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
Dunedin's FEMA Class 5 Community Rating System designation entitles local flood insurance policyholders to a 25% premium discount, saving the city's policyholders a collective $900,000 annually according to city figures.
Local Government
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported more than 3,000 water rescue calls from the Dunedin Causeway area since 2021, including two jet ski deaths, as the Dunedin City Commission unanimously advanced an ordinance banning motorized watercraft launches from the Causeway's south side on July 23 with a final vote set for September 3.
Local Government
Toronto Blue Jays No. 16 prospect Daniel Guerra struck out five in 3⅓ scoreless innings in his first minor league rehab start Thursday, July 23, as the Dunedin Blue Jays blanked the Bradenton Marauders 2-0 in a rain-shortened game at LECOM Park.
Local Government
Pinellas County Schools projects a $13 million state funding shortfall tied to 3,600 fewer students in 2026-27, with the first public budget hearing scheduled for Monday, July 28, and Planning for Progress consolidation recommendations expected in fall 2026.
Local Government
Pinellas Recovers celebrated its first completed mobile home replacement on July 9, with 71-year-old Richard Brill moving into a new Wind Zone 3-rated manufactured home after nearly two years displaced by Hurricane Milton. The countywide program has approved more than $49 million for over 650 individuals and families, and two of its five assistance programs close to new applications on July 31.
Local Government
Pinellas County is demolishing its 1978 North County Service Center and building a $51 million replacement in Clearwater that will consolidate the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, and Clerk of the Circuit Court under one roof, with substantial completion expected in January 2028.
Local Government
Creative Clay, a St. Petersburg nonprofit serving about 90 artists with disabilities, doubled attendance at its monthly art markets and surpassed pre-pandemic revenue after two rounds of ARPA grants through Pinellas Community Foundation funded new technology and building repairs.
Local Government
Dunedin commissioners approved a $152,231 contract to replace the aging Hammock Park boardwalk, but Parks Director Tony Mulkey warned the project may be scrapped and the boardwalk closed to the public if voters approve a November property tax referendum that could cost the city $9 million.
Local Government
The Dunedin City Commission will vote Thursday, July 23, on Resolution 26-08, a declaration of intent to finance the Midtown Parking Garage with tax-exempt bonds, even as the city faces a potential $9 million annual revenue loss from a statewide property tax referendum in November.
Local Government
The Penny Lane Beatles Museum, which its founder calls the only all-Beatles museum in the U.S., has closed its downtown Dunedin location after nine years and will reopen in early August 2026 in a space four times larger in downtown St. Petersburg.
Local Government
Dunedin's City Commission will hold its first public hearing Thursday, July 23, on a motorized vessel ban along the Causeway's south side, part of a broader coastal effort that could include a living shoreline restoration project backed by Pinellas County.
Local Government
Pinellas County Schools athletic director Marc Allison ordered all district high schools, including Palm Harbor University High and Dunedin High, not to schedule St. Petersburg Catholic in any sport for 2026-27, marking the district's first formal freeze of a private school over recruiting concerns.
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©2026 Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon
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©2026 Palm Harbor-Dunedin Beacon
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