The Latest Local News

Highlands County commissioners today heard a report from the Tourist Development Committee. They outlined their budget for the upcoming fiscal year and gave an overview of their strategic plan. Commissioners took aim at the county’s website, noting the content was week and that the amount of time spent on the site was less than a Continue reading

The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office wrapped up their inaugral gun buy-back program, calling it a success. Over the course of last week, authorities say they took in over 100 guns. Programs were held in Lake Placid, Avon Park and Sebring. Despite the fact some of them were cut short by bad weather, officials said they Continue reading

The Highlands County Sheriff’s office held the second round of their gun buy-back program in Avon Park last night. Again, it was shut down an hour early due to weather – and again, it appears to have gone without incident. The final installment of the program is set to he held tomorrow night in Sebring. Continue reading

Highlands County Sheriff’s deputies will be out again tonight for round two of the “Pieces for Peace” gun buy-back program. This time they will be set up in the Martin Luther King complex on the southside of Avon Park. Like the Lake Placid event, it will run from 5-8pm and everybody turning in a weapon Continue reading

The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office held the first of three gun buy-back programs last night in Lake Placid. The event was held in the parking lot of the Happiness Tower off Highway 27. Reportedly, the event was cut short by an hour, due to the weather. Sheriff’s officials said they were very pleased with the Continue reading

Avon park city council members held a special meeting last night to look at setting tentative tax rates. Those still could come down, depending on how budget talks play out in the City of Charm. They voted to set the fire assessment at $112 per residence for the upcoming fiscal year. That would be a Continue reading

The Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts has been voted the Number One Motorsports Event in North America. The 12 Hours landed at the top of the USA Today’s 10 Best poll – topping such giants as the Indy 500. Hundreds of thousands of fans took part in the month-long Continue reading

One person was airlifted out and another taken to a local emergency room yesterday morning when a two-vehicle wreck on State Road 64 snarled traffic in the area of the Avon Park Airport. Police reports indicate a Chevy Malibu driven by Wendy Medina of Bowling Green collided with a Ford Transit van driven by Nehemius Continue reading

Florida State Patrol reports say that the traffic tyups have been cleared after a one-car rollover acident nea the intersection of Highway 27 and Dasher Roads on Lake Placid’s south side this morning. The call came in to County dispatch just past 5:30 this morning and was handed off to the Florida Highway Patrol for Continue reading

NEWS 7/23/19 BF BoCC MILLAGE After talking with Highlands County Clerk of Courts Bob Germaine, Supervisor of Elections Penny Ogg and Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman about budget cuts, Highlands County commissioners this morning certified the county’s tentative millage at 9.0. That would be about a half mil higher than the current assessment of 8.55. Continue reading