Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
A ProPublica investigation found the Pinellas County Jail rebooked at least 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 through July 2026 to reset the federal detention clock, a practice former ICE officials and legal experts called a deliberate attempt to evade federal rules.
Local Government
A ProPublica investigation found the Pinellas County Jail rebooked at least 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 through July 2026 to reset the federal detention clock, a practice former ICE officials and legal experts called a deliberate attempt to evade federal rules.
A ProPublica investigation found the Pinellas County Jail rebooked at least 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 through July 2026 to reset the federal detention clock, a practice former ICE officials and legal experts called a deliberate attempt to evade federal rules.
Local Government
The Ozona Village Improvement Society's 126-year-old Village Hall restoration project has cleared Historic Preservation Board and Board of Adjustment approvals, moving into the permit phase with $389,500 in state funding and additional county and federal sources anticipated.
Local Government
Pinellas County commissioners are drafting a resolution to formally declare that large-scale data centers are already prohibited under existing zoning code in unincorporated areas including Palm Harbor, after a state law prevents them from imposing a moratorium.
Local Government
A Tampa Bay Times investigation found Florida law enforcement agencies are restricting public access to information about Flock license plate reader cameras, while the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office — which polices Palm Harbor and Dunedin — has not disclosed details about its use of the surveillance technology.
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'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
Pinellas 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
PSTA 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
David 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
Elizabeth 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.
Local Government
Incumbent Lisa Cane defeated challenger Nancy Velardi by 11 points in the Aug. 18 Pinellas County School Board District 2 primary, securing a third term as the board heads into fall decisions on school closures and a property-tax renewal that directly affect Palm Harbor and Dunedin families.
Local Government
Pinellas County's Aug. 18 school board primary sent the District 3 race to a November runoff between incumbent Dawn Peters and challenger Curtis Campogni, while the District 6 result between Nancy Bostock and Amanda Lord heads to an automatic recount — all ahead of a fall vote on school consolidations affecting Palm Harbor and Dunedin campuses.
Local Government
Former Gov. Charlie Crist won the Aug. 18 St. Petersburg mayoral primary with about 36% of the vote, setting up a November runoff against incumbent Ken Welch that will share the Nov. 3 ballot with Dunedin's City Commission election for Seat Two and Seat Four.
©2026 Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon
Powered by Surround Sound Media