Jolley Trolley Could Stop in Safety Harbor

The Clearwater Jolley Trolley, a popular mode of beach area transportation, has been serving Gulf Coast communities since 1982.

During that period the company has undergone many changes, from being city owned and run by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to extending its area of service to include neighboring communities like Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Ozona. 

If a group of local business owners and city officials has its way, the trolley could soon be making stops in downtown Safety Harbor, providing a valuable connector to and from the city for residents and visitors alike.

“On April 1st I had a meeting with approximately 40 downtown business owners, and the primary purpose was to get the Jolley Trolley to come here,” Copperheads Tap House owner Tara McCutcheon recently told Patch.

“This is something that would help all the businesses in the area,” she added. “We’re over here starving while all these people are wandering on the beach. Why can’t we tap into that?” 

McCutcheon realizes getting a commuter transportation service to reroute its area of coverage is no easy task. There are many factors involved, and it requires a lot of help from different places. 

One place she is receiving support is from the City of Safety Harbor. 

City Manager Matt Spoor said he has been working on getting the trolley to Safety Harbor since last fall, when Tapping the Vine owner Howard Latham met with the Economic Development Committee and asked if getting the service was a possibility. 

“Howard approached the EDC and said he had been met with Jolley Trolley officials to see what it would take to come here,” Spoor said.

“The Committee was in favor of the idea, but I told him he needed to get the support of private companies in order to help back this.”

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Latham enlisted McCutcheon to take charge of organizing the downtown business owners; she recently formed the Safety Harbor Downtown Business Alliance to tackle this and other issues. 

“The SHDBA is not a one time thing,” McCutcheon said. “I cannot stress enough the importance of us working together to promote the downtown district.” 

But the organization's first order of business is to get the PSTA on board with the Jolley Trolley plan.

According to a proposal drawn up by the city, the cost of getting the trolley to come to Safety Harbor, with stops in Dunedin and at Countryside Mall and the Safety Harbor Resort & Spa, would be $140,525 per year for a period of three years. 

Of this total, the PSTA could use federal grant money to cover nearly $60,000 of the annual cost, while the city and its partners would be responsible for coming up with $29,510 per year.

Under the proposal, the city would pay half that cost, with other groups coming up with the rest. 

“We got the Spa to agree to put in $5,000, Westfield Countryside Mall agreed to contribute $5,000, and the merchants also agreed to contribute $5,000,” McCutcheon said. 

“Now we have to show the PSTA that we’re serious about getting this done.” 

McCutcheon drew up letters to send to each of the PSTA board members, imploring them to support the issue, and she is asking every member of the SHDBA to do the same. 

Spoor said the unequivocal support of the business community will be necessary to get the deal done. 

“Tara and these business owners need to get this issue on the PSTA’s radar and let them know there’s a lot of people in this community who want this to happen,” he said. 

“Then the ball will be in the PSTA’s court, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Harborites, what do you think about getting the Jolley Trolley to come to town? Share your thoughts on the issue in the comments below.