The Latest Local News

A proposed zoning rule has been taken off the table by the Highlands County Commission, at least for the time being. On Tuesday, Commissioners rejected the county created rule which requires homes on one-acre parcels to have direct access to public roads – to ensure access to homes by emergency personnel, police and other public Continue reading

Tuesday night, Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, were involved in a shooting. At approximately 9:48pm, deputies responded to 1000 West Hill Street in Avon Park due to reports that a man was creating a disturbance and threatening others with a knife. As deputies were trying to take 28- year old Alberto Rodriguez into custody, he Continue reading

The Highlands County School Board will soon be discussing the possibility of repurposing the Sebring Pre-K Center due to lower-than-expected enrollment. A workshop is slated for October 17th at 3:30pm to discuss options, following a previous discussion by the Board back in May. Superintendent Brenda Longshore will present information to the Board on the possibility Continue reading

A fee agreement with Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer & Hand, P.A. has been approved unanimously by the Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency. It allows the provision of legal opinions on CRA related issues on an "as needed basis." The possibility of hiring legal counsel for opinion in CRA issues, was first introduced by City Attorney Gerald Continue reading

A Sebring man has been arrested following the death of his 9-year-old autistic daughter. 44-year-old Desi Maura has been charged with manslaughter following the apparent drowning death of the girl. Deputies were initially called to 6132 Oak Bend Avenue in Sebring at 11:00AM yesterday to search for Arianna Salmoe Maura, who had been missing for Continue reading

Highlands County is under a Tropical Storm warning and is also under a Flood Watch until Friday, Sept. 27 at 8 a.m. According to the latest update- the Emergency Operations Center is at a Level 2 activation. The Highlands County call center will be open today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can call Continue reading

Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 was officially upgraded to Tropical Storm Helene on Tuesday in the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. advisory but Helene is expected to rapidly intensify into at least a Category 2 storm. Highlands County is now under state of emergency status after Governor Ron Desantis increased the original executive list of 41 Continue reading

A Sebring High School student has been arrested after two firearms were found in his vehicle at school yesterday. According to reports, 18-year-old, Alex Morales-Salvador, a senior at Sebring High, was initially caught with a vape on campus just before 1:00pm. When he was being questioned by the School Resource officer, Morales-Salvador ultimately admitted to Continue reading

A local resident wanting to t sell his home in Sebring Village, is running into some issues. Reportedly, managers of the mobile home park are actively blocking the sale of Frank Davis’s home because he won’t settle a previous lawsuit he brought against them. The lawsuit centers around current managers ordering him to paint his Continue reading

Tuesday saw Day 2 of Jury selection for the capital murder case of Joseph Ables who is accused of shooting and causing the death of Highlands County Deputy Sheriff William Gentry. Gentry died in the line of duty in May of 2018 when he was investigating a complaint from Ables’s neighbor, that Ables had shot Continue reading