City Manager Jennifer Poyer presented Clearwater's annual State of the City report at the Nov. 6 City Council meeting, detailing the city's financial position, post-storm recovery work and priorities for the upcoming year.

Poyer said Clearwater's general fund posted $218.9 million in revenues and $232.9 million in expenses in the last fiscal year; the city's millage rate remained at 5.885 mills. She reported an unrestricted general fund balance of $67.4 million as of Sept. 30, equal to about 30% of the fiscal 2026 budgeted expenditures.

The presentation addressed storm damage and cost-recovery work. "Last year, we had 3 storms and incurred an estimated $87,000,000 in damages to city properties, rights of way, and infrastructure," Poyer said. She outlined the FEMA process: 391 FEMA-eligible line items for city assets and 130 FEMA projects, of which 18 projects are approved, 41 are under FEMA review and 71 remain to be submitted. To date, the city has received about $9.2 million in insurance proceeds and $6.0 million from FEMA, Poyer said, and she cautioned that not all storm-related costs will be reimbursable.

Poyer highlighted operational and capital accomplishments, including opening Fire Station 47, adding pickleball courts at McKay Park, reopening Pier 60 within a year of storm damage, ongoing Municipal Service Building renovations and the planned opening of a consolidated City Hall in late summer 2026. She said the Clearwater Beach Marina reconstruction is advancing with phase 1 nearing completion and that the Seminole Boat Ramp is being rebuilt. At Clearwater Executive Airport the city secured grant funding and added an emergency generator.

The city reported an increase in grant activity: the clerk's office provided support for 13 grant awards totaling more than $23.8 million, and the city submitted hazard mitigation and Resilient Florida grant applications with requests totaling roughly $177 million. Poyer said the city will continue pursuing grant funding to supplement city dollars for projects including the marina, Eddie Seymour Softball Complex, Executive Airport terminal and hangars, stormwater pump systems and seawall elevation work.

Operational improvements include a new e-procurement platform (OpenGov) that expanded the vendor database, and a Genesys implementation in utility customer service that cut average email response time from about 48 hours to roughly 5 hours 53 minutes and produced a 92% positive customer satisfaction rating in its first year, Poyer said. The city also implemented Routeware for solid-waste routing and completed several municipal solar installations.

Poyer described the wastewater consolidation project as a major upcoming effort: the city completed a final review of its water reclamation facility master plan and is preparing construction contracting and owner-advisor work for diverting flows from the Marshall Street and East basins to the Northeast facility. She said the project will use progressive design-build contracts and that staff will bring the engineering portions to council for review.

Council members praised city staff and the presentation. Mayor Bruce Rechter and several council members thanked employees for recovery work and highlighted the regional economic role of the beach and tourism. Poyer closed by asking for ongoing council support for FEMA reimbursements and for assistance with legislative matters that could affect the budget.

Ending note: Poyer said the city will continue to pursue reimbursements, grant funding and capital projects while bringing key design and engineering work back to council for decisions in the months ahead.