Clearwater City Council will choose between two very different futures for the city-owned Landings Golf Course. One keeps the fairways. The other replaces them with a $180 million private development.
Council members were scheduled to hear 5-minute presentations from both bidders at a work session Monday at 1:30 p.m. The city said the public could attend but could not comment. Residents will get their chance Wednesday, when the council meets at 6 p.m. and is expected to vote on which developer to begin negotiations with. Choosing a developer would open negotiations, not finalize a deal.
Two Competing Visions
Clearwater Golf Associates, the current operator, wants a new 20-year lease on the 77-acre property and plans improvements to the course.
Porter Development is proposing a 99-year lease and a $180 million investment to build a sports and entertainment complex. The plans include multipurpose sports fields, covered pickleball courts, sand volleyball, a family entertainment center, and a resort-style water park.
Supporters say the project would keep tournament business at home. Ken Jewell, president of the Clearwater Chargers Soccer Club, said his group holds major tournaments every year that now bring economic activity to Sarasota and Manatee counties.
“We would rather have here in the city of Clearwater,” Jewell said of that spending.
Local coaches have also backed the plan, saying it could benefit thousands of families.
Neighbors Push Back
The grassroots group Keep Keene Green wants the city to weigh neighborhood concerns and protect natural resources before moving forward. Nearby residents have raised worries about traffic and noise.
Group member Beth Davis also pointed to a 2019 geotechnical engineering and environmental study that reported contamination in property debris. “Testing results include arsenic and lead, dieldrin, chlordane, toxaphene,” Davis said. She wants the city to take a closer look at those findings before proceeding with either proposal.
What to Watch
The decision puts a long-term question in front of the council. Does the city stay with a proven golf operator on a short extension, or commit its land for nearly a century to a developer promising a far larger investment? The contamination findings Davis cited bear on both options, since each would use the same property.
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