Cleveland Street Closed To Traffic To Expand Outdoor Dining

CLEARWATER, FL — The Clearwater city manager has approved a temporary street closure of the 400 and 500 blocks of Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater through May 31 to allow restaurants to expand their outdoor dining areas.

As part of Gov. Ron DeSantis' first phase of reopening Florida, he is permitting restaurants to reopen at 25 percent capacity. However, there is no restriction on outdoor dining as along as social distancing is maintained.

The help downtown restaurants expand their dining options, the 400 and 500 blocks of Cleveland Street will be closed to vehicle traffic, but remain open for pedestrians, shoppers and diners.

The city will allow tables and chairs to be set up on the street for service. Restaurants will be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their outdoor dining space including the removal of all trash and debris into appropriate containers.

Businesses must adhere to additional guidelines to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus:

• Prohibit sick employees in the workplace.
• Comply with strict hand-washing practices.
• Implement strong procedures and practices to clean and sanitize surfaces.
• Ensure the person in charge is on site at all times during operating hours.
• Apply physical distancing measures based on square footage of service areas.
• Not allow 10 or more guests to congregate in waiting areas.

North-south vehicular traffic on Osceola, Fort Harrison and North Garden avenues will remain open to car traffic during this time.

“Closing the 400 and 500 blocks of Cleveland Street will help our businesses serve more customers while maintaining safe distances. This is the perfect time of year to dine outside and support local restaurants in downtown,” said Amanda Thompson, director of the city of Clearwater’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

Visit the city of Clearwater’s website for updates on the coronavirus response for residents and businesses.

This press release was produced by the City of Clearwater. The views expressed here are the author’s own.