The 2019-2020 harvesting season has arrived locally. Highlands County Citrus Growers Association Executive Director Ray Royce says although the season won’t get going in earnest until after Thanksgiving, a couple of small blocks have been picked down in the Lake Placid area.
Citrus from Indian River and other areas have been seen moving through Highlands County, and officials at Maxwell Citrus in Avon Park say they have stock in, both from Mr. Maxwell’s groves and also from Polk County.
For the first time in years, the citrus harvest has been projected to be up. Officials say they could take in more than 75 million boxes this season.
For the second time this week there has been a school bus accident. This time it was in Hardee County – but it involved a Sebring man. Florida Highway Patrol officials say a Ford F-250 driven by 27-year-old Kalob McVey hit the back of another truck, pushing it into a Hardee County School bus.
The incident occurred yesterday morning at State Road 64 and County Rad 663, outside Wachulla. The bus had nine students aboard, but there were no serious injuries to anyone. McVay was charged with careless driving.
They’ve been struggling with it for quite some time, now it appears Avon Park city officials are getting tough on getting insurance payments for damage done to the Brickell Building by Hurricane Irma.
City council members have instructed Interim City Manager Kimberly Gay to fire off a letter to representatives of the Thompson Baker insurance firm to come to a conclusion – or the city will turn the matter over to the Florida office of Insurance Regulation.
They’re giving the company two weeks to respond.
Sebring city council members have voted to look into the purchase of the old Bank of America on Ridgewood Drive. The idea is to turn the property into a parking space.
Apparently, the initial cost will be $200,000 – including the building there. There’s no word what demolition of the structure there might cost.
Council members also asked for an opinion of the Ethics Commission, inasmuch as city councilman Charlie Lowrance has an interest in the property.
Once again, the Avon Park High School Choir has been selected to sing at the Walt Disney World Christmas Candlelight Processional. Sixty-five members are slated to be in the 5:00PM show on Thursday, December 5 at EPCOT.
APHS Choir teacher Joy Loomis called it “a great honor to be chosen…”