Pinellas County TDC approves capital awards for five projects; Marina amended to full $10 million

The Pinellas County Tourist Development Council on Feb. 19 approved recommended capital grants for five projects that staff and consultants had scored under new capital funding guidelines, adopting a mix of staff-recommended amounts and one board amendment.

The awards package covered projects in Clearwater and St. Petersburg that staff said would produce incremental room nights, visitor spending and tourist development tax (TDT) revenue over a 10-year horizon. The council voted individually on each project and passed the motions during the meeting.

Why this matters: The council’s decisions direct county hotel-tax money toward capital projects that county staff and a hired consultant analyzed for expected tourism impact. The allocation process is the first full cycle under funding guidelines adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 2023 and will determine which public and nonprofit visitor facilities receive TDT-backed capital support.

The projects and formal actions

- Eddie Seymour (EDC Moore) complex — Motion to approve staff’s recommended funding of $7,750,000. Mover: Mr. Yurtis; second: Mr. Cerakie. Outcome: approved. Staff and the applicant described the project as a two-story building and field improvements to support large softball tournaments; the economic analysis in the packet estimated incremental attendees and room nights over 10 years associated with keeping and growing national events in Clearwater. Quote: “We just really hope, that you will fund the project to the full amount, the $10,000,000,” said Michelle Smith,…