A new report from the Inspection Support Network shows that the Avon Park – Sebring metro area has experienced better than a 15-percent hike in mortgage loan applications. That’s half again the national average of nine percent.
The mortgage approval numbers are a different story. While 79-percent of mortgages are approved locally, the national average stands at 86-percent.
The numbers came from the Federal Financial Institution’s Home Mortgage Disclosure act report.
There were some tense moments in Sebring yesterday when citizens spotted a man wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying an AR-15-style rifle around the Circle, the downtown area and the Alan Altvader culutural complex.
Apparently, he also was carrying a fishing rod, and Florida laws allows fishermen on their way to or from fishing to carry a firearm. Sebring police say the individual broke no laws and after being in the area for a while, he left without incident.
It appears it may be a while before a committee looking into sex education for Highlands County Schools will be allowed to meet. The committee was formed following an uproar over a scandal involving the subject matter to which local children were being exposed.
Highlands County Superintendent of Schools Brenda Longshorse says it has been difficult to get all 25 of the committee members together at the same time.
She blamed schools being out for the summer, vacations and job committments for the snafu. She says it now may be August before their first meeting.
By the way, today’s the last day of classes for students in the Highlands County system. School’s out for the summer.
The Florida Department of Health is warning people to stay away from Lake Hamilton – a popular recreational spot in Polk County this holiday weekend.
A blue-green algae continues to bloom in the water there. The algae bloom can mean trouble if people come into contact with the water – so department officials are asking people not to fish, swim or boat at the lake.
Exposure may result in raspatory irritation, rashes, skin irritation, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting.