Beach Walk Family Festival Scheduled For October

The first Family Fun Festival is planned for October 24 and 25, 2009. Beach Walk will offer arts,crafts, toys and novelties for sale along with entertainment, games, celebrity visits, food and refreshments.

The Family Fun Fest will benefit Tampa Bay Harvest, who's mission is to end hunger in our community by moving good food from super markets, restaurants and other sources to places where hungry people are being fed. Shelters, food pantries and other services are the recipients of the food.

The Clearwater Beach Association is offering volunteers and planning help. Anyone wishing to volunteer can call Rich Gonzalez at 727-394-1012. Crafters can sign up at http://www.familyfunfest.net/

Finally, A Deal For Beach Parking Garage

Clearwater Beach has finally struck a deal to build a city parking garage. City council voted unanimously on a 300 space 4 level garage atop ground floor retail space. Vehicles will enter and exit the garage from Coronado Drive.

The site is currently the home of Britt's Laguna Grill, a popular restaurant on the Beachwalk promenade. A new Britt's will be located on the ground floor. Surf Style Retail Management, who owns the site will pay to build the garage itself, with no city tax dollars. It has not yet been determined what the city will charge for parking, but it will likely be similar the agreement the city has with the Hyatt, which will have 400 parking places for the public in its 750-space garage - rates must be "comparable" to the garages of other beachfront resorts.

The Beachwalk project, which was completed last year, eliminated hundreds of waterfront parking spaces on S. Gulfview Blvd, and the city has been scrambling ever since to come up with replacements. The city is currently leasing 2 vacant lots for parking.

The project is expected to to be complete by next fall.