Get Ready to ‘Spring Forward’ Dunedin

Do you live for the weekends so you can catch up on much-needed sleep?

Prepare to be a little disappointed this Sunday, March 11. Daylight Saving Time officially begins at 2 a.m. That means clocks get pushed forward an hour – effectively shortening the weekend by 60 minutes.

On the upside, sunset will technically be an hour later in the evening, which means more time to enjoy Dunedin's great weather!

Dunedin Fire Department and other government agencies also suggest you use the start of Daylight Saving Time to perform some routine maintenance around your home. Don’t worry; the jobs won’t take you long.

Reset Your Sprinkler Timers

The Southwest Florida Water Management District asks anyone that uses a sprinkler system to irrigate their lawns to take the time on Sunday to reset those timers. Since the Tampa Bay area is under twice-a-week watering restrictions, it’s important to make sure automatic timers are set correctly so you don’t get a warning or a fine!

Change Your Alarm Batteries

Fire Marshal Bill McElligott is also asking residents to remember that Sunday is the perfect day to replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This little job only takes a few minutes and a few dollars and it can save lives.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly two-thirds of all home fire deaths occur on properties that don’t have operable smoke alarms.

To find out more about smoke alarms, how to install them and how to care for them, visit the U.S. Fire Administration’s website.

Now that we’ve bummed you out, here’s the good news: Daylight Saving Time ends Nov. 4, 2012, at 2 a.m. This is when you can catch back up on that lost hour of sleep.