An artist's rendering of Clearwater's future downtown waterfront and boat slips. Courtesy of the City of Clearwater
CLEARWATER - The city's downtown boat slip referendum won the support of Clearwater's voters on Tuesday.
By a margin of only 578 votes out of the 12,244 cast in the low turnout election, the construction of up to 140 boat slips, a pedestrian promenade and a harbormaster's building with restrooms and showers was approved.
The city's campaign was supported by Citizens for a Beautiful Active Waterfront, a political action committee (PAC) formed specifically for this referendum. Save the Bayfront, a PAC that successfully defeated two previous referenda involving the development of Coachman Park, opposed the referendum.
Money clearly talked in this election, with Citizens for a Beautiful Active Waterfont spending $39,577 for their campaign, versus only $3,500 spent by Save the Bayfront for their grass-roots effort.
