Clearwater could trade fairways for football fields, pickleball courts and tournament crowds under a $180 million proposal that would transform the city’s municipal golf course into one of Tampa Bay’s largest sports tourism destinations.
The proposal, submitted by Sunshine Recreational and Development LLC, would redevelop the 77-acre Landings Golf Course near Clearwater Airpark into The Landings Sports & Entertainment District.
Plans call for multipurpose sports fields, pickleball courts, aquatic attractions, fitness and wellness facilities, restaurants, walking and biking trails, and spaces designed to host tournaments and other large-scale events.
The $179.6 million project would be built through a public-private partnership on city-owned land. Rather than negotiate exclusively with the developer, city staff is recommending Clearwater seek competing proposals before selecting a development partner, a process intended to determine whether a stronger proposal emerges.
The golf course has been the focus of redevelopment discussions before. In 2020, Clearwater explored replacing much of the property with roughly 750,000 square feet of industrial development, but that plan never moved forward. The latest proposal takes the site in a different direction, emphasizing recreation, entertainment and tourism.
If approved, the redevelopment would rank among the largest transformations of publicly owned recreational land in Clearwater in recent years, replacing an aging municipal golf course with a destination intended to attract tournaments, visitors and private investment.
The site, at 1875 Airport Drive, has been the focus of redevelopment discussions before.
In 2020, Clearwater considered replacing much of the property with roughly 750,000 square feet of industrial development, a proposal that ultimately stalled. The current vision takes the site in the opposite direction, betting on recreation and sports tourism instead of warehouses and distribution facilities.
If city leaders move forward, one of Clearwater’s oldest municipal golf courses would give way to a regional sports destination designed to attract tournaments, visitors and year-round economic activity while reshaping how the city uses one of its largest publicly owned recreational properties.