STRATEGIC VISION
City of Clearwater
Strategic Vision
In 2013, the City Council for the City of Clearwater established a Strategic Direction, providing a Mission and
Vision along with supporting Goals and Objectives, as derived from input from stakeholders and community
analysis.
The strategic vision, found at the end of this section, focuses on specific goals to facilitate the development of the
City’s economy. The four outlined objectives include: 1) diversify the economic base; 2) increase economic
opportunity; 3) develop and promote our brand; and 4) foster community engagement.
Implementation of the Strategic Direction requires both, defined, proactive actions as well as on-going planning
and resource commitments. The strategic implementation process is not static, as we are routinely working on
programs and services that build upon strategic direction priorities across the various City operations. In that
regard, there is no beginning or end for Strategic Direction implementation. The on-going nature of
implementation is particularly evident within the scope of a 20 year vision, and the enduring quality of the
objectives defined within the mission. As such, Strategic Direction implementation is focused upon the
relationships between many incremental actions that have discrete beginnings and ends, but cumulatively define a
broader scope.
A. On-Going Strategic Actions
In terms of consistency for on-going actions, we will ensure the Strategic Direction Action Plan is aligned with
other efforts. These include, but are not limited to:
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Annual Operating and Capital Improvement Budget
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Economic Development Strategic Plan
East Gateway Vision Plan
Clearwater Comprehensive Plan
Beach by Design
Clearwater Greenprint
Downtown Clearwater Redevelopment Plan
US 19 Corridor Redevelopment Plan
Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
Parks and Recreation Master Plan
Library Strategic Plan
Public Utilities Master Plan
These existing processes, plans and initiatives reinforce the City Council’s identification of objectives for
“Facilitating Development of the Economy,” and “Providing Cost Effective Municipal Services and
Infrastructure.” Each of the plans listed above already has existing goals, objectives and a timeline for
implementation.
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STRATEGIC VISION
B. New Strategic Actions
Although development of the 2013 Strategic Direction included community involvement, there were several
actions undertaken in 2014 that involved community engagement, as outlined in the following.
An early engagement piece involved the City retaining an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Service Panel to
provide expert and strategic advice on implementing the Strategic Goal to Facilitate Development of the
Economy. The ULI Advisory Service Panel spent one week in Clearwater to garner timely, candid, and unbiased
input from expert land use professionals; kick-start critical conversations; and gain fresh insights and discover
innovative solutions to Clearwater’s complex real estate development and institutional challenges within the
downtown core. The panel interviewed more than 100 local residents, property and business owners from
throughout the community regarding the downtown and its future. The final report, which was received in
September 2014, will provide for a number of critical projects, programs and plans to improve the downtown
economy and environment.
In terms of the Strategic Objective to Foster Community Engagement and the Strategic Goal to Provide Cost
Effective Municipal Services and Infrastructure, the City contracted with the National Research Center to conduct
the National Citizen Survey in June and July 2014 to determine community levels of satisfaction with city
services. The survey results were presented to City Council in September 2014 with comparables to other annual
National Citizen Survey participants of similar size as well as Clearwater’s own survey results from 2008. The
results will be used to emphasize priority focus and direction for areas below the national average, which are few
in number and can be addressed throughout the community.
Implementation of the Strategic Objective to Develop and Promote Our Brand involves retaining an outside
branding consultant to develop a community identity. The City retained the services of Northstar Destination
Strategies (Northstar) in August 2014 to undertake a comprehensive community identification project involving
qualitative and quantitative research to determine how Clearwater is perceived by stakeholders, residents, site
selectors, businesses, visitors and prospective consumers. Northstar will evaluate the environment, competitive
situation, community attitudes, current communications and perceptions of target audiences. They will develop
strategic positioning and messaging for all community marketing activities and a creative “look” to bring the
position to life.
The City Council approved a proposal in October 2013 for staff to create an internal performance measurement
system as a means of documenting departmental measures that align with the strategic vision. In 2014, staff
completed a standardized reporting format for internal measures used by the departments for day-to-day decision
making. That work was followed by each department’s participation in a facilitated and interactive Vision
Mapping exercise in July 2014 to translate departmental priorities and goals into a visual representation of how
their work supports City Council’s Strategic Vision and Objectives.
In addition, staff completed meetings with each department to identify the core measures that will be reported
“out” to the community. The measures were selected from the many things that each department tracks and
measures for day-to-day decision making and compliance purposes as being those 2-3 things that our community
has indicated are most important to them from satisfaction and/or public safety perspectives. The measures are
being quantified and reflected on a new form that will be used to output the measure through the City’s website
beginning in 2015. These will also be the measures to be published in the Budget document beginning in October
2015.
The launch of the output performance measures will coincide with the City’s purchase and implementation of
“Opengov,” a transparent budget module that will provide budget line item detail live on a monthly basis to the
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STRATEGIC VISION
internal organization and the community. They will also be used for the City’s subscription and participation in
the International City Management Association’s (ICMA) new “Insights” performance management system in
late 2014. Once the City has initiated participation in ICMA’s Insights, the output measures will be modified or
expanded to reflect our comparables throughout the country.
D. Strategic Objectives Icons
In order to readily identify existing and on-going actions supporting implementation of the Strategic Direction,
staff began using icons for each of the Objectives established in the 2013 Strategic Direction. The icons provide a
visual identifier for each work product or initiative that relates to the established objectives. The icons are
reflected within the budget for each department and its various program centers based upon priority. Therefore,
each department or program only reflects multiple icons when the departmental mission is specific to that
Strategic Objective. Otherwise, each department reflects the single icon that corresponds to the greatest number
of programs and activities within its purview.
Facilitate Development of the Economy:
Diversify the Economic Base
Increase Economic Opportunity
Develop and Promote our Brand
Foster Community Engagement
Provide Cost Effective Municipal Services and Infrastructure:
Efficiency
Quality
Financial Responsibility
Safety
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City of Clearwater – Strategic Direction
Vision
Mission
The Mission of the City of Clearwater is to:
• Provide cost effective municipal services and
infrastructure; and
• Facilitate development of the economy;
To support a high quality of life and experience.
Clearwater will be a uniquely beautiful and vibrant community:
• that is socially and economically diverse;
• that invests for the future; and
• that is a wonderful place to live, learn, work, visit, and play.
Strategic
Direction
Facilitate
Development
of the
Economy:
Diversify the
Economic Base
Increase Economic
Opportunity
Enhance and
Promote our
Brand
Foster
Community
Engagement
• Develop downtown and US 19 N
• Encourage housing that matches
community needs – across a
range of values
• Expand tax base to reduce
reliance on residential taxes
• Fulfill Beach By Design
• Maintain tourism commitment,
including sports tourism
• Foster industry sectors identified
in the Economic Development
Plan:
• Technology District
• Medical District
• Continue building a business
friendly environment
• Recognize the value of transit
oriented development
• Engage neighborhoods and the
business community to:
• Create our economic
development identity
• Communicate that identity
effectively
• Ensure that our residents and
visitors are familiar with the
whole offering of community
amenities
• Encourage neighborhood identity
programs
• Prevent blight and support
property values through Code
Enforcement
• Preserve community history and
culture
• Support community events
• Support Pinellas County Healthy
Communities initiative
Quality
Financial
Responsibility
Safety
Efficiency
Provide Cost
Effective
Municipal
Services and
Infrastructure:
• Optimize use of employees,
assets, and resources
• Encourage teamwork across
departments to ensure focus on
Strategic Direction
• Access public-private
organizations and resources
when appropriate
• Proactively maintain and
reinvest in our infrastructure
• Continuously measure and
improve our performance
• Continue responsible financial
management
• Evaluate additional funding
options when appropriate
• Set priorities and spend money
aligned with Strategic Direction
• Reinforce standing as a safe
community, especially with
visitors
• Continue neighborhood
policing
• Ensure timely emergency
preparation, response, and
recovery
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