Bill Baker, Longtime Safety Harbor City Official, Passes Away at 80

Bill Baker, a former City Engineer and Assistant City Manager for Safety Harbor, passed away in his home on Monday at the age of 80. 

According to the obituary on the Veterans Funeral Care website, Baker was under hospice care and had his family by his side when he passed. 

Baker had a lengthy and distinguished career as an official in both Clearwater and Safety Harbor, starting in 1983 when he moved to Clearwater and became city engineer and continuing after he came to Safety Harbor and assumed the same position in 2006.

He went on to become assistant city manager in Safety Harbor, a position he held right up until the time of his death.

Known for his hard work, passion and sense of humor, Safety Harbor officials had nothing but kind words to say for Baker upon learning of his passing.

“I began working for the City in 2004 and Bill began in 2006,” City Manager Matt Spoor wrote via email. “From day one, I realized I could learn a thing or two from a guy like Bill Baker. He was a great mentor and friend.”

“Bill was an innovator, always looking for new and improved ways to build and engineer something,” he continued.  “His demeanor, sense of humor and common sense approach to life was appreciated by all. Unfortunately, they don’t make men like Bill Baker anymore.” 

Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub also weighed in with his thoughts. Here is what the mayor wrote to Patch regarding Baker’s passing:

We are all very saddened by the passing of Bill Baker. Through his many years of dedicated service he has made many contributions that will leave a lasting impact to Safety Harbor and his fingerprints will be left all around the city.  I can personally say that for the six years I served on the Commission I experienced first hand how creative and skillful he was at getting important projects done.  I will also never forget the cheerful and sometimes humorous manner in which he presented various projects to the Commission.  He will forever be missed and this city will always be thankful for his service. 

Regarding Baker’s good-natured humor, Spoor had this to add about his former colleague.

“Bill Baker made a list that I keep in my office today. The lists reads:

Some things Bill Baker has learned since coming to Safety Harbor:

• There are 18,000 traffic engineers living in the corporate limits
• There is a terrible speeding problem on every street
• There are way too many rules in the city
• They need to pass a law about……
• Every tree in town is a sacred oak
• All of the bricks in the brick streets were brought over from Spain in ships under the command of Ponce Deleon
• It would be a terrible thing if anything got changed
• Everyone belongs to the group that wants what is right for the town
• No good idea will go uncriticized
• There is something wrong with everything

According to the VFC website, Baker's family will receive friends 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at First Assembly of God, 1739 S. Martin L. King Avenue, Clearwater. The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. He will be buried with full Military Honors at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg.

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