1st Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship

Boats will be racing at speeds up to 140 mph off Clearwater Beach on October 4th when the Clearwater Super Boat National Championship offshore powerboating race comes to town. Some proceeds from the race will benefit the Clearwater Community Sailing Center.

Super Boat International has been staging races for 30 years and is best known for its annual races in Key West, Sarasota and New York City. It recently struck a deal with CBS to broadcast the Clearwater race and 7 others. The races feature 50-foot boats with F-16 jet canopies and 4,800-horsepower engines. During races, they reach speeds of 100 to 140 mph, depending on weather conditions. Super Boat International plans 9 races this year, the 1st was last weekend in Miami.

Super Boat International says it has applied for a race permit from the U.S. Coast Guard, and it expects to get one. Spotters in helicopters will watch for manatees and sea turtles, and will stop a race if necessary and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will be assisting.

The race on Sunday will be free and open to the public. Boats up to 50 feet long will race from Pier 60 north for about 2½ miles and back, doing multiple laps around the loop.

30 to 35 boats are expected to compete in two races. Powerboats and their pit crews will set up beginning Friday, Oct. 2, in Coachman Park, where the public can get a closer look at them. The plan is for them to launch from the nearby Seminole Boat Ramp.

Oct. 2: Racing boats set up in Coachman Park.
Oct. 3: Racers check out the course at regular speed.
Oct. 4: Two races between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Sets Attendance Record

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), located on Island Estates, announced that it has set a new all-time attendance record. 2053 people visited CMA on Tuesday, April 7. The previous daily attendance record was set in April 2007 with 1,544 visitors.

Attendance at CMA was up 34 percent in 2008. CMA atributes the hike in interest in Winter the dolphin, and the interactive features of the facility.

The Aquarium opened in 1972. Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a Florida non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to marine life rescue, rehabilitation and release, and environmental education. For more information, visit http://www.seewinter.com/.

Sandpearl Ranked One Of Top Hotels Worldwide

The Sandpearl Resort has ranked 8th on by Expedia on its "Expedia Insiders‚ Select 2009" list, which ranks top hotels and resorts worldwide based on customer satisfaction and value. Sandpearl was noted for its friendly, yet informal customer service as well as the elegant contemporary design.

The Expedia Insiders‚ Select represents the top 1% of the nearly 80,000 properties offered by Expedia, the world’s leading online travel company. Sandpearl Resort is the 1st new beachfront resort on Clearwater Beach in over 25 years. Situated along 700-feet of Gulf Coast beach, the Sandpearl features 253 rooms and suites, a lagoon-style beachfront pool, private cabanas, fine casual dining, a full-service spa and meeting event space.

Sand Key, Island Estates, and Clearwater Beach Residents Seek Independence

The Islands Independence Initiative, a group of residents from Sand Key, Clearwater Beach, Sand Key and Island Estates are looking into whether the 3 island communities can secede from Clearwater and start their own city. They will present their case tonight at the Island Estates Civic Association meeting. The idea is in its early stages, and they don't know how exactly the de-annexing would work. The will be exploring the legal and practical issues for the next 90 days.

They say they are dissatisfied with the service they're getting from Clearwater and have hired an attorney to represent them. Officials say they're doing their best to serve the barrier islands as well as the rest of the city and are disappointed by the initiative. They site Clearwater Beach's library, marina, BeachWalk, and the Sailing Center on Sand Key, among other benefits to the island communities. The group decided to explore alternatives after many disappointments with the city.

• Among them -
• a lack of a beach parking garage while the city builds boat slips downtown;
• a refusal to use Penny for Pinellas money to underground utilities on Island Estates;
• unenforced short-term rental rules on North Clearwater Beach;
• the approval of the Cabana Club project on Sand Key;
• allowing a developer to seek a rezoning for the Shoppes at Sand Key.

Clearwater officials say it would be difficult or impossible to accomplish a secession. All Clearwater taxpayers — not just the island taxpayers who pay 40% of the taxes — own much of the public buildings and infrastructure along the beaches. And, the new city would need to assume its share of Clearwater debt. It would be extremely complicated, and expensive