Jared Leone won Clearwater's most contentious City Council race Tuesday, Aug. 18, defeating Bianca Latvala for Seat 4 with more than 53% of the vote in a contest shaped by the Church of Scientology's push to acquire a stretch of downtown roadway.

Leone, a freelance journalist and president of the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition, which represents more than 25,000 homeowners, earned the seat outright and will not face a November runoff. Latvala received nearly 47%, according to unofficial results reported by the Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics called the result an upset.

Miami PAC with Scientology ties bankrolled Leone's campaign

The victory was Leone's second bid for the seat, previously held by David Allbritton. Leone raised more than $13,000 in direct campaign donations but had backing from Clearwater Strong PC, a Miami-based political committee that formed in July 2026 and spent more than $90,000 on campaign efforts. The Tampa Bay Times reported before the election that the committee has ties to the Church of Scientology.

Latvala reported nearly $80,000 in campaign donations plus $19,000 from a political committee. She had positioned herself as a critic of the council's decision to let the Church of Scientology develop a portion of South Garden Avenue downtown for an event hall, a vote that passed before the election.

South Garden Avenue vote fractured council endorsements

The South Garden Avenue fight dominated the race's final weeks. Latvala said she believed Scientology members targeted her campaign because of her opposition to the road transfer. In late June, council member Mike Mannino rescinded his endorsement of Latvala after a confrontation with her husband, Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, over the South Garden Avenue vote.

"The truth of why I felt that I had to remove an endorsement was because I do not think that a sitting county commissioner pressuring, bullying or insulting a City Council member hours before a vote is a good place to be for Clearwater or for our county," Mannino told the Tampa Bay Times in late June.

Leone brings decades of local journalism, civic work to new role

Leone previously led the city's Environmental Advisory Board for close to a decade and helped secure a $1.5 million city investment to expand State Street Park. He worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years at outlets including the Tampa Bay Times, The Associated Press, Reuters and The Washington Post.

New primary threshold spares Seat 4 a runoff; Seat 5 heads to November

Under Clearwater's new election rules, a candidate who wins more than 50% in the primary takes the seat without a runoff. Leone cleared that threshold. The Seat 5 race heads to a Nov. 3 runoff between Sam Wilson, who earned 48.98%, and Mark Bunker, who received 34.96%.