Commissioners adjust tourism capital awards; Clearwater Beach Marina and Arts Center funding increased

Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday revised the Tourism Development Council (TDC) capital project recommendations, increasing the county award for the Clearwater Beach municipal marina and raising the Arts Center/Chihuly project allocation after lengthy discussion about scoring methodology and geographic distribution.

The TDC had presented project rankings from a new guidelines‑based scoring process that weighted economic impact and geographic distribution among five categories. Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, told commissioners the team used cross‑referenced consultant data to translate scores into recommended dollar amounts. “We established new guidelines … and the methodology was rating criteria categories,” Lowack said.

Why it matters: The county’s discretionary capital awards are paid from tourist development funds (bed tax) and are intended to maximize incremental visitor room nights and economic impact. Commissioners worried that projects in Clearwater Beach and downtown St. Petersburg — the county’s highest TDT‑generating areas — were disadvantaged in a geographic scoring category meant to encourage investment outside established tourist zones.

What the board did - The commission adjusted funding upward for Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina from the staff recommendation to $7.85 million and for the Arts Center/Chihuly collection to $2.25 million; other recommended amounts remained as proposed by staff and the TDC. - Motion by Commissioner Eckert to increase the marina to $7.85 million and the Arts Center to $2.25 million; second by Commissioner Nowicki. Vote: carried unanimously.

Background on the scores Visit St. Pete Clearwater’s selection committee and a hired consultant ranked projects using five criteria: projected annual tourism economic benefits over 10 years, projected incremental room nights, marketing and sponsorship benefits, contribution to the strategic plan, and geographic distribution. The committee then mapped each project’s numerical score to a recommended funding ceiling rather than simply granting requested amounts. Lowack said the aim was to measure incremental, net new benefits and to limit recommendations to a ceiling based on score and matching requirements.

Board debate Commissioners pressed staff on geographic weighting, which had awarded extra points to projects outside Clearwater Beach and downtown St. Petersburg. “If you’re not in 1 of those two zones, you get five points,” Lowack said, explaining the decision to distribute funding geographically. Commissioners said that because those zones generate the majority of TDT revenue, the geographic deduction sometimes penalized projects in the busiest tourism areas. That discussion led to the compromise increases approved by the board.

What’s next The funding adjustments were made in the commission’s regular meeting and will be reflected in the final grant agreements the county executes with awardees. Commissioners and Visit St. Pete Clearwater staff said they intend to refine guidelines and scoring in future cycles to make the methodology more transparent, especially the conversion of scores into recommended dollar amounts.

Ending: The board’s changes boost two high‑profile projects while preserving most staff recommendations. Commissioners said they want to keep refining a new selection process launched this cycle and reiterated that applicants may reapply in future rounds and that the county can revise guidelines for later cycles.