Former Clearwater mayor chosen to take over city

Clearwater's City Council chooses former Mayor Brian Aungst Sr. to step in with parameters in place to deal with cases involving his son, a development attorney.

By Louis Llovio
| 5:30 p.m. March 27, 2023
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RSR Capital Advisors will build 52 luxury condos at 708 Osceola Ave. as part of major project it's planning on 15 parcels. (Courtesy photo)

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

Clearwater’s City Council appointed former Mayor Brian Aungst Sr. to lead the city Monday after Frank Hibbard unceremoniously quit in the middle of a budget meeting a week earlier.

Aungst, who was Clearwater's mayor from 1999 to 2005, won the council’s support in part by committing not to seek reelection next year and by agreeing to a set of ethics rules when it comes to the city’s dealings with his son Brian Aungst Jr. — a local attorney who works with developers on real estate projects.

The vote to install Aungst was unanimous, though there was a sentiment before the vote — from the council and from the public — that Kathleen Beckman, vice mayor and councilor for Seat 3, be named to the position. But the council’s desire that whoever replace Hibbard agree not to run for reelection next year caused her to step back and vote in favor of Aungst.