CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater residents have once again started a grassroots movement to speak out against a luxury complex on Sunset Point Road.

Serena by the Sea is an 80 Unit, seven-story waterfront condo building that was completed just last year, with adjacent townhomes in the works. Before it was built, nearby residents protested its height.

Now residents are speaking out yet again, this time against the developer’s plans for a nine-slip boat dock on nearby Stevenson Creek.

Alexandra Nixon, founder of the Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group, said the estuary has been through a lot, including a dredging project years ago. Its natural beauty has slowly returned and Nixon said residents want to keep it that way.

“We can hardly hear the traffic,” Nixon said. “The minute you’re on the creek, you feel like you’re in the countryside.”

Now, Nixon and other residents in the advocacy group are worried plans for a boat dock by developer Valor Capital could lead to increased boat traffic and affect the wildlife.

 “Nobody wants that,” said Nixon. “The residents here already have to put up with motor boats and Ski-Doo’s racing down the creek to the bridge and coming back.”

But the Clearwater Community Development Board already approved the plans earlier this year, after a review by the harbor master determined there would be no impact on safety on the water or for residents.

Valor Capital must next get permitting from the county.

“Our Water and Navigation division cannot comment on the application other than to say it is currently under review for all pertinent sections of the code, including environmental concerns,” said county spokesperson Tony Fabrizio.

The state will also have to sign off with approval for an environmental resource permit by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“The review process of an environmental resource permit application ensures that the permit will authorize activities that are not harmful to the water resources or inconsistent with the public interest,” said SWFWMD Public Information Officer Susanna Martinez Tarokh.

Application records show the agency requested both a wildlife survey and a public interest proposal from Valor Capital, and a site visit is scheduled for early August.

According to Valor Capital, environmental considerations are being made. The dock won’t affect the oyster beds along the shoreline and boats won’t be allowed to fuel up or get repairs there.

“The Sunset Point dock has been overwhelmingly approved by the Clearwater Community Development Board with strong support from city staff and the harbormaster," said attorney Brian Aungst Jr., who is representing Valor Capital. "Designed with environmental protection as a priority, the dock incorporates features that safeguard our natural surroundings."

But members of the Stevenson Creek Advocacy Group call it little comfort when it comes to health of the creek. They say their biggest fear is the approval of this dock will only lead to additional construction on the waterway.

“We will keep on fighting and we will fight harder if we have to,” Nixon said.