Community News
Clearwater Florida - Today Reminds Us to Prepare Your Family and House For A Natural Disaster
April 13th, 2009 Categories: Clearwater Florida, Community News, Tampa Bay
Clearwater experienced Tornado Warnings Today - Were you Prepared?
Clearwater Florida - Wow we had a crazy rainy tornado day in the Tampa Bay area today. Jack and the boys were in Tarpon Springs just outside Pasco County today at our Homeschool Co-op and we heard from families and friends about people whose homes were effected. If you’re like me you propably spent at least part of today worried about someone you knew in the hardest hit areas in Tampa Bay.
We are used to preparing for hurricanes regularly here, however, tornadoes give little to no warning so it’s a great reminder to be prepared for Natural disasters that may hit Clearwater families when we least expect it.
In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security launched Ready.gov, a government website aimed at family, business and community disaster readiness.
When You’re at Home in Clearwater Florida are you Disaster Ready?
Now, when the Ready.gov website talks about disaster readiness, it’s referring to more than just physical attacks on the county — it’s talking about natural disasters, too. This includes hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and floods and these weather-related events impact the different parts of country each year like we experienced here in Clearwater today.
The Ready.gov website is loaded with tips, notes and checklists, including the 3-minute “It Takes Just Three Steps To Get Ready For An Emergency” video featured above.
If you’ve never watched it, take the time to watch it today. Then, test your home’s disaster readiness, take this 10-question quiz. There’s no “passing grade”, per se, but with your own answers, you’ll see where there’s room for improvement.
Disasters can’t be predicted and most of us will face them at least once in our lives. When disaster strikes, therefore, make sure you prepared for it in advance. Protecting your household is a matter of just 3 simple steps. Prepare today and keep your loved ones safe!
Thinking of Buying or Selling a house in Clearwater Florida - We can help
If you have been thinking about buying or selling a property in the Clearwater St Petersburg Tampa area…
Contact us for a FREE quote and to find out your Tampa Mortgage options and you can search all Tampa St Petersburg and Clearwater homes for sale right now..
Call Us Today at (727) 710-8036 to hear more about how we can help you!
Copyright © 2009 Jack and Cyndee Haydon, Clearwater REALTORS and your Clearwater Real Estate Consultants specializing in Clearwater Beach Florida St Petersburg Tampa Real Estate and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published.
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Tampa Bay Homes Beach Condos and more will Fill Fast for the 2009 NFL Superbowl
September 4th, 2008 Categories: Community News, Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Florida - Today I was reading one of my favorite Tampa Bay blogs and was reminded that this year’s Super Bowl is only 149 days away and will be held right here in Tampa Bay. Our community has hosted the Super Bowl before and boy does this town enjoy the festivities. If you want to find out more about this year’s Super Bowl or opportunities to volunteer or get involved then visit the Tampa Bay Superbowl website.
It’s amazing what local homes, beach condos and vacation rentals of all kinds will go for during that weekend. If you are planning to be here don’t put off making your reservations. While Jack and I don’t handle rentals you can call Patty Belloise at 727-410-1936 who does (just in case you’re looking for a great local contact).
Now if you are someone who has decided that “now is the time to buy” Tampa real estate - we CAN help you with this. 
Regardless of what your plans are here are some pictures of our Bucs Stadium, which I had the privledge of touring with Leadership Pinellas last year - I’ll give you a sneak peek into our stadium.
Call us Today at (727) 710-8036 to hear more about how we can help you!
Copyright © 2008 Jack and Cyndee Haydon, Clearwater REALTORS
and your Clearwater Real Estate Consultants specializing in Tampa Bay Real Estate and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published.
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Pinellas County Schools Assignment Update at Pinellas Realtor Organization
August 7th, 2008 Categories: Community News, Pinellas County Real Estate, Real Estate News
Clearwater Florida - Wednesday I was one of about 50 Pinellas County REALTORS (out of 9000 members of the Pinellas Realtor Organization) who attended a special session with Jim Madden from Pinellas County Schools.
Jim is the man in charge of Pinellas County student school assignments - he joked that “he’s got job security” - I can only imagine :). We recently had changes to the School Choice plan and Pinellas County home buyers and current residents have lots of questions about..
Where will by child go to school?” -That’s why we made sure we were there - up-to-date information is critical to the families we help that are moving to Pinellas County or want to sell their home and move within the county. The most important thing we took away was the fact that No school is automatic for non-entry level grade students.
If you’re wondering how we got here - School Choice was court-ordered to end the 30 year desegregation ruling / plan in Pinellas County. The 2007/2008 was the first year that the School District didn’t have specific min / max ratios to manage for each school.
When creating a new plan the parents, the community members and the School Board members found people overwhelmingly wanted a Student Assignment plan that included these 3 things:
- Give us Predictibility
- Still wanted Choice(s)
- Diversity
A major issue is the rising cost of transportation. In the future, Pinellas County will continue to transport students to their school of “Choice” for 4 more years then parents will have to provide transportation to their “non-close-too-home” school.
Note: The new Pinellas County Student Assignement plan doesn’t change anything for Magnet and Fundemental schools
Key Components of the new Pinellas County School Plan
- Transition from the Pinellas County Choice Plan
- Getting Back to Close-to-home schools or zoned schools
- Predictable feeder patterns
- Multiple choice options
- Reduce transportation issues and costs
- Diversity
- Equitable distribution of resources
What Pinellas County Home Buyers / Residents Should know during the Transition Period
- All students except those entering Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade - will stay where ever they were last year
- Students entering Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade will get their close-to-home school this year (or they can also opt for an older sibling’s school)
- New students (not in one of the 3 grades listed above) are assigned on a space available basis to the close-to-home school or the next closest school. The challenge here is that the Florida Class Size Amendment limits the number of students that can be assigned to a school.
- 3 schools were closed this year - South Ward, Largo Central and Riviera Middle that are impacting mid county assignments
Jim Madden explains how new School Assignment will work to Pinellas County REALTORS
I’ve included some video of Jim’s presentation so you could hear how Pinellas County School assignments will be handled in Jim’s words:
Jim talks about the new Pinellas County Student Assignment software and interactive map functions that are coming soon (hopefully by mid-September)
Got More Questions?
- If you have any questions you can contact Jim Madden directly at 727-588-5186 or email him at maddenj@pcsb.org or
- Call the Student Assignment Department at 727-588-6210 or
- District Call Center at 727-587-2020
- Visit their website at www.Pinellask12.fl.us
What do you need to enroll in school? Proof of residency - a power bill, rent receipt, cable bill, phone bill, etc. - in some cases a purchase contract to buy a home or a lease agreement will also be accepted. Exceptions handled on a case by case basis.
Pinellas County Real Estate matches up to Pinellas County Schools
Get 25% more Property tax savings in November
Buying Pinellas County Real Estate less Complicated Now
Want more info about all our Pinellas County Real Estate - feel free to call Cyndee and Jack,your Pinellas County Realtors at (727) 710-8035. Want to see all the Pinellas County homes for sale - Feel free to search the Tampa Bay MLS.
Cyndee and Jack Haydon, Clearwater Real Estate Agents, Charles Rutenberg Realty 1545 S. Belcher Rd Clearwater FL 33764
Call me at (727) 710-8035
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Clearwater Real Estate Agents Guests on Defending your Dollar AM1040 Radio Show Today
August 2nd, 2008 Categories: Community News
Clearwater Florida - Today! Saturday August 2nd! From 11 - Noon what are you doing? If you’re in the Tampa Bay listening are we hope you’ll listen to Defending Your Dollar on AM 1040 and even call in and discuss real estate topics on your mind. We will be discussing issues effecting the Clearwater Real Estate market today as well the whole Tampa Bay real estate market for that matter. The host, Niamh McAnnally asked us to be prepared to discuss the following topics however the best part is you can call in and ask your own questions!
How to call in or watch the Radio Show
Numbers to call to be part of the show:
- Pinellas & Pasco County 727-577-1040
- Hillsborough County 813-289-1040
- Toll Free 877-355-1040
For our readers out of town you can actually watch the show live on internet at http://wwba1040.com
Real Estate Topics for August 2nd
- What’s the Tampa Bay Market Doing Today?
- What’s the Amendment 5 Property Tax proposal all about?
- Tips for selling your Tampa Bay home in todays real estate market
We will add some additional info after the show based on your questions and interests as well.
Additional Helpful Resouces
You can get more details on the upcoming Property Tax Amendment 5 at http://giveme5florida.com and http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/fulltext/pdf/12-6.pdf
If there were questions you had that didn’t get answered or you just thought of you can always call us at (727) 710-8036 or (727) 710-8035, you can leave them in the comments section or if you want your privacy you can use the “contact us” feature and email us your questions. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our site.
Also is there Clearwater Real Estate information you’d like us to include? Features? We are constantly working and re-working this site based on what YOU want - since it’s for you!
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Guide to Clearwater Malls and Shopping including St Petersburg, Largo, Seminole, Pinellas Park and Tampa
December 21st, 2007 Categories: Community News
Guide to Clearwater Shopping Malls and More
Clearwater Florida – Enjoy our updated list of local malls and shopping plazas.
Well with just 3 more shopping days until Christmas the Pinellas Counties malls and shopping centers are packed and it’s time to get that last minute holiday shopping done.
Many of our readers have recently moved to Clearwater Florida or are visit our Tampa Beaches for the winter so we put together a Clearwater Guide to Shopping in and around Tampa Bay. Hope you find it this list of Shopping Hot Spots in and around the Clearwater area helpful.
For those new to the area you may find our “malls” different from yours. We’ve seen a change in shopper’s and developer’s preferences over the last 10 years – In the Clearwater Florida area we have more and more outdoor Shopping Plaza’s – specialty stores and big box stores like Target clustered together but not under one roof than the traditional shopping centers and Malls.
Clearwater Malls and Shopping Centers
Westfield Countryside Mall 27001 US Hwy 19 N Clearwater, FL 33761
Clearwater Mall 20505 U.S. 1919 N Clearwater, FL 33674
Tri-City Mall 5140 E Bay Drive Clearwater, FL 33770
Shoppes on Sand Key 1261 Gulf Boulevard Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Northwood Plaza 2558 N McMullen Booth Rd Clearwater FL 33761
Largo / Seminole Malls and Shopping Centers
Largo Mall 10500 Ulmerton Road Largo, FL
Seminole Mall 113th St N & Park Boulevard Seminole, FL 33772
Saint Petersburg / Pinellas Park Malls and Shopping Centers
Tyrone Square Mall 6901 22nd Ave N. St Petersburg FL 33710
The Pier 800 2nd. Ave. NE. Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
Baywalk 146 2nd St St Petersburg, FL
Parkside Mall 7200 U. S. 19 N. Pinellas Park, FL 33781
West Tampa Malls and Shopping Centers
International Mall 2223 N West Shore Blvd Tampa, FL 33607
Citrus Park Town Center 7902 Citrus Park Dr Tampa, FL 33625
Shopping for Luxury Real Estate in Clearwater Florida
Are you looking for something bigger – like that new home or condo you’ve been dreaming of in the Clearwater FL area or thinking of selling your home in Clearwater Florida or the Tampa Bay area we can help. Here’s what some of our past clients have to say about how we helped them….
** CLICK ON PHOTOS BELOW TO SEE CLIENT VIDEO TESTIMONIALS **
Our Clients tell us that selecting the best Realtor in Clearwater Florida especially online or from a distance, can be a challenge. Some of our past clients agreed to share their experiences and tell you why they think you should work with us.
Click on the photos below and meet some of our clients and now friends…we’d love to be YOUR choice too! 
The above information and images are Copyright © 2007 Jack and Cyndee Haydon, REALTORS and your Clearwater Beach Real Estate Consultants and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published. All rights reserved. Plagiarism will be detected and is punishable by law.
Want more info, click to Search all Clearwater MLS listings includes all the homes and condos for sale in the Tampa MLS! 
Looking for Real Estate in Clearwater Florida or Waterfront Condos on Tampa Beaches – Give us a Call. (727) 422–8901.
Click to Subscribe to Sandbars to Sunsets and get the Daily Digest by Email
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Clearwater FL Neighborhood Information | \”I want it and I want it now\” - Now Best Real Estate Blogs Built to Deliver it Easily
November 28th, 2007 Categories: Community News
Best Real Estate Blogs Deliver Information Readers Want
I read an interesting article today by a leading blogging expert, Michael Martine of Remarkablogger and he shared this short video which showed how information has evolved from filing and searching for paper… to the way we “google” things today – It took me back and reminded me how things were just a few years ago. I think you’ll get a kick out of it – I did! Enjoy…
Great Video on the Evolution of Information
Delivering the Best Real Estate Blog for Clearwater | Clearwater Beach
Earlier this year Jack and I went back to the drawing board to plan, research and innovate with one goal in mind, “to build the best Clearwater Beach real estate blog” for the areas we serve. We also chose to work with only the best Real Estate Blog designers to build this “new type” of real estate resource that is completely client-focused which is why we also included the “Google” ability here.
Our goal is to continually present Clearwater Beach | Clearwater | Tampa Bay Real Estate information the way our readers want it, by their neighborhoods and then by the catergories (or topics) with only information for that specific neighborhood. If that doesn’t work or you just want to find something on a specific topic quickly like “green carpet cleaning” – just enter it in the Search Site function in the upper lefthand corner and it will find all the articles with that info in it.
We appreciate you, our Sandbars To Sunsets readers and are always striving to make this a productive and enjoyable experience. If you have any suggestions – We’d love to hear them.
I’m curious, when you need to find information today, Do you “google” it or do you use a traditional source like an Encyclopedia?
Want more info, click to Search all Clearwater MLS listings includes all the homes and condos for sale in the Tampa MLS!
Click to Subscribe to Sandbars to Sunsets and get the Daily Digest by Email
Want more info – Call us today at (727) 422–8901.
The above information and images are Copyright © 2007 Jack and Cyndee Haydon, REALTORS and your Clearwater Florida Real Estate Consultants and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed or published. All rights reserved. Plagiarism will be detected and is punishable by law.
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Sand Key Florida | 3-Day Walk for Cure Ends at the St Petersburg Pier
October 21st, 2007 Categories: Community News
I shared with you in my recent post, Clearwater Florida | Tampa Bay Walks for Special Friends and for the Breast Cancer Cure that the Susan G. Komen 3 day Walk for the Cure for Breast Cancer was this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It began at Sand Key Park on Friday and the Closing Ceremonies were held in downtown Saint Petersburg next to The Pier.
This year there were over 1900 dedicated walkers who raised over $5 Million dollars to Fight Breast Cancer. They stressed the belief that “they will never give up” and that we are a step closer because of the people who walked for a cure this past weekend. We all thank them for their efforts and commitment and the belief that we will all know a day when there is a Cure for breast cancer.
Here are a few pictures from the closing ceremonies I uploaded -imagine a sea of the prettiest pink - on both men and women. We had a rainy weekend but nothing could dampen the spirits of these determined participants.
Thank you to all those who walked and those that cheered them along the way!
If you want to see more photos and stories visit www.Tampabay10.com
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