Local Government
Pinellas County returned more than 100,000 mail-in ballots in the Aug. 18 primary, more than any other Florida county, while some voters were redirected to new polling places still displaced by 2024 hurricane damage.
Local Government
Pinellas County returned more than 100,000 mail-in ballots in the Aug. 18 primary, more than any other Florida county, while some voters were redirected to new polling places still displaced by 2024 hurricane damage.
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Local Government
View MorePinellas County returned more than 100,000 mail-in ballots in the Aug. 18 primary, more than any other Florida county, while some voters were redirected to new polling places still displaced by 2024 hurricane damage.
Local Government
View MorePinellas County's hurricane recovery program has completed its first mobile home replacement and has more than 1,000 applications under review; Palm Harbor and Dunedin residents are eligible for new Wind Zone 3-rated homes at no cost.
Local Government
View MorePinellas County Commission Chair Dave Eggers won reelection to the District 4 seat on Aug. 18 with nearly 80% of the vote, keeping the Palm Harbor and Dunedin representative in place as the county faces a major budget fight and a November property tax amendment.
Local Government
View MorePSTA projects losing $34 million and cutting 25 of 40 bus routes if Amendment 3 passes in November, including ending 33 years of Jolly Trolley service through Dunedin and Palm Harbor.
Local Government
View MoreDavid and Nancy Bilheimer's $300,000 gift to the Dunedin Boat Club and Sailing Center rebuild is the largest single donation to the campaign, pushing total fundraising to roughly $700,000 of a $1 million goal for the hurricane-destroyed facility.
Local Government
View MoreElizabeth Constantine, Judge Liz Jack and Nick Fiorentino won their Pinellas County judicial races in the Aug. 18 primary, with all three contests decided that night and no runoffs headed to the November ballot.
Education
The head of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association says the Amira Learning AI program, which K-3 students use 30 to 40 minutes weekly, frequently mismarks words — a concern with high stakes because Amira scores can determine whether a third-grader advances to fourth grade.
Education
Pinellas County Schools expects 3,800 fewer students this fall, costing $13 million in state funding and driving consolidation talks that could affect Dunedin and Palm Harbor campuses, even as the district adds dual enrollment programs and new campus rules for the 2026-27 year.
Education
Pinellas County Schools banned smart glasses, including Meta Ray-Ban models, from all campuses starting Aug. 11, citing student privacy concerns, while smart watches are restricted to location tracking and telling time only.
Education
State data shows all five Dunedin public schools started the 2025-26 year as part of a district that lost 3.5% of its students, with consolidation recommendations expected before Labor Day.
Education
New state data shows Palm Harbor University High School enrolled 2,413 students in 2024-25, making it the largest school in Pinellas County even as the district lost more than 3,100 students overall.
Education
Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor welcomes Karen Huzar as its new principal for the 2026-2027 school year, while Palm Harbor University High and Dunedin High retain their current leaders as classes resume Aug. 11.
Public Safety
View MoreNOAA's Aug. 6 updated forecast cuts the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season outlook to 7–13 named storms and 0–2 major hurricanes as a potentially record-breaking El Niño suppresses storm development, though Gulf "homegrown" systems still threaten Pinellas County as peak season begins.
Public Safety
View MorePinellas County Schools earned its third consecutive "A" district grade from the Florida Department of Education, with 70 percent of schools rated "A" and third-grade reading proficiency reaching a district record, as the 2026-27 school year opened with new campus safety policies and a school board workshop on consolidation feedback set for Friday, Aug. 14.
Public Safety
View MoreColorado State University's Aug. 5 forecast calls for just nine named storms this hurricane season, the second-lowest August outlook since 1984, but Pinellas County emergency managers urge Palm Harbor and Dunedin residents to stay prepared as peak season begins.
Public Safety
View MoreThe YMCA of the Suncoast, partnering with the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, is expanding therapy-based adaptive swim lessons for children with autism and other disabilities at the John Geigle YMCA in Palm Harbor.
Public Safety
View MoreA multi-vehicle crash at Citrus Drive and US-19 North in Palm Harbor on Friday, July 31, drew a second-alarm medical response, though official details on injuries and cause remain unreleased.
Public Safety
View MoreDunedin is using vehicle-mounted sensors and new software to measure road roughness across its 127 lane miles, guiding how the city spends its $1 million annual paving budget on streets including several near downtown.
Community
A packed week of free and low-cost events fills Palm Harbor and Dunedin Aug. 20–27, anchored by the Dunedin Fine Art Center's 20th-anniversary Wearable Art runway show, listening parties at D&J Records, virtual author talks at local libraries and a Medicare workshop.
Community
The Palm Harbor Museum kicks off its fall season with a free Sept. 2 pirate history talk by author Robert Jacob and a Sept. 23 presentation on Chinese American pioneer Lue Gim Gong, while launching an oral history initiative inviting residents to record their memories of Pinellas County.
Community
PSTA will receive $16.5 million in federal funding for a new Tampa Bay ferry, with two vessels being refurbished at Tarpon Marine Service in Tarpon Springs, even as the agency proposes cutting six bus routes and raising fares.
Community
Palm Harbor and Dunedin neighbors have a full slate of free and low-cost events the week of Aug. 17, from a community dinner at Lutheran Church of the Palms to art workshops at the Dunedin Fine Art Center and a blood drive at St. Alfred's Episcopal Church on Aug. 23.
Community
The Dunedin Fine Art Center opens five new fall exhibitions on Sept. 4 with a ticketed public reception, featuring painting, sculpture, video and fiber arts from more than a dozen named artists through December.
Community
A Palm Harbor-area student who credits his Take Stock in Children mentor with helping him through a difficult stretch in high school is now a UCF astrophysics senior whose research team will send a kidney stone experiment to the International Space Station no earlier than October 2026.
Business
View MoreRoger Romero and Arismel Naya, who opened Fred Astaire Dance Studios-Palm Harbor on US 19 in January, have won the 2026 Fred Astaire World Professional Champions title at the organization's world championships in Las Vegas.
Business
View MoreHighland Lakes Plaza on U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor will add Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, Code Ninjas and J. Crew Factory to its tenant lineup through 2027, with Kimco Realty planning three more national-chain leases.
Business
View MoreBuddy Brew Coffee confirmed the Sprouts on U.S. 19 in Palm Harbor as its second and final Pinellas County location, with the first opening Friday, Aug. 14, inside the Seminole Sprouts Farmers Market.
Business
View MoreMadison Avenue Pizza in Dunedin is hosting "Off The Avenue," a weekly Tuesday pop-up Italian dining experience through Aug. 25, turning the restaurant's regular closed night into an aperitivo-style evening with a new menu and cocktails amid a sluggish summer for local restaurants.
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Business
View MoreKahwa Coffee, which bills itself as Florida's largest independent coffee roaster, opened its first franchise location at 32700 US Hwy 19 N. in Palm Harbor on June 24, operated by franchisees Chris and Pita Deneault, while the company nearly doubled its St. Petersburg headquarters space and plans public barista classes this fall.
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Business
View MoreQuality Fresca I LLC, a major Moe's Southwest Grill franchisee, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is seeking court approval to break its lease at 33086 US Highway 19 North in Palm Harbor, potentially leaving a vacancy on one of Pinellas County's busiest retail corridors.
Sports
Jake Bennett earned the Dunedin Refrigeration Ice Cold Performance of the Week after hitting seven of eight balls in play at 105+ MPH exit velocity across four games against the Tampa Tarpons, a stretch that included three home runs and his first professional grand slam at TD Ballpark.
Sports
Left-hander Brandon Barriera threw four no-hit innings with six strikeouts and shortstop Ryan Cooney hit his first professional home run as the Dunedin Blue Jays beat the Tampa Tarpons 8-3 on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at TD Ballpark.
Sports
Palm Harbor youth motocross rider Nolan Cobb earned a runner-up finish in the 85cc (10-12) Limited class at the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Tennessee, capping his week with a wire-to-wire win in the final moto.
Sports
Aldo Gaxiola tied a career high with five RBI, including a three-run homer, as the Dunedin Blue Jays blanked Lakeland 11-0 in Game 1 of a Wednesday doubleheader before falling 6-3 in Game 2 at Publix Field.
Sports
JoJo Parker's 107.5 MPH two-run double extended his extra-base hit streak to five games as the Dunedin Blue Jays rolled to a 10-0 shutout at TD Ballpark on Aug. 5, with Giaconino Lasaracina and Owen Carapellotti also contributing key hits.
Sports
Palm Harbor 16-year-old Mikey McGurk became the youngest player to sign an academy contract with USL League One club Sarasota Paradise FC, preserving his college eligibility while opening a path to professional play after scoring six goals for the club's U20 team.
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
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