This morning, the Clearwater City Council discussed lowering the rates to drum up more business at the marina, which is on Clearwater Beach. Council members will make the final decision at their meeting Thursday night, but they indicated today that they’ll likely slash prices. They’ll also probably cancel future rate increases that had been planned for the next two years.

“It’s unheard of to have vacancies in the beach marina. Usually we have a long waiting list,” said Bill Morris, director of Clearwater's marine and aviation department.

Under Morris' new plan, the marina will give commercial fishing boats a 10 percent cut in rent. For recreational boaters, he suggested lowering the dock rental rate from $13.14 to $10.33 per foot, per month for non-Clearwater residents, and cutting it from $9.13 to $8.51 for city residents. He said that would bring the Clearwater marina’s prices more in line with what most other local municipal marinas are charging.

"This is our own little ministimulus package, if you will," Morris told the council.

The City Council will also likely slash the rents that Clearwater plans to charge at the 126 boat slips that the city will soon build off Coachman Park downtown. So far, only 10 boaters have put down deposits for slips. Those slips will range from 30 to 55 feet long, and rents were to be $15.50 per foot, per month. Instead they’ll be $9 for Clearwater residents and $10.50 for nonresidents.