Practical
Ideas for Our
NEXT
Housing
Clearwater City Council adopted a new strategic plan with 5 objectives including the issue of housing opportunities. As a candidate for City Council, Javante Scott is proposing that Clearwater not only have housing listed as a priority in the city’s overall strategic plan, but we should also create a stand-alone housing strategic plan that will display where the city stands, what goals or steps the city intends to achieve, dates to by which the city plans to have achieved those goals, and the city’s progress on accomplishing the goals listed.
Consensus should be built to determine the vision of housing for Clearwater. What do we picture when we think of housing, what is Clearwater’s definition of housing, workforce housing, and affordable housing? This should be discussed in an open conversation with the City Manager, City Attorney, City Staff, Council, and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board, along with residents of Clearwater.
Data should be collected from an analysis completed either by the City or a chosen partner answering the following questions: What is the housing need? Where is the housing needed? What types of housing are needed? Where can housing be constructed? With the help of the city’s planning department and the City Attorney, determine if code changes need to be made for housing to be developed on certain properties.
Through an RFP (Request for Proposal) process, the city would allow developers to submit proposals for certain properties to build the necessary housing that fits the needs of the surrounding community. The hope and goal would be for all of these steps, discussion, analysis, and RFP process to be completed with implementation to begin no later than the second quarter of 2027.
For renters, it is important that we consider various options that will make renting in Clearwater less of a burden. Therefore as we determine the city’s vision for housing, we should determine how to protect renters from month-to-month rent hikes. Rent control/stabilization or community land trust are just a few options we can consider.
Through community engagement, conversations included the city’s strategic planning and the American Rescue Plan. While housing was not the number one topic in all meetings, and even though housing is not everyone’s need, it is everyone’s concern. Although there is a housing issue across the country, state, county, and city, the city of Clearwater should make progress in the area of housing the top priority for the next term.
Economic Development & Diversity
For some time, Clearwater's economy has been built on the tourism industry and economic development. Our business sector, which includes both large and small businesses, is a major factor that contributes to the city’s economy. Additionally, businesses empower our communities and help to create a greater quality of life for our residents.
Being a city where people can live, work, and play should not just be a slogan. It should be our standard. This means we must grow our business community. Here is how I believe we can do this.
First, we must maximize four key areas that I call business districts: Drew Street - East of Highland, Gulf to Bay - East of Old Coachman Rd, the U.S. 19 corridor, and the Countryside Mall area. In doing so, we would take the strain off the beach and reduce traffic congestion in certain parts of the city; by expanding the scope of business in Clearwater thus transitioning from business districts to a business city.
This will require that we do inventory. Determining what space the city has available to welcome new business. As we make this determination and evaluate each property, we can together make the conscious decision as to what properties we would like to keep, sell, and or swap.
Second, we should ensure that multiple conversations are being had. I believe that we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Taking inventory will determine our availability and our acceptability. Determining what we have offers the opportunity to determine what we need and want. Our goal should be to make Clearwater an inviting city to start and or grow a business and recruit businesses to Clearwater that are attractive to Clearwater at large and offer a variety of options for nutrition, entertainment, recreation, and work for Clearwater residents of all ages.
Thirdly, the next term will require that we work to shift the narrative and make it clear that Clearwater is open for business, we want businesses here, and we will work with business owners to make sure the process is welcoming and smooth.
In 2022 during American Rescue and Strategic planning conversations held by the city, residents shared their desire for our city to diversify its economy. To do so, we must have businesses in Clearwater that can put residents to work earning livable wages and stretch the scope of businesses across our city, recruit a certain quality of businesses, and diversify business within Clearwater. When it comes to our business community, we must stretch it, recruit it, diversify it, and ensure it meets the necessary needs of our residents.
Infrastructure
As a city that has coined the phrase Bright and Beautiful from Bay to Beach as our motto, we must do more to ensure that not only is our bay and beach beautiful, but all of Clearwater in between is beautiful as well.
Bright and Beautiful starts with our infrastructure. The time has come for us to begin to make greater investments in our neighborhoods. Our jewels like Clearwater Beach, Coachman Park, and our Downtown District are the last thing visitors see when they drive through our city. Due to this fact, imagine if we put in the same resources and maximize the opportunities to revitalize our neighborhoods, beautify them, and build up residents along the way, creating a renewed hope in how bright the future of Clearwater can be.
To revitalize our neighborhoods is to invest in them. We must take the time to determine and review the infrastructure needs across the city. What roads need to be repaved, what sidewalks need to be layed or repoured, what railroad tracks need to be leveled, what intersections need better drainage to keep from flooding, and have traffic signals that may need to be altered for safety reasons, and what more we can do to enhance trail travel in Clearwater. This breakdown will give an adequate picture of the necessary steps to ensure safe travel for all residents and a smooth travel experience for guests.
With this breakdown, we can create an infrastructure plan to inform us all what areas need repairs and when. This plan would also record when those repairs occurred to give a time frame of when we should anticipate another repair of that same piece of infrastructure. This would keep our infrastructure up to date. Over time, our efforts will help with overall cost, managing employee labor, and ensuring we do not end up with a significant backlog.
Our infrastructure must handle all necessary conditions that our city faces, from weather to major influxes of traffic, and all infrastructure, when repaired and or built, should comply with our environmental standards if possible.
Youth Opportunities
As a youth growing up in Clearwater, my experience differed from many, yet it was similar to some. Like many others, I attended summer camp and after-school programs operated by the City of Clearwater. However, when camp hours were over, it cost my cousins, friends, and I to utilize the recreation center’s amenities. To use the basketball gym and pool, the cost for a youth with a recreation card is $2, and without a recreation card is $4. While some would say it's just $2 or only $4, the cost adds up quickly when you multiply those numbers by days a week, weeks a month, and months a year. Had costs NOT been in place, I can assure you, we would have used the rec center more often. Upon my election to the council, I plan to do my best to create consensus among my colleagues to ensure we find ways to increase recreational opportunities for our youth.
Residents should be aware of any data the city has on the direct impact recreation fees (those mentioned above) have on the city’s bottom line. It is important to note that city residents pay taxes. It has been said that taxes go toward Fire, Police, Infrastructure, Libraries, and Parks and Recreation. The data provided regarding this would help justify the recreation cost's reasoning.
Once provided with the data, which is an added expense for residents, I would propose adjusting the fees associated with using the basketball gym and pool at city recreation facilities. For residents of Clearwater, the fee adjustment would be eliminating the $2 per visit cost to an annual $50 fee, which includes the recreation card and play/swim fee. Once a youth resident owns a recreation card, I propose a $25 annual renewal fee for play/swim. Truthfully, I believe the cost to residents should be $0. However, since a $0 proposal may not generate consensus, consensus (I believe) can be built around an adjustment.
For non-residents, the fee for a recreation card is $150, which is needed for any child who wants to play a sport for a little league team in Clearwater. I would propose reducing that fee to $100. Consider that number in terms of cost for a parent with two children involved with the Jr. Tornadoes, Countryside Cougars, or Greenwood Panthers. Remember that this fee is in addition to the cost associated with the Little League organization.
As a city council member, it is my desire to see our youth have more than I did while growing up. This means greater access to activities and facilities with little to zero barriers preventing their participation.
I would propose increasing swimming days by having our pools open on Saturdays and Sundays, year-round. To accomplish this benefit for our youth, the city manager and staff must determine if increasing full-time equivalents is necessary and if our parking fund, which funds lifeguards, is healthy enough to support more swim days for unheated pools.
Clearwater-based organizations that provide services to Clearwater’s youth should have access to all ballparks in recreational areas. It is essential for our youth residents that we remove any barriers hindering us from providing such access. What does our city have to offer youth aged 15-18? The answer is not much if anything. Statistics show that recreation improves physical, emotional, and mental well-being. I hold fast to the belief that it takes a village to raise a child, and if you elect me to Clearwater’s City Council, I will ensure that our city government does all it can to take its rightful place in our village. Our youth deserve more, and we can give them what they deserve.
Environment
One of Clearwater's greatest assets is our waterfront!
This means the environment must be a critically important area of focus. As a city, we must do everything we can to protect and defend our environment because the future of our city depends on it.
As a resident, while it may seem aspirational to some, I was a proponent of the Ready for 100 Plan. This plan outlines how our city can Transition to 100% Renewable, Zero-emission, Clean Energy electricity for City Operations by 2040 and Transition to 100% Renewable, Zero-emission, Clean Energy electricity Citywide by 2050. Let's aspire to be an environmentally friendly city, one that is strategically preparing for a sustainable future.
I believe we should regularly monitor our sea wall and sea level rise. Why? Because we are a coastal city, which makes us susceptible to storms. While we cannot determine the storms that come our way, we can increase our probability of endurance by proactively preparing.
As we prepare to build and renovate specific infrastructure, we must be sure that we consider the environmental impact those projects have on our city’s Greenprint and carbon footprint.
Creating a more excellent quality of life does not only mean our city is safe; it must also be livable. Our environment is key to ensuring that Clearwater is both safe and livable. All of our residents are impacted by the steps we do or do not take to protect the environment. This area of focus is inclusive of all of Clearwater and will take a collective effort from all of us to make Clearwater thrive environmentally.