TAMPA, Fla. — After more than a decade of negotiations, transportation in northern Pinellas County is transforming and taking a major step forward. 

On Thursday, Clearwater’s city council voted unanimously to give the green light for an agreement that provides land for a new Clearwater transit center. 

It will sit on what is currently a vacant lot at the corner of Court Street and Myrtle Avenue and will serve as a hub of transportation for more than 700,000 people to get from downtown to the beaches and beyond. 

It’s only about 1,000 feet from the current Park Street Terminal.

The agreement is between the city of Clearwater and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. 

The land swap will replace the old 40 year facility which was in need of major repairs and updates. 

For years it has been overcrowded and it was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The new hub is expected to clear all the existing issues and it’s going to be about two times larger. 

City leaders say it will also help support a lot of the downtown businesses, give access to jobs, and give a future connection to passenger rail.

Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2023 and finish in Spring 2025. 

Funding for the project comes from $20 million in federal grants that PSTA was recently awarded from the US Department of Transportation.

The rest will be paid for by the city of Clearwater, FDOT, PSTA, and Forward Pinellas.