Clearwater Beach Marina Is Getting A $43 Million Rebuild

The Clearwater Beach Marina is one of Pinellas County’s oldest tourist hotspots and it’s about to get a huge facelift. The Clearwater City Council just approved a $43 Million rebuild of the Clearwater Beach Marina.

For the last few years, city officials have been debating and seeking approval for the highly anticipated project. After doubling the initial funding and watching the Clearwater Beach Marina wither away, the city voted.

If you’re a Lethal Weapon fan, you’ll want to take this as one of your last opportunities to visit the spot where they filmed the legendary Riggs V Murtaugh fight. In a unanimous vote on Monday, city officials agreed to approve the long-awaited deal. Kokolakis Contracting will start rebuilding the Clearwater Beach Marina this October.

With construction set to begin in October 2024, there are going to be two different phases of construction. The first phase is going to be a complete demolition and rebuild of the western side of the marina. Then, they will move onto the east side of the marina to begin phase two.

By rebuilding the Clearwater Beach Marina, officials are going to be focusing on rebuilding the withering docks, modernizing/replacing the marina utilities, and reducing the congestion alongside Coronado Drive.

Michael MacDonald, marine and aviation director for the City of Clearwater says, “Everything needs to be updated — it’s obsolete. The slips are going to be wider. It’s going to be more power for all of them. When the marina was designed back in the 60s, there were smaller vessels. Today, they have big powerboats that draw a lot of electricity, air conditioners, TVs, computers, and sound systems.”

For non-commercial users, the Clearwater Beach Marina will implement floating docks as well as the Marina Walk. The Marina Walk will also extend the beach walk to include shaded areas and seating.

The designs also include raising the fixed docks from 15 inches to 24 inches. Throughout the marina, there will be EV charging stations as well as electric boat charging stations.

The full rebuilding project for the Clearwater Beach Marina is set to be completed in April of 2026. Learn more at MyClearwater.com.

Florida is known for its beautiful beaches and resorts. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. But, if you're looking for some more underrated, and less busy, Florida beaches, then you also have some options. The major beaches are often filled with tourists, so finding some of the more underrated Florida beaches may be just what you need for a quiet getaway.

Before we get to the most underrated Florida beaches to visit, let's talk about the amazing water areas that Florida has to offer. Florida is one of the boating and fishing capitals of the world. As VisitFlorida.com points out, the state has more than 7,700 lakes, 11,000 miles of rivers, 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline and has been home to more than 900 world fishing records. That tops any other state or even country. How wild is to to think that Florida has created more fishing records than even any other country? It shows just how rich the state is when it comes to our water.

Florida also has more than 700 freshwater springs, and 27 are classified as first-magnitude springs, which is more than any other state. A few other special things about Florida is that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo was America's very first underwater state park. Also, the fishing village of Cedar Key is known for having the best clam chowder in America. So, if you have a craving for clam chowder, that's the place to go.

A separate article from VisitFlorida.com notes that Florida beaches are known for being very clear, but "it varies from week to week, and even from day to day depending on the amount of sunlight, the temperature, the amount of rainfall, the wind speed and direction, water currents and surf." They add that Florida has some very clear and beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic Ocean. For clear water ost days, try "northwest Florida beaches in and around Panama City Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola; southwest Florida beaches on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Siesta Key."

I love that fact that you can enjoy Florida beaches any time of the year. I mean, contrary to what people outside of the state think, it can get cold here in the winter. But, it's rarely too cold to sit on the beach with a sweatshirt on and watch the sunset. Read on for underrated Florida beaches to get on your radar.

Fort Myers Beach still has a good amount of damage from the hurricane, but Margaritaville is open, so you'll find plenty to do there. Situated on Estero Island, Fort Myers Beach is one of the state's most underrated beaches. At Fort Myers Beach, you'll find beautiful, white-sand beaches and gorgeous sunsets.

Make sure to visit Siesta Key here, as well as Sarasota Gay Beach and Crescent Beach. Just south of Tampa Bay, Sarasota is a lovely beach town that is especially popular during the holidays. You'll find lots of local shopping opportunities here.

St. George Island State Park is located on a barrier island fronting the legendary Apalachicola Bay. It's a great place to gaze at the stars. Note that starting March 1, 2025, the campground at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park will be closed for an expansion project.

If you head to Santa Rosa Beach and want to find some really special, and secret, beaches, try Blue Mountain Beach and Grayton Beach State Park. This beach town is less crowded than most, which makes it a low-key getaway.

Pensacola Beach is located on a 40-mile barrier island, Pensacola Beach, and has beautiful, translucent waters. It's a really small town, so it's much less crowded than other beaches. It's a hidden gem.

If you don't want to go too far, do some digging and visit one of the closest beaches to you, that you haven't visited yet. This is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe you'll find a new favorite beach super close to home.