Pinellas Property Online

Dunedin (pronounced DONE-EE-DIN) may be smaller in size than some of its neighbors, but it’s big on cultural spirit and events. With its quaint walkable downtown area and unique shopping and dining, the gorgeous sunsets can almost be over looked…almost. The long coastal boarder provides plenty of parking areas and walkways to stop and watch this nightly event. And if you find you need the hustle and bustle of a larger city, Dunedin is just minutes away from Tampa and its convenient international airport. If you haven’t been to Dunedin, here is a list of 10 reasons why you should add it to your must go to list.

Dunedin is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays spring training camp.

It’s the perfect city for those who love to spend time fishing, sailing, snorkeling, kayaking or just watching a beautiful sunset.

Dunedin is big on the arts and offers a diverse cultural experience. The Dunedin Fine Arts Center was expanded and hosts many cultural events throughout the year while offering workshops and classes year round.

Dunedin has more than 100 privately owned shops, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, art galleries, antiques stores and bed & breakfast inns. The city of 37,000 has the charm of a small town with all the perks of larger neighboring cities. Dunedin even offers its very own Farmers Market.

An architecturally diverse area, Dunedin has many restored classic Craftsman Bungalows nestled in around the downtown area.

Dunedin is located in the Tampa Bay area — west of Tampa, north of Clearwater and St. Petersburg, and right on Florida's beautiful Gulf coast with plenty of shoreline parking to watch sunsets.

Dunedin has an award winning state park, Honeymoon Island, with miles of beaches, bathhouses, nature trails and a refreshment center.

Pinellas Trail runs along Alt 19 close to the coastline throughout the city. It runs past Hammock Park and right through downtown area. It’s a great way for athletes, families, and pet-owners to get outside and experience the city and get your get your legs in tip top shape.

Dunedin has a beautiful city owned marina, within walking distance of the downtown area.

The City of Dunedin Florida has been awarded the 2009 “Communities for a Lifetime” Award, by the Communities for a Lifetime Department of Elder Affairs. This is the second time the City has received the award, the first time was in 2007.

Computer Access New Zealand (CANZ) has announced another eDay (free computer recycling day), for 12 September 2009, with the aim of diverting over 1,000 tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) from landfills in up to 40 regions, including Dunedin - an increase from the 31 regions that participated in 2008.

e-waste is the fastest growing waste problem globally and New Zealand is no exception; over 87,000 computer related items were diverted from landfills at last year's eDay, including more than 42 tonnes locally.

Now in its third year, the annual eDay event is the only nationwide community e-waste recycling event for disposing of computer items and mobile phones in an environmentally sustainable way, at no cost to the public.

"The passing into legislation of the Waste Minimisation Act in September 2008 was an important step forward in developing a long-term sustainable solution but it could take another three years before e-waste schemes are fully operational. We are pleased to announce another eDay to ensure that hazardous and scarce materials are not buried in our landfills in the interim," said Laurence Zwimpfer, Chairperson of CANZ and organiser of the eDay event.

Securing funding for eDay is the biggest challenge for CANZ, a not-for-profit trust, in the current economic climate. The programme relies on support from a wide range of partners including computer manufacturers and distributors, businesses, community trusts, local authorities and central Government. Mr Zwimpfer says we all have a responsibility to help protect our environment and welcomes further support.

"There are real costs involved in collecting and safely recycling e-waste and we rely 100% on sponsorship and volunteers, hence we'd welcome support from anyone willing to help us ensure that our old computers are properly recycled. This means that scarce and valuable materials can be reused rather than buried in our landfills," he says.

National transport operator KiwiRail and international e-waste recycler, CRTNZ, are again confirmed as national partners for 2009. "We are delighted that both these partners who helped us in 2008 are willing to provide support again. KiwiRail is providing a sustainable transport option for freighting e-waste to central points and, after evaluating a number of proposals, CRTNZ was selected to provide logistics and recycling support," said Mr Zwimpfer.

Corporate support is being led by Meridian Energy. Other confirmed corporate supporters include More FM, Dell, Canon, Printlink, The Laptop Company, Trade Me, InternetNZ, Chorus and NZICT.

The Dunedin event is also being supported locally by Dunedin City Council and OPR Fullcircle.

A key component of the eDay programme is School eDay which will again be taking place this year. School eDay is being supported at the national level by Equico and the Ministry of Education. School eDay enables schools to safely dispose of unused computer equipment while teaching students about the benefits of recycling and the risks of disposing of e-waste in landfills. In 2008, 20% of the total e-waste collected (nearly 200 tonnes) came from schools and a similar amount is expected this year

As well as e-waste disposal information, all schools will be provided with educational posters and a downloadable schools' kit that contains fun activities for students to learn about sustainable e-waste disposal and IT energy conservation. With the support of the Microsoft NZ Partners in Learning Programme and NTICED, an Australian educational software developer, the kit will include a new activity utilising the animation software MARVIN and eDay's e-Waste Eddie character.

eDay and School eDay give people the chance to dispose of their old computer equipment and mobile phones quickly in an environmentally-friendly way, and are aimed at raising awareness about the importance of recovering and reusing valuable metals (copper, aluminium) and other materials (plastics, glass) as well as the environmental and health dangers of dumping e-waste in landfills.

Event updates will be posted on the eDay website, www.eday.org.nz, as venue details and school drop-off centres are confirmed. Volunteers wishing to help out at an eDay in their area are invited to sign-up online at the eDay website.

CANZ and eDay are initiatives of the 2020 Communications Trust. The 2020 Communications Trust has been supporting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in communities throughout New Zealand for more than 12 years.

Two women were evacuated from a home after a sinkhole caused major damage Wednesday, authorities said. The Dunedin Fire Department responded to 1525 Fife Court at 6 p.m. Wednesday, said Bill McElligott, division chief. Penny Goldman and her mother, Shirley Smith, 99, were eating dinner when the house began to shake.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom — (it) sounded like we were at war," Goldman said.  The doors were stuck, and firefighters had to carry Smith from the house. The American Red Cross along with some engineers were surveying the damage Thursday morning. "I want to live in there again," said Goldman, who has lived in the house for 25 years. "I want to restore my life. It's a beautiful home."

"The house sustained some pretty devastating structural damage," McElligott said. "Cracks in the foundation, cracks in the walls."

No other sinkholes have been reported in the area, he said. The house has been declared structurally unsafe, which means it is uninhabitable. Previous reports said it was condemned. Goldman surveyed the home with home insurance and repair crews Thursday but could not yet estimate damage or repair costs. Neighbor Margaret Perrone said although the house appears fine from the outside, family room floors slope downhill, the ceiling has cracks in spots and the front door won't open.

"We don't know what happened. We just hope it doesn't go any further," said Lee Jaster, a next-door neighbor in Dunedin's Brae Moor neighborhood who has allowed Goldman and Smith to live there temporarily. "We think this house is pretty solid, but you never know."