Clearwater, FLVoter Guide 2026 · not a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Clearwater City Council Election 2026

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council seats up

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2 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

City Council Seat 5 · 1 seat

One contest is on this ballot: the City Council Seat 5 runoff. All Clearwater council seats are elected citywide, so every city voter can vote in it.

3 notes on these statements

In the Aug. 18 election, Sam Wilson received nearly 49% and Mark Bunker just under 35% in a three-way Seat 5 race; Kevin Laughlin received 16%. Florida Politics · Aug 18, 2026

Jared Leone won the Seat 4 race on Aug. 18 and is a councilmember-elect; there is no Seat 4 contest on the Nov. 3 ballot. City of Clearwater

Incumbent Lina Teixeira, who holds Seat 5, did not seek reelection. Tampa Bay Times (Tampa Beacon) · May 21, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Ryan CottonVice mayor and councilmember; took office April 2024 for a four-year term3sourcedJared LeoneCouncilmember-elect, Seat 4; won the Aug. 18, 2026 election2sourcedMike ManninoCouncilmember; took office April 2024 for a four-year term4sourcedBruce RectorMayor; took office April 2024 for a four-year term6sourced

Start here

Match quiz3 questions · answers stay on your phoneSeat the CouncilPick winners, see the councilWhat council decidesDowntown streets and Scientology-linked projects, Save the Garden petition, City property tax rateKey datesDeadlines and vote centers

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Next date

Voter registration deadline

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Downtown streets and Scientology-linked projects

Where it standsThe council voted 3-2 in June 2026 to give a block of South Garden Avenue to the Church of Scientology, and 3-2 on Oct. 1 to close parts of Grove and Laura streets for an Evo Entertainment center.

What's on the tableWhether to approve more requests for downtown streets and city-owned land, and on what terms.

  • The Church of Scientology plans an event hall on the South Garden Avenue block; David Allbritton, Ryan Cotton and Mike Mannino voted yes, and Lina Teixeira and Mayor Bruce Rector voted no. WUSF · Jun 22, 2026
  • The council gave final approval on Oct. 1, 2026 to close portions of Grove and Laura streets and an alley for the planned $50 million Evo Entertainment center. Tampa Bay Times · Oct 2, 2026
  • Acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, the council voted 4-1 to sell a city parcel at 103 North East Ave. to Myrtle Development LLC for $1 million; it had been appraised at $875,000. Tampa Bay Times · Oct 2, 2026
  • In an internal review, some city staff raised concerns about lost public parking and traffic, and the parking division manager suggested a garage instead. Tampa Bay Times · Sep 18, 2026

Save the Garden petition

Where it standsOn Sept. 16, 2026, the Save the Garden group submitted nearly 11,000 signatures seeking to overturn the council's June ordinance on South Garden Avenue.

What's on the tableIf the petition meets charter requirements, the council must repeal the ordinance or send it to voters in a referendum.

  • Under the city charter, if the council does not repeal the ordinance, the issue would go to a referendum sometime after the November general election. Tampa Bay Times · Sep 16, 2026
  • An earlier Save the Garden petition sought to require voter approval of right-of-way vacations in the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area; most of its signatures were rejected. Florida Politics
  • A church spokesperson called the new petition unlawful and said construction is proceeding under city approval. Tampa Bay Times · Sep 16, 2026

City property tax rate

Where it standsThe city's rate has been 5.8850 mills; the Sept. 21, 2026 agenda set the 2026-27 rate at 5.8773 mills, equal to the rolled-back rate.

What's on the tableThe council sets the property tax rate and approves the budget every September.

The Landings golf course

Where it standsOn Aug. 6, 2026 the council voted 3-0 to continue talks on a $180 million sports complex at the city-owned Landings Golf Club while seeking other ideas for the site.

What's on the tableWhether to lease the 77-acre site for the sports complex, another proposal, or neither.

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Clearwater have given the block of South Garden Avenue to the Church of Scientology?

  2. 2. Should the city close parts of Grove and Laura streets and an alley for the Evo Entertainment center's parking lot?

  3. 3. What should happen with the city-owned Landings golf course site?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

The seat math

4 stay (not up this year): Ryan Cotton, Jared Leone, Mike Mannino, Bruce Rector1 on this ballot

5 council seats. The council decides by a 3-vote majority.

  • The City Council has five members, one mayor and four councilmembers, who each serve four-year terms. City of Clearwater
  • Council members are elected at large in nonpartisan elections; there are no districts. City of Clearwater
  • The mayor presides at meetings and has an equal vote with the other four councilmembers. City of Clearwater
  • No Seat 5 candidate got 50% of the vote on Aug. 18, so the top two, Mark Bunker and Sam Wilson, meet in a runoff on Nov. 3, 2026. City of Clearwater

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