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Palm Pavilion's Ken Hamilton named Mr. Clearwater

 
Ken Hamilton, president of the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill and Bar, accepts the 2016 Mr. Clearwater award on Tuesday at the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce's 94th annual meeting. The award is given annually to business leaders who show a record of community service.
Ken Hamilton, president of the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill and Bar, accepts the 2016 Mr. Clearwater award on Tuesday at the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce's 94th annual meeting. The award is given annually to business leaders who show a record of community service.
Published Feb. 10, 2016

CLEARWATER — Ken Hamilton has spent nearly 40 years keeping his family business, the Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill and Bar, a Clearwater Beach landmark, while volunteering his free time to hospitals, schools and the homeless.

Despite his activism, he said he never expected his name to be called Tuesday as the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce named him the 2016 Mr. Clearwater, the organization's highest honor.

"I should have worn a tie," Hamilton, 61, told the audience at the Chamber's 94th annual meeting held at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort.

Hamilton's father, the late Howard Hamilton, bought the Palm Pavilion in 1964 when it was the only place on the beach for tourists to dry off and grab a hot dog. Hamilton began working for his father in 1979, helping morph the Pavilion into the enterprise it is today — a full-service restaurant with an inn and generations of followers.

With his three brothers — Dale, Hoyt and Wade — as co-owners, Hamilton serves as president and CEO of the restaurant while spending the rest of his time serving the community.

"Business is always going to be stronger by investing in the community because the community is what supports your business," Hamilton said. "You have to reach out because it helps make the community better."

Hamilton has served on the board of directors of Mease Health Care and Ruth Eckerd Hall; worked with the Rotary Club of Clearwater, Florida Department of Education Commissioner's Community Involvement Council and the Chamber; among other organizations.

Judy Mitchell, the chair of the award committee, said this dedication toward community service is what guides the selection of the winners every year. The Mr./Ms. Clearwater award began in 1958 and has gone to a slew of community leaders, such as Jack Eckerd and Charles Rutenberg, to recognize a lifetime of service.

"It's not what you've done in the last year, it's what you've done in your lifetime," Mitchell said. "It demonstrates them going beyond the success of their business, that they feel it's important to give back to their communities."

In presenting this year's award, lawyer Ed Armstrong, the 2015 recipient, also mentioned Hamilton's dedication to the Philadelphia Phillies spring training enterprise in Clearwater — which began early in his life.

As a child, Hamilton used to walk from his grandmother's house to Jack Russell Memorial Stadium to watch the players practice — and for a single day at age 11 was asked to work as a bat boy for the team, he said.

Hamilton helped organize a downtown parade after the team won the 1980 World Series and has continued his relationship with the team's management, often having members over to his home for dinner.

"It's just such an honor," Hamilton said. "With all these great leaders in Clearwater, I don't know how in the world they chose me."

Contact Tracey McManus at tmcmanus@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4151. Follow @TroMcManus.