Clearwater's Sports Complex Proposal: Weighing Green Legacy vs Vision

0:00It's April 13th, you're listening to Tampa Bay News today, AI-powered local news. Clearwater officials got hit with a proposal back in November to flip their 77-acre city-owned landings golf course into a huge sports. Complex. Picture this. A water park. 5,000 sea stadium. Many golf. 24,000 square foot gym. 12 playing fields. And two dozen. Pickleball courts. The developer. Lay Porter. Through his company's Porta Development and Sunshine Recreational, amended the plan on December 30th to give the city more details. Officials are deep in review, targeting the end of April to decide if it needs a voter referendum, since city rules demand approval to lease open. Space. For something new. Neighbors are up in arms, worried about noise, lights, traffic, and environmental hits, especially with homes backing right up to the fairways and near Clearwater Executive Airport. This echoes a 2020 referendum, where voters nixed turning most of the course into light

1:02industrial space. At a community meeting Tuesday, Porter's team heard passion and pushback, but kept it civil, stressing youth sports access and tourism draw. He pitches a $566 million economic punch over 10 years, drawing from his 25 years in development, though voters, rejected a similar sports idea in Largo, back in 2022. Meanwhile, the mayors tied to a company named in the plan, but plans to recuse himself. First public meeting could drop as soon as June, with no hard deadline, so Clearwater's weighing its green legacy against this sports vision.