CLEARWATER â Years of talks and planning regarding the redevelopment of the downtown Clearwater waterfront are coming to a head.
The City Council and staff have engaged in several hours of discussion the past couple of months on both the big picture of the roughly $64 million-plus Imagine Clearwater project, such as the mission statement of the new Coachman Park, and the finer details, such as whether the new playground should have a slide.
Proposals have also come back from five organizations that hope to redevelop three-city owned properties on the bluff near the park.
Hereâs a look at where the Imagine Clearwater project stands.
LARGOÂ â The Largo Police Department and its 157 sworn officers is the largest agency in Pinellas County not to outfit its officers with body-worn cameras.
Police Chief Jeff Undestad said heâs ready to change that, but it could take several years before it happens.
Undestad, who joined other high-ranking members of the department in outlining the proposed program to city commissioners April 13 during a work session, said the department needs to keep up with community expectations.
In the wake of George Floydâs death last year, several Pinellas agencies, including the Sheriffâs Office and Clearwater Police Department, have added camera programs. Even smaller local departments in Pinellas Park, Tarpon Springs and Gulfport utilize the technology to record interactions.
TREASURE ISLAND â Mayor-elect Tyler Payne vowed to have the City Commission play an active role in ensuring all city departments provide the best customer service taxpayers and businesses can ask for, while improving the cityâs communication skills.
In the March 9 municipal election, Payne beat incumbent Larry Lunn by 634 votes to become the cityâs next mayor.
Mayor-elect Payne was elected to the City Commission for a two-year term in 2020 representing District 2, which encompasses Isle of Palms and Sunshine Beach. He resigned to run for mayor, and his commission seat will be filled March 16 by John Doctor, a former Bright House/Spectrum executive who was unopposed.
Former Tampa Bay Newspapers publisher dies at age 70 tbnweekly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tbnweekly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
LARGO â Last year, a consultant identified the 400 block on the north side of West Bay Drive as the prime location for a new City Hall. The city, however, needed to purchase six properties in order to clear the way for its proposed $51 million headquarters.
City administration had reached a deal with five of those properties by early January for $1.44 million, but there was one holdout.
On Feb. 2, city commissioners agreed to pay $1.4 million â more than $1 million above market value â for the final piece of the block.
The 4,320-square-foot parcel at 400 W. Bay Drive, which is owned by West Bay Plaza LLC, has an appraised value of $395,000 and was bought in 2018 for $325,000, according to records from the Property Appraiserâs Office.