
30-percent complete. The new drawings depict a
beautiful, active waterfront.
/MyClearwater.com
/annualreport
/imagineclearwater.com
