To nobody’s great surprise, former President Donald Trump won Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary yesterday. Trump collected 81.2% of the Republican votes cast statewide … here in Highlands County, he won 88.1% of the ballots, to Nikki Haley’s 8.1%. Turnout was light – only 15.7% of the County’s 33,640 eligible Republican voters cast ballots. There was no vote on the Democratic side – state Democrats decided to cancel any election and awarded all Florida’s delegates to President Biden.
Word is, Highlands County Schools have 156 deficiencies or maintenance needs left unresolved for at least three years. That from a State Auditor General’s report following annual inspections of the County’s school facilities. The deficiencies included safety issues like combustible materials storage, electrical rooms used as storage and partially obstructed corridors and exits. For the School District’s part, it pled a lack of staff in its response to the report.
26 pages of Impact Statements from the families of the 2024 Sun Trust shooting victims were selected and agreed to by Judge Angela Cowden and by defense and prosecution attorneys Friday in a Highlands County Circuit Court. Zephan Xaver’s penalty trial is set to begin May 20th. Defense attorney said most of the victims’ families intended to read the edited versions themselves.
Sebring’s City Council tonight will hear an appeal from the Sebring Chamber of Commerce looking to overturn a decision by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission denying the Chamber’s request to paint the outside façade of the Circle Theatre. Members of the Commission were concerned that painting the natural brick façade wouldn’t maintain the original, historic preservation of the building’s front view. No word what color the Chamber – or others who may be involved – have in mind.