Three Avon Park City Council members have until Tuesday to resign or face a recall election. Enough petition signatures were verified to advance recall efforts against Mayor Garrett Anderson, Deputy Mayor Jim Barnard, and Councilmember Brittany McGuire, with each exceeding the required threshold. If they remain in office, the circuit’s chief judge will be asked to schedule a recall election within 30 to 60 days, where voters will decide whether they stay or go. It’s believed to be the first recall effort in Avon Park history to reach this stage.
If you’re feeling lucky, there’s still time to grab tickets for the Children’s Museum of the Highlands Casino Night fundraiser happening tomorrow evening at the Sebring Elks Lodge. Guests can try their hand at blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps while enjoying food, drinks, and entertainment. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are still available online at childrensmuseumhighlands.com or in person at the Children’s Museum of the Highlands.
A DeSoto County man is headed to federal prison for more than 13 years following a drug and gun arrest last year. Forty-two-year-old Donald Carl Woods was arrested in April 2025 on an out-of-state warrant. Deputies say they found methamphetamine and a firearm during the arrest. Federal prosecutors say Woods, a convicted felon, later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and firearms charges, including possessing a gun in furtherance of a drug crime. This week, a federal judge sentenced him to 13 years and 4 months behind bars.
A Lakeland man was found dead early Thursday after his vehicle became submerged in a retention pond near County Line Road. Police say a Toyota Prius was traveling along a grassy shoulder before backing into a utility pole, then driving down an embankment and into the water around 2 a.m. When first responders arrived, the vehicle was completely underwater. Lakeland Police divers later recovered the car and found one adult male deceased inside. Investigators say there are no signs of foul play, but the incident remains under investigation.