Fire crews responded Tuesday to a brush fire near Ballard Road and State Road 64 on the western edge of Highlands County. In an 8:10 p.m. update, Highlands County Fire Rescue said the blaze had grown to about 75 acres. The Florida Forest Service has established a firebreak around the fire as crews continue working to contain it and protect nearby structures. Residents are urged to keep doors and windows closed due to smoky conditions.
A proposed sand mine in Venus is headed back before the Highlands County Board of Adjustment on June 9. County planning staff is again recommending denial of the project, citing concerns that it does not meet requirements for a special exception. The applicant has revised its plan, including increasing buffers near wetlands, but residents and environmental advocates continue to raise concerns about groundwater impacts, traffic, and potential effects on Fisheating Creek and nearby sensitive habitats.
A 77-year-old Winter Haven woman has died following a two-vehicle crash on Thornhill Road west of Winter Haven Tuesday morning. Investigators say the woman was a passenger in an SUV that crossed into the southbound lane and collided with a pickup truck. Two other people involved suffered minor injuries. The crash shut down Thornhill Road for about three hours, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Governor Ron DeSantis is backing a plan he says will ensure Florida remains the gold standard in emergency management. DeSantis was in Orlando yesterday to announce the launch of the Coalition for Operational Readiness in Education, or CORE. He says it’s a first-of-its-kind initiative, and it’ll bring together state agencies, colleges and the private sector to strengthen the future of our emergency management workforce.