Thursday night Clearwater residents packed The Landings Golf Course for a standing room only community forum, and what they heard should make every single person in this city stop and pay attention. Because while you've been going about your daily life the City of Clearwater has been quietly moving to hand over 70 acres of YOUR public green space to private developers. No community vote. No referendum. No asking you permission. Just a decision being made FOR you…not BY you.

And most of your neighbors still don't even know it's happening.

What They Actually Want to Build on YOUR Land

Let's be brutally clear about what developers are proposing for 70 acres of public land that belongs to every Clearwater resident:

A stadium with a minimum 1,500 seat capacity 12 soccer fields - every single one Astroturf. Fake grass. 24 pickleball courts 1,584 parking spaces One, and exactly ONE real grass field in the entire complex

On a former landfill. Replacing 100 year old trees. With a vehicle exit routed directly through Airport Drive cutting straight through the surrounding residential neighborhood. Picture 1,500 or more spectators funneling through your street after every single event.

And before you ask…no traffic study has been conducted. They haven't done one because they don't want the answer.

Let's be clear about something the developers aren't advertising loudly - this is not a community recreational facility. You will not be playing pickleball here on your Clearwater recreational card. You will not be getting free or subsidized access because you're a Clearwater taxpayer. This is a private for-profit enterprise being built on PUBLIC land. Every court, every field, every event — you pay. And you can bet the rates will make McMullen Tennis Center look like a bargain.

Public land. Private profit. Zero community vote.

Your Property Value Is at Stake

If you own a home near The Landings listen closely. Properties further from the development may see appreciation. However, homes closest to a 1,500 seat stadium, 24 pickleball courts, 12 artificial turf fields, and parking for nearly 1,600 cars? The traffic, noise, light pollution, and sheer scale of this complex will have very real consequences for families who have built their lives and their financial futures in this neighborhood. This isn't speculation…it's real estate reality.

The Landings Isn't Dying. WRONG…It's Thriving

Developers want you to believe this land is underutilized and ready for something better. Nick Huston whose family owns and operates The Landings brought receipts Thursday night. GolfNow booking data showing golfers reserving tee times from across the entire United States and internationally. This is an active, loved, nationally recognized public golf destination serving this community every single day.

The developers want you to believe otherwise. The data says they're wrong.

The Woman Who Has Beaten Them Before

If anyone understands how this playbook works it's Melissa Stamos. A Clearwater real estate broker with over 22 years of experience and one of the founders of Keep Keene Green, Melissa has been here before. In 2020 developers came after this same 70 acres trying to turn it into an industrial park. She and the community organized, demanded a referendum, and won with over 60% of Clearwater voters shutting it down.

Now the developers are back. Different proposal. Same land. Same playbook.

Melissa Stamos is back too. What makes her voice uniquely powerful is her deliberate neutrality. She isn't telling you what The Landings should become. She is simply demanding what every Clearwater resident deserves. A vote. A referendum. A say in what happens to public land that belongs to all of us.

The Sierra Club Is Watching

Tim Hughes, Conservation Chair of the Suncoast Group of Sierra Club Florida was in that room Thursday night. His presence signals that this fight has moved well beyond a neighborhood dispute into legitimate environmental territory. The concerns about water runoff, wildlife displacement, the bald eagle and protected species that call this green space home, and what happens when you start disturbing 100 year old tree roots on a former landfill are real, documented, and coming from one of the most respected conservation organizations in the country.

Two Thirds of Your Neighbors Don't Know

Before Thursday's forum community member Beth went door to door in the surrounding neighborhoods. Two thirds of residents she spoke to had no idea this was happening. No idea. And every single one of them said they would oppose it.

An uninformed community is an easily ignored community. The less your neighbors know the easier it is for City Hall to move forward without pushback. Which is exactly why you need to share this article with five people today.

This Isn't About Golf

It doesn't matter if you love golf or hate it. It doesn't matter what you personally want to see on that land. What matters is that YOU never got a vote. No referendum. No community input. No public process.

Melissa Stamos and the Keep Keene Green community stopped them once before with 60% of the vote. They can stop them again. But only if you show up, speak up, and demand what is rightfully yours.

A public vote. A referendum. Democracy!

What You Can Do Right Now

Share this article with five people today Follow Keep Keene Green on Facebook Subscribe to My Clearwater Scoop for continuing coverage Demand a referendum — contact Clearwater City Hall

Public land requires a public vote. Period! 🌳🦅

Also in this issue, read our next article: Is Clearwater Already Losing the Green Space Battle? The Numbers Will Shock You.

For more local news and community stories visit My Clearwater Scoop: → Here

Most people assume their city is doing a decent job maintaining parks, green space, and natural areas. After all nobody is out here actively trying to take away trees and open land…right?

Wrong!

Clearwater is already behind. And if the proposed development at The Landings moves forward without a community vote it is going to get significantly worse.

Here are the numbers that every Clearwater resident needs to know.

The National Standard vs Clearwater Reality

Urban planning experts and national conservation organizations recommend that cities maintain a minimum of 15% green space relative to their total developed land. Parks, natural areas, golf courses, tree canopy, open land — all of it counts toward that number.

The national average for comparable cities sits right at that 15% benchmark.

Clearwater currently sits at 10%!

Let that sink in. Your city is already 33% below the national standard for green space. One third below what urban planners consider the minimum for a healthy, livable city.

And the proposal on the table would make that number even smaller.

What Green Space Actually Does For You

This isn't just about pretty trees and places to walk your dog…although those things absolutely matter. Green space has documented, measurable impacts on the quality of life in any city:

Property values increase near parks and green spaces, and decrease near overdeveloped commercial and entertainment complexes Mental health outcomes improve measurably in communities with access to natural spaces Urban heat island effect is reduced by tree canopy and natural ground cover…critical in a Florida summer Water absorption and flood management depend heavily on natural ground cover - not concrete, not Astroturf, not parking lots Wildlife habitat and biodiversity depend on connected green corridors; fragment them and species disappear

Clearwater sits on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The environment IS the economy. Tourism, quality of life, property values, and the very identity of this city depend on maintaining what makes it beautiful and livable.

The Astroturf Problem

Here is something the developers definitely do not want you thinking about. Artificial turf (the same fake grass covering 12 of the proposed soccer fields) absorbs and radiates heat at a dramatically higher rate than natural grass or soil. On a Florida summer day natural grass surface temperatures average around 80 degrees. Astroturf surface temperatures on that same day? Between 150 and 180 degrees!

That is not a green space replacement. That is a heat generator sitting in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Also, natural grass absorbs rainwater and filters it back into the ground. Astroturf does not. Every rain event becomes runoff adding pressure to Clearwater's already stressed stormwater systems.

The Former Landfill Nobody Is Talking About

Here is the detail that should be generating headlines but isn't. The land that The Landings sits on has a history as a former landfill. Those 100 year old trees that would be ripped out to make way for this development? Their root systems have been growing into and through that land for a century naturally containing whatever is beneath the surface.

What happens when you start disturbing that ground with large scale construction equipment?

Nobody is asking that question officially. Nobody has commissioned an environmental study. Nobody has demanded answers before breaking ground on a former landfill in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Tim Hughes, Conservation Chair of the Suncoast Group of Sierra Club Florida, was at Thursday's forum. The Sierra Club is asking these questions. And they deserve answers before a single shovel touches that ground.

This Is Bigger Than The Landings

Here is the hard truth that every Clearwater resident needs to hear.

The Landings is the battle in front of us right now. But the war is about what kind of city Clearwater is going to be. A city that protects its green space, its wildlife, its neighborhoods, and its quality of life or a city that quietly trades all of that away to private developers while residents aren't paying attention.

Clearwater is already at 10% green space. Already one third below the national standard. Already behind. Losing 70 acres of natural land…even partially…pushes this city further in the wrong direction at exactly the moment it should be moving the other way.

Here is the most infuriating part. This doesn't have to be a fight about whether The Landings stays a golf course forever. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Maybe there IS a thoughtful, community-driven vision for that land that serves Clearwater residents well. Maybe there are nature trails. Maybe there are community gardens. Maybe there is a combination of uses that genuinely serves the public interest.

However, that conversation… that REAL community conversation can only happen one way.

With a REFERENDUM. With YOUR VOTE. With democracy working the way it is supposed to work.

What You Can Do Right Now

Share both articles in this issue with five people today Follow Keep Keene Green on Facebook and share their posts Subscribe to My Clearwater Scoop. We will keep covering this story until it is resolved Contact Clearwater City Hall and demand a referendum on any development of public land

Clearwater is your city. Its green space is your green space. Its future is your future.

Don't let anyone take that away without asking you first. 🌳🦅

If you've been waiting for the Gulf to warm up the wait is over. Clearwater Beach water temperatures have reached 81 degrees. Warm, clear, and perfect for swimming, paddleboarding, or just wading in. Historically Gulf temperatures peak around 85-86 degrees in late summer so we're already well into comfortable swimming territory ahead of schedule.

Check current water temperatures and conditions Here

Watch the live Clearwater Beach Cam Here

Our pets aren't just animals — they're family. If you've seen any of the pets below please email us at [email protected] and we will connect you directly with their families. One share could bring someone's baby home.

Zena has been missing for over 103 days from the Seville Condo area near Clearwater Costco. Her heartbroken family will not give up searching

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Leah has been missing since April 28th from the King Arthur Court in Dunedin. Her Mom has owned her since she was a puppy.

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Lobo has been missing since May 11th from Gladden Park in St. Petersburg. Her Mom has owned her since she was a puppy.

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River is a one-year-old male tabby (brown, white, and gray) who slipped out the front door on May 30th, and last seen near 134th Ave and Trotter Rd in Largo.

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🎸 Tommy Roxx Friday June 12th - FREE - 7:00 pm Whiskey Wings Countryside Clearwater, FL INFO→

🎶 TL Jentgens Dance Party - FREE Live Music - TONIGHT!

High energy live show blending live drums with electronic dance music — loud, fast, and impossible to ignore. TL Jentgens is known for ending shows on TOP of his drum kit pulling the crowd into the chaos. Optional VIP tables available.

📍 OCC Roadhouse, 10575 49th Street North, Clearwater 📅 Friday June 12th ⏰ Doors 6:00 PM - Show 8:00 PM INFO→

🎸 Zack Seufert Friday June 12th - FREE - 5:00 pm Crabby’s Dockside Clearwater, FL INFO→

🛍️ The Market Marie — Saturday June 13th at Coachman Park

Shop local with over 85 small business vendors every second Saturday of the month at Coachman Park. Live music, food, art, clothing, jewelry, henna, handmade candles, soap, pet treats, home goods and more — all free to attend!

📍 Coachman Park, 300 Cleveland Street, Clearwater 📅 Saturday June 13th ⏰ 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM INFO →

🎸 Voyage: Celebrating the music of Journey Saturday June 13th - 8:00 pm Bilheimer Capital Theater Clearwater, FL INFO & TICKETS→

🎸 Izzy Bradburn Saturday June 13th - FREE - 5:00 pm Crabby’s Dockside Clearwater, FL INFO→

🐢 Sea Turtle Nesting Patrol Experience Join conservation volunteers monitoring nests along the beach Reservations required INFO & TICKETS →

🚶‍♀️ SilverSneakers: Boom Class Friday June 12th at 8:00 am or 9:00 am - Aging Well Center @ The Long Center, 1501 N. Belcher Road, Clearwater, 33765, View Map LEARN MORE →

⛵ Clearwater Community Sailing Center A nonprofit sailing center at 1001 Gulf Blvd offering boat rentals, sailing lessons for all ages, and Summer Camp. Open Tuesday through Sunday 9am to 5pm. LEARN MORE →

🏓 Pickleball Court Locations: Here is the easiest way to find Pickleball courts near you with an interactive map. LEARN MORE →

🏖️ Near the Beach

🏙️ Inland

⚠️ Trivia nights and schedules can change. We recommend confirming directly with the venue before heading out. Know of a change or a new spot? Tell Scout →

Thanks for reading My Clearwater Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone that you think would be interested.

Until next time,

Stan, Scoop and Scout