The Latest Local News

Local News Headlines 9-3-21

Labor Day weekend is upon us – the County’s trash hauler says regular pickups will happen on regular days next week for homes served by the County’s trash service. The landfill will also be open on Labor Day, although most other government services will be closed for the holiday. The Sebring Downtown CRA is pressing Continue reading

Local News 9-2-21

One Highlands County Labor Day Weekend even has bit the dust, courtesy of Covid concerns. The Friends of The Hammock yesterday announced that the group’s planned “Summer Splash” event for the weekend has been cancelled due to the uptick in Covid cases in the County. Next time you see the power company whacking some branches Continue reading

News Update for 8/31/21

The 60 days to advertise the BrickelL Building in Avon Park has come and gone. Officials in the City of Charm say they had a few tire-kickers but received no firm offers on the place. Council had re-zoned the two-story Main Street structure to allow for both residential and retail space. At one time, it Continue reading

News Update for 8/30/21

Like much of Florida, it looks like the Sebring/Avon Park metro area has a fairly transient population. According to a new report by the internet site Filterbuy, some 7.4-percent of local residents moved into their homes more than 30 years ago. That compares to just over 17-percent of homeowners nationally and puts the Sebring/Avon Park Continue reading

News Update for 8/27/21

A new report out by the survey company Rootstock has found that the Sebring-Avon Park metro area has a below average cost of living but an above average population growth. The analysis determined that the cost of living here was 13-percent below the national average. Between 2017 and 2020 the local population increased by 2.7 Continue reading

News Update for 8/27/21

Avon Park city council members will be taking a rather aromatic tour over the next week or so. They have been invited out to the city’s wastewater treatment facility to see why staff has been asking for a new headworks to be installed there. The request was made by former Public Works Director Rick Whalen Continue reading

News Update for 8/25/21

After better than an hours worth of discussion hammering out terms and language of a draft agreement, a short-handed Avon Park city council voted to move ahead with a plan to lease the Avon Park Executive Airport. Officials of Florida Airport Management have applied to take over the operation of the airfield and establish a Continue reading

News Update for 8/24/21

The Avon Park fire assessment is going up. Following a dust-up between Avon Park Mayor Garrett Anderson and outgoing city councilwoman Brenda Gray at last night’s city council meeting, council members by a 3-1 vote moved to set the rate at $130 per residence for the upcoming fiscal year. The $18 hike brings raises in Continue reading

News Update for 8/23/21

Four people were killed and Highway 98 was shut down for several hours last night as the result of a three car crash south of Sebring. The incident occurred last night shortly after 9:30. Florida Highway Patrol reports say a car driven by a 38-year-old Lorida man was traveling west on US 98. His car Continue reading

News Update for 8/20/21

Officials in Highlands and Polk counties are calling on residents to take it easy on dialing 9-1-1. Apparently, there has been an increase in numbers of those calling the emergency line to report coronavirus cases. While those may be severe, authorities say the 9-1-1 number should be used only for immediate situations such as fires, Continue reading