|
January 2026
Welcome to the city of Clearwater’s sustainability and resiliency newsletter!
This quarterly newsletter aims to serve as a communication tool for progress made on Greenprint 2.0, the city’s Sustainability Action Plan and sustainability-related events, programs, volunteer opportunities and tips.
|
|
 Adopt-a-Drain Launches with Grant Support
Clearwater is launching a new Adopt-a-Drain program to help residents protect local waterways and reduce neighborhood flooding. Through this program, community members can “adopt” a nearby storm drain and help keep it clear of leaves, trash and debris. Because stormwater flows directly from our streets to Tampa Bay and the Gulf, keeping drains clean helps improve water quality and supports a healthier environment for everyone.
|
This program is supported by two grants: a $5,000 Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s (TBEP) Bay Mini-Grant and $9,596.25 in Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBRPC) Stormwater Outreach & Education funding. These funds will help cover educational materials, outreach and volunteer supplies as we roll out the program citywide. The TBEP Bay Mini-Grant is made possible through sales of the Tampa Bay Estuary specialty license plate - the Tarpon Tag, which residents can purchase for $17 per year to help fund local water quality projects and support the ongoing recovery of Tampa Bay.
|
|
|
Resilient Clearwater: Stormwater
 Stormwater plays a big role in keeping Clearwater’s neighborhoods, lakes and coastal waters healthy. When rain washes over streets, yards and parking lots, it can carry trash, yard debris and other pollutants straight into our waterways. The city has launched Resilient Clearwater: Stormwater, a new education and outreach effort focused on simple actions residents can take to protect water quality and reduce localized flooding.
Click below to learn how you can help keep Clearwater’s waterways clean, bright and beautiful.
|
|
Upcoming Solar: Long Center, N. Greenwood Rec, Countryside Library & City Hall
 The city of Clearwater is moving forward with new solar installations at four city facilities: new city hall, the Long Center, North Greenwood Recreation Center and Countryside Library. These projects are designed to reduce long-term electricity costs and protect the city from rising utility rates while making smart use of available federal funding.
By combining a U.S. Department of Energy grant with federal Elective Pay incentives, the city is able to offset 80% of the project costs. Over their lifetimes, the solar systems are projected to save the city ~6 million dollars in avoided electric utility expenses, with payback periods of just a few years.
Pictured: Solar racking on the Long Center
|
|
Florida Arbor Day
 While National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April, Florida observes Arbor Day in January to align with our best tree-planting season. During winter, many trees are dormant and lose less water through transpiration, which reduces transplant stress and helps new trees establish more successfully.
Celebrate Florida Arbor Day by planting a Florida native tree at home or getting involved in your community. And don’t forget—our annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway will return this April. Stay tuned for more details!
 Suncoast Sierra Club 2025 Sustainability and Leadership Award
On Dec. 7, the Suncoast Sierra Club presented the city of Clearwater’s Sustainability & Environmental Division Manager Cassie Cordova, with the 2025 Sustainability and Leadership Award for her team’s work in solar and energy efficiency, which has enabled more than $1 million in annual savings and significant pollution reduction.
They noted that while it’s not a contest, Clearwater’s completed and upcoming municipal solar installations - totaling nine, put the city ahead in Pinellas County! We are grateful to have leveraged several federal grants and awards to achieve this milestone, along with the support of city leadership and city council, as we continue working to keep Clearwater bright and beautiful for decades to come.
Pictured: Glenna Wentworth, Sierra Club Executive Committee and Cassie Cordova
|
|
Urban Forestry’s New Tree Replanting Program
 Urban Forestry’s new Tree Replanting Program is helping keep Clearwater’s canopy strong! For every four trees we remove, we’re planting five new ones — ensuring our city stays green and thriving. When we can’t replant in the same spot, we choose the nearest green space to keep our neighborhoods shaded, healthy and beautiful. Trees clean our air, cool our streets and make our community bright and beautiful.
Teaser: Urban Forestry is teaming up with Sustainability on another exciting initiative to make Clearwater even greener — stay tuned for what’s next!
Pictured: Trees planted in the ROW adjacent to 510 Mariva Ave.
|
|
Citizens Academy
 The Public Works Department, including the sustainability team, presented at Citizens Academy in October. This interactive and engaging presentation was a great opportunity to inform residents of ongoing sustainability initiatives and public works operations.
Pictured: Traffic Operations Supervisor Charles Stephenson (right) demonstrates the thermoplastic line-striping machine used for long-lasting roadway markings.
|
|
Pollinator Power Pots
 On Nov. 6, the North Greenwood Library hosted Pollinator Pots as part of Clearwater’s Pollinator Power campaign. The event featured an educational session about the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, hands-on pollinator crafts and the planting of pollinator-friendly plants in pots outside the library.
Special thanks to the entire library team for their collaboration on this campaign, including adding pollinator-friendly seeds to the Seed Library program at Countryside and Clearwater East branches and showcasing pollinator-themed books at all Clearwater library locations. Click below to learn how you can help Clearwater’s pollinators thrive!
Pictured: Clearwater residents and Amber Priester, Youth Services Librarian at North Greenwood Library.
|
|
Vulnerability Assessment Summary
The city of Clearwater has released a summary of its vulnerability assessment, a major project that analyzed the city's risks from sea-level rise, flooding and extreme heat. This summary condenses nearly 200 pages of technical scientific data and modeling into a more digestible, nine-page document.
The report includes an executive summary, methodology, outcomes including adaptation scenarios and next steps. The assessment was mandated by the state and funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Resilient Florida Program.
|
|
Big Cleanup Clearwater
 Thank you all for your support in making the 2025 Big Cleanup Clearwater a success! From Nov. 14-22, 2025, a total of 28 sites were involved in cleanup and beautification efforts. A total of 738 volunteers collected 4,386 pounds of trash and removed 4,783 pounds of invasive plants.
A special thank you goes out to our partners, Keep Pinellas Beautiful and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
Pictured: TBAP staff, Melody Yin, Clearwater Sustainability Specialist, Kelsy Johnson, Clearwater Volunteer Specialist, TBAP staff and Keep Pinellas Beautiful staff.
|
|
Lake Belleview Nature Expo Fish Derby & Lake Clean-up
 |
|
On Dec. 6, the Lake Belleview Nature Expo, Fishing Derby and Lake Cleanup was a great success! The Public Works team showcased the Weedoo aquatic workboat designed to mechanically remove invasive vegetation. |
|
Unlike chemical treatments that only kill the tops of plants and leave roots behind, the Weedoo removes the vegetation completely, which helps keep oxygen levels stable and protect aquatic life.
Pictured: Otavio Vidigal, Sustainability Intern, Cassie Cordova, Sustainability & Environmental Division Manager, Jaquez Byrd, Stormwater Technician II, and Jordan Phillips, Stormwater Technician II
|
|
 |
 Resilient Clearwater: Stormwater
 Only rain should go down the drain. Stormwater is the rain that runs off yards, streets and parking lots, picking up litter, soil, chemicals and other pollutants along the way. This runoff flows through storm drains, pipes and neighborhood ponds before entering our local waterways — including Tampa Bay and the gulf.
Because Clearwater is a coastal community, preventing pollution from entering the stormwater system is essential to protecting our environment and the wildlife that depends on it. Managing stormwater is also a key part of building a more resilient Clearwater, reducing localized flooding, improving water quality and supporting healthy neighborhoods during heavy rain and seasonal storm events.
How You Can Help at Home
- Use proper yard care and green scaping techniques to reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
- Use fertilizers sparingly and avoid fertilizing before a rainstorm. Follow Pinellas County’s fertilizer ban from June 1 to Sept. 30 each year.
- Consider building a rain garden to minimize stormwater runoff and help filter pollutants naturally.
- Keep driveways, patios and street gutters free of leaves and debris so they don’t wash into storm drains during rainstorms.
- Never blow or dispose of leaves and mulch into storm drains. Grass clippings must be contained, composted or properly disposed of and must not be piled 50 feet from a stream or near storm drains.
- Pick up pet waste even in your own yard. It can be a major source of bacteria and excess nutrients that can cause algae blooms, like Red Tide, in local waterways.
- Take your expired or unused medications to a drug-take-back event or throw them away. Do not flush them down the toilet.
- Prevent soapy and oily water from entering storm drains when washing your car at home. Use soap sparingly and try to wash on a grassy or gravel area.
- Never pour cooking fats, oils or grease down the drain. Drop them off at the Clearwater Solid Waste Complex, 1700 N. Hercules Ave., for repurposing. Prevent chemicals like detergents, paint and motor oil from washing into storm drains. Dispose of them properly at Household Chemical Collection at HHW North, 29582 U.S. 19 N., on select Saturdays a month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Click below for more tips on how you can help in your neighborhood, at work and at play.
|
|
  Clearwater’s municipal energy savings program continues to deliver consistent results, moving into the middle of fourth performance year, achieving an overall 15.3% reduction in energy use and a total cost avoidance of $4,054,880. After accounting for program costs since its launch in April 2022, the city has achieved net cost savings of $2.07 million.
During Energy Specialist Fabian’s regular audit, he has noted that city staff continue to do an excellent job of setting back buildings at the end of the workday, with few lights left on; overall excellent performance. HVAC equipment performed well and were set back during unoccupied times as scheduled.
|
|
Contact the Sustainability Team |
|
If you have questions about the city's sustainability or environmental programs, email our sustainability team: Sustainability & Environmental Manager Cassie Cordova [left] and Sustainability Specialist Melody [right]. Also pictured: our former Sustainability Intern Otavio Vidigal [center]. |
|
 |
 Rubber Ducky's Birthday Bash
Saturday, Jan. 17
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
|
|
|
|
|
