Dunedin, Florida Public Records

Circuit Court has jurisdiction over felonies, civil cases over $30,000, family law matters including divorce and custody, probate and guardianship, appeals from county court, and juvenile dependency and delinquency. Florida's court system provides statewide online access through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and case search at myflcourtaccess.com, where users can search civil, criminal, family, and probate cases by party name, case number, or attorney. The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller (Ken Burke, Clerk) maintains all court records and provides online case search at pinellasclerk.org/aspinclude/PublicRecordSearch.asp. Certified copies of court documents cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page, plus a $2.00 certification fee per document. Traffic court records are searchable online, and the Traffic Division is located at the Criminal Justice Center. Small claims cases are filed at the Clearwater Courthouse with a filing fee ranging from $55 to $300 depending on claim amount. Marriage licenses are issued by the Clerk's Office for $86 ($30 if couples complete a premarital preparation course).

All searches are free and provide downloadable property record cards. The Pinellas County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller serves as the official Recorder of Deeds, maintaining the Official Records division at 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756 (727-464-3341, website: pinellasclerk.org). The Clerk's Office records all real property documents including warranty deeds, quit claim deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens, lis pendens, easements, declarations of condominium, and plats. The Official Records are fully searchable online at pinellasclerk.org through the Document Search portal, allowing free searches by name, book and page, document type, or date range going back to the 1800s. Viewing document images online is free; certified copies cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page. Recording fees for new documents are $10 for the first page and $8.50 for each additional page. Pinellas County also provides a sophisticated GIS mapping system at pcpao.maps.arcgis.com where users can interactively explore property boundaries, zoning, flood zones, and land use. For UCC financing statements and federal tax liens, the Florida Secretary of State maintains a searchable database at dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz.

Major employers include Mease Dunedin Hospital (part of BayCare Health System), one of the area's significant healthcare providers employing several hundred staff; the Pinellas County School District, which operates Dunedin Elementary, Dunedin High School, and other educational facilities; the City of Dunedin itself; and a diverse collection of locally-owned restaurants, breweries, and retail shops concentrated along Main Street and the downtown corridor. The Toronto Blue Jays spring training facility at TD Ballpark generates substantial seasonal economic activity from February through March, drawing thousands of visitors. Dunedin Brewery, Florida's oldest microbrewery, anchors a craft beer scene that has made the city a regional destination. The marine industry contributes significantly, with several marinas, boat repair facilities, and water-related businesses serving recreational and commercial needs. Tourism centered on Honeymoon Island State Park, Caladesi Island State Park, and the Gulf beaches drives hospitality employment. The median household income in Dunedin is approximately $64,000, slightly above the Florida state average. Recent economic development has focused on maintaining the city's small-town character while encouraging appropriate commercial growth, particularly mixed-use developments near downtown and along the Pinellas Trail corridor. Dunedin's economy benefits from its location within the Tampa Bay metropolitan area while preserving a distinct identity less dependent on large corporate employers than neighboring cities. The city has invested in infrastructure improvements including waterfront parks and trail connections that enhance quality of life and property values.

The Dunedin Police Department, located at 850 Michigan Boulevard, Dunedin, FL 34698 (phone: 727-298-3131, website: dunedingov.com/police), serves as the primary law enforcement agency for the city. Residents can request police reports, incident reports, crash reports, and calls for service logs by visiting the records division in person, submitting written requests by mail, or calling the non-emergency number. Most routine reports are available for a copying fee, typically $0.15 per page for standard copies. The department maintains records of arrests, field contacts, and investigative reports subject to Florida's public records exemptions for active investigations. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33778 (phone: 727-582-6200, website: pcsoweb.com), provides countywide law enforcement services including operation of the Pinellas County Jail and court security. For arrest and jail booking information, the Sheriff's Office maintains an online Inmate Search system at pcsoweb.com/inmate-search where the public can locate current inmates by name or booking number, view booking photos, see charges filed, bond amounts, booking dates, and housing location. This database is updated regularly and provides transparency into jail operations. All law enforcement records requests in Florida are governed by Florida Statutes Chapter 119, known as the Florida Public Records Law, which presumes all government records are public unless specifically exempted by statute. Agencies must respond to requests promptly, usually within a few business days, and can charge only for actual costs of duplication and employee time for extensive searches. Active criminal intelligence and active criminal investigative information are exempt under F.S. 119.071(2)(c) until the investigation concludes or becomes inactive.

Orders can be placed online through VitalChek at floridahealth.gov/certificates for an additional service fee, typically processed within 10-15 business days, or expedited for higher fees. Walk-in service is available at county health departments; the Pinellas County Health Department in Clearwater at 310 N Myrtle Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755 (727-469-5800) provides vital records services Monday-Friday. Only eligible individuals can request vital records: the person named on the certificate (if age 18+), parents, legal guardians, spouse, adult children, or legal representatives with proper documentation and photo ID. Florida birth records are available from April 1865 forward, though records before 1917 are incomplete; death records are available from August 1877 forward. Marriage licenses are issued by the Pinellas County Clerk of Circuit Court at 315 Court Street, Room 170, Clearwater, FL 33756 (727-464-3338) or the Marriage License Office at the Criminal Justice Center, 14250 49th Street North, Clearwater, FL 33762. Marriage licenses cost $86, or $30 if couples complete a premarital preparation course. There is a mandatory 3-day waiting period unless couples take the premarital course. Divorce records are court records maintained by the Clerk of Circuit Court and searchable through the civil case search at pinellasclerk.org. Certified copies of divorce decrees cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 per additional page plus $2.00 certification fee.

The city provides online information about business tax requirements, zoning compliance, and building permits. Pinellas County also requires a business tax receipt for businesses in unincorporated areas and certain professions countywide, processed through the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office at 315 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756 (727-464-7777, taxcollector.com/pinellas). Fictitious name registrations (Doing Business As / DBA) are filed with the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, and searchable online at dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/search. DBA registration costs $50 and must be filed before conducting business under an assumed name, following publication in a local newspaper. The Florida Division of Corporations maintains the Sunbiz database at dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz where anyone can search for corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and trademarks registered in Florida. The free online database provides entity status (active/inactive), registration date, principal address, registered agent name and address, officer and director names, and annual report filing status. Documents can be downloaded as PDFs for no charge. UCC financing statements (secured transaction liens) are also filed with and searchable through the Florida Secretary of State at dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/other-services/uccfilings. For commercial property tax assessments, the Pinellas County Property Appraiser at pcpao.gov provides detailed valuation information for all business properties, including land value, building value, exemptions, and millage rates.

Dunedin voters are served by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, located at 13001 Starkey Road, Building H, Largo, FL 33773 (phone: 727-464-8683, website: votepinellas.com). This office administers all federal, state, county, and municipal elections for Dunedin residents, maintains voter registration records, provides polling place information, processes mail ballots, and publishes election results. Florida residents can register to vote online at registertovoteflorida.gov, the state's official registration portal, or submit paper applications available at libraries, driver license offices, and the Supervisor of Elections office. The registration deadline is 29 days before any election. Florida requires voters to provide a Florida driver license number or ID card number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Dunedin holds municipal elections for Mayor and City Commission seats on a staggered basis, with municipal elections typically scheduled in March of odd-numbered years, separate from county and state election cycles. The city operates under a commission-manager form of government with a five-member commission including the Mayor. The next Dunedin municipal elections are scheduled for March 2025 for two commission seats. Information about municipal candidates, ballot language for local referenda, and city election results are available at dunedingov.com and votepinellas.com. Dunedin residents can find their assigned polling place by using the Precinct Finder tool at votepinellas.com/Voter-Information/Precinct-Finder or by calling the Supervisor of Elections. Early voting is offered at designated locations countywide, typically for 10-14 days before Election Day. Florida's public records law makes extensive election information publicly accessible: voter registration lists (excluding Social Security numbers and driver license numbers) can be purchased; campaign finance reports for all candidates and political committees are searchable at dos.myflorida.com/elections/candidates-committees/campaign-finance; candidate qualifying information is published by the Supervisor of Elections; and precinct-level election results are posted at votepinellas.com after polls close. In the November 2024 presidential election, Pinellas County recorded approximately 67% voter turnout with over 530,000 ballots cast from 794,000 registered voters. On November 3, 2026, Dunedin and Pinellas County voters will decide several significant races: Florida does not have a U.S. Senate seat up in 2026, but all statewide offices including Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture are on the ballot as Florida holds gubernatorial elections in midterm years. State legislative seats for the Florida House of Representatives (2-year terms) and potentially Florida Senate (4-year staggered terms) will be contested; Dunedin is part of Senate District 24 and House Districts 60 and 66. County offices on the 2026 ballot will include Pinellas County Commission seats, School Board members, Supervisor of Elections, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Clerk of Circuit Court, and Sheriff. Voters can request vote-by-mail ballots (absentee ballots) through the Supervisor of Elections website, by phone, by mail, or in person; requests are valid through the end of the calendar year in which two general elections have occurred, after which voters must submit a new request. Florida law allows any registered voter to vote by mail without providing a reason.