News Update for 3/21/23

It appears that last week at the Sebring International Raceway was the safest place to be in Highlands County. Sheriff’s officials, who provided security services for SuperSebring 2023, say of the 29 people booked over the four day Race Week here, only two of them came from the track.
The 12 Hours of Sebring traditionally pulls upward of 100,000 fans for the international event. Authorities say the crowd was both "well behaved" and "much bigger than in the past."
There were a couple of other incidents. Reportedly, one of the race team members fell from a golf cart and had to be taken to the hospital. There also was a small RV fire – that was quickly extinguished.

Highlands County School Board members will meet tonight, and again, the sex education portion of the schools’ "comprehensive health education" program will be discussed. After nearly a year of review by a select committee appointed by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brenda Longshore, board members were presented with a program called "Relationships Under Construction."
That curriculum has been up for public review over the past three weeks, and tonight, board members will look at accepting it for classroom use.
The public also will be given a chance to comment on the program. That session will be held at the Garland Boggus board room at the School Board complex beginning this evening at 5:30.

Impact fees will be on the minds of Highlands County commissioners when they meet this morning. Apparently, members of the Future Growth Fund Advisory Committee say they want direction as they move forward with a study on whether or not taxes should be imposed on new residents or business in regard to their impact on the community.
Such fees were enacted more than a decade ago – but have been "on hold."
Members of the banking and real estate industries will be joined by contractors, engineers and developers – among others – to review the idea and report back to the commission.

Sebring Police are investigating a shooting that occurred on Monday morning at “The Spot” on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Sebring’s Washington Heights Community.
Authorities have released no suspect information. It is known that a male victim was shot in the leg during the incident. Moreover, the victim is not cooperating with law enforcement.
Officers and Detectives are asking that anyone with information please contact the Sebring Police Department

A Lake Wales man has been indicted for murder in connection with the death of an Ocala man who died of an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin.
29-year-old Tevin Lindsay of Lake Wales, who already had been in jail on other counts, now faces capital murder charges in connection with the June 2022 death of the man who was fund dead in Lake Alfred.
In addition to the capital murder count, Lindsay has been charged with a long list of drug counts.

The search for two missing boaters in Polk County is over. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced yesterday that the bodies of Jeffrey Marrero and Orlando Ortiz were found at the bottom of Lake Eloise in Winter Haven.
The two friends went missing Saturday while boating with Marrero’s two young children and Ortiz’ girlfriend. Judd says the water was rough that day, and the two were not strong swimmers.
He calls their deaths a tragedy of monumental proportions.