Clearwater group pushes for voter say on street privatization, targets August ballot
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Clearwater citizens group is one step closer to putting a major decision directly in voters’ hands.
The "Save the Garden" initiative is pushing for a referendum that would shift the power to approve street privatization from city leaders to voters.
What we know:
The group submitted more than 8,000 petition signatures to the Clearwater City Clerk, meeting the threshold of 10% of registered voters required to move the initiative forward.
If approved, the measure would require voter approval before any public street in Clearwater can be privatized, instead of leaving that decision solely to the City Council.
The backstory:
The effort began last year after the Church of Scientology applied to privatize a portion of South Garden Avenue in downtown Clearwater.
The church later withdrew its request, but organizers say the move raised concerns that a similar proposal could come back in the future.
That’s when members of the "Save the Garden" group began exploring a citizen-led referendum.
What they're saying:
Jill Gibbs, a signature organizer with the group, says the push has been months in the making. She said, "The whole situation was just very exciting."
Organizers say dozens of volunteers spent hundreds of hours collecting signatures through door-to-door outreach and community events. She said, "We needed 10% of the Clearwater registered voters to sign the petition… and so we jumped right on that."
What we don't know:
There’s no word yet from the Church of Scientology, which did not respond to a request for comment.
What's next:
The city clerk now has 20 days to verify the signatures.
If signatures are verified, the measure heads to the Clearwater City Council for a decision. If not adopted by the council, voters could see the referendum on the August ballot.
In the meantime, organizers plan to celebrate the milestone at a community event Sunday.
The Source: This story was gathered with interviews from "Save the Garden" organizers and information provided by the Clearwater City Clerk’s office.