Sebring firefighters spent most of the early morning hours battling the flames in the Washington Heights neighborhood. The blaze at the Golden Palm Tree grocery store on Lemon Street broke out shortly before 11:30 last night. Units reportedly spent better than three hours trying to get it out.
The apartments upstairs were totally destroyed by flames with water damage to the grocery store downstairs. There were no renters there and no injuries have been reported. Authorities have not released a cause or dollar damage estimate.
Four people were injured and one has been arrested in a weekend shooting incident in Sebring. Police say that one occurred early Saturday morning near the intersection of Lemon Street and Martin Luther King jr. Blvd.
None of the injuries reportedly were life-threatening.
Arrested in connection with the case was JoeMichael Mack. He has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police say they still are trying to unravel the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call them.
Avon Park city council members will get together tonight for a special meeting. They are slated to have a discussion with representatives of Florida Airport Management over the terms of an agreement to take over and run the city’s airport for the next three decades.
At their last session, the council held a shade meeting behind closed doors to go over the proposed pact, and issue a counter offer.
Polk County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Lake Wales city commissioner on charges of aggravated assault and interfering with child custody. According to reports, 41-year-old Kristen Fitzgerald threatened an 11-year-old boy with a gun and removed him from his home.
The incident apparently revolved around alleged relations between the 11-year-old boy and Fitzgerald’s 13-year-old daughter.
Fitzgerald was booked into the Polk County jail without bond.