City of Clearwater – City Council Meeting - 7/16/2026

The City of Clearwater held a City Council meeting on July 16, 2026, where key procurement and budgetary matters were discussed. A significant agenda item was the approval of a 30-year franchise agreement with Duke Energy Florida LLC to continue providing electric utility services to the city. The agreement includes a 6% franchise fee and various economic development commitments from Duke Energy, such as funding for downtown revitalization, infrastructure resiliency, and beautification efforts. Public comments reflected a mix of support and opposition, with some advocating for municipalization of the electric utility to achieve potential cost savings. The council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the franchise agreement's first reading. Additionally, the council approved a tentative millage rate of 5.8850 mills for the fiscal year 2026-27, maintaining the current rate, and discussed the city’s budget, which includes capital improvement projects totaling approximately $190.5 million. Other procurement-related actions included declaring city property surplus and transferring it to the Community Redevelopment Agency for downtown redevelopment, and providing direction on a development agreement for a hotel project involving allocation of 91 units from the hotel density reserve. The council also appointed a member to the Sister Cities Advisory Board and approved ordinances related to parking regulations and property annexations. The meeting concluded with discussions on the city attorney selection process and closing remarks from council members.