Aquarium Referendum Wording Set

A special “ticket tax” charged to Winter the dolphin visitors at a proposed state-of-the-art downtown aquarium would pay to rebuild City Hall.

Other concessions will be hammered out in an agreement between the city and Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials.

That is, if residents give leaders the authority to enter into a contract with  aquarium officials to build the $160-million attraction and operate it through a 60-year lease on City Hall and other downtown waterfront property.

City leaders unanimously approved an ordinance that includes the 73-word referendum on which residents are tasked to vote on during a Nov. 5 special election.

Aquarium and city officials have worked since October 2012 discussing terms for a "memorandum of understanding" that would layout terms of a lease, said Brian Aungst Jr., an attorney working on the deal for the aquarium.

Part of that includes a stipulation that 50 cents from each ticket, up to $7.5 million, go to an account to pay for a new city hall. That document is expected to be reviewed by city leaders in the coming months.

“We are committed to that, along with various other items of consideration,” Aungst Jr. said.

Aquarium officials also said they would pay the nearly $100,000 cost to put the referendum on the ballot. The city charter requires resident approval of waterfront development on public land.

Aquarium officials would have to enter into a lease agreement for the land by June 2015, or the charter would revert, and the property use would stay the same.

The aquarium should show they will have a portion of the construction costs saved before they get a “free ride,” resident Christine Michalek said to city leaders, referring to the aquarium financing that depends on a possible $60 million from government sources.

“I would like to challenge us, all of us here, before assuming this referendum passes, that the CMA is challenged to come up with at least 20 percent of financing to show good faith,” Michalek said, calling it a virtual done deal.

Council member Paul Gibson said Michalek’s interpretation of the plan is incorrect.

“The citizens of Clearwater will decide whether we have the authority to negotiate a transaction with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium,” he said.

Leaders will make sure the deal benefits the city, Gibson said.

“The failure to approve this has multiple negative economic impacts on the city itself particularly in terms of our downtown redevelopment,” Gibson said. “What is concerning to me is those who shoot first and read later, and you heard that tonight.”

Related coverage:

• Would Aquarium Plan Promote Public Access to Waterfront?
• Aquarium Referendum Comes to Council
• Special Election for Clearwater Marine Aquarium Plan Could Cost $100K
• City Hall Move for Clearwater Marine Aquarium Plan Could Cost $7.5 Million
• Florida Aquarium Official Warns Clearwater: Look Closely at the Numbers
• Poll: Would You Support $160 Million Clearwater Marine Aquarium Plan for City Hall?
• $160 Million Aquarium Plan Needs Clearwater Voter Support First
• Expanded Clearwater Marine Aquarium Could Bring Two Million People Downtown
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Plans Could Bring Changes to Coachman Park
• What Clearwater’s Saying: Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s $160 Million Expansion
• Clearwater Marine Aquarium Eyes City Hall for $160 Million Expansion
• Downtown Neighbors Track Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Visitor Impact

Sign up for the free Clearwater Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.