No stranger to Dunedin, Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County turned over the keys to a 1,500 sq. ft., 3 bedroom, 2 bath home in Dunedin to a deserving family on July 25^th.  Habitat for Humanity converted a distressed investor own house into a newly renovated home occupied by the owner. No only did Habitat help a deserving family buy a home but they also helped a neighborhood solve a problem.

As a long time supporter of the work and mission of Habitat for Humanity, I was delighted to attend the ceremony and learn more about how this project came to be. Vickie ByRoade, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Dunedin, noticed a “short sale” sign in the yard of the house.  Rev. ByRoade, who serves on the Board of Directors of Habitat and was also present at the event, called Habitat about the potential opportunity.  As things turned out, the owner of the house, an investor, was willing to sell for an amount below what was owed on the mortgage. 

Habitat is able to provide affordable homes through volunteers work on building, rehabilitation and design and in kind donations from corporations such as Valpak, Whirlpool (appliances), Square D (electrical materials), Valspar Paint and Wal Mart Supercenter (dedication supplies).

Once known only for building single family homes, Habitat in Pinellas has ventured into multi-family housing and rehabilitation of distressed properties.  Each type of housing is now in Dunedin.  A number of years ago, Habitat built several homes on the south side of Dunedin.   In August of this year, Habitat will begin work on Shady Grove Townhomes on Martin Luther King, Jr. Street just north of Skinner Blvd.

You can learn more Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County at their website www.PHfH.org. 

The City is getting closer to a balanced budget by focusing on structural changes that will continue to benefit us into the future. Congratulations to City Manager Rob DiSpirito and his excellent staff for proposing a budget that addresses a $3.3 million shortfall while avoiding cuts in services. Following are the major adjustments in the upcoming budget:

• Staffing reductions & Reorganizations (18 positions) - $493,600
• Transfer from Self Insurance Fund - 437,809
• Increase in planning & development fees (revenue) - 281,000
• Overall Reduction in Submitted Department Budgets - 268,600
• Sheriff’s contract adjustments - 221,630
• No merit increases in employee salaries - 210,000
• Reduced funding of Parks & Recreation Capital Fund - 155,800
• Fire Pension Adjustment - 120,000
• Retirements Forfeitures - 100,020
• Increased Fire/EMS Revenue from County - 90,692
• Decrease in litigation costs - 33,200