Sebring city council members last night rejected a proposal from an Illinois developer, and instead went with a local couple to take over a slot on the Historic Circle. At issue is the Historic Roanoke Building – once home to The Cathouse and Sandy’s Circle Cafe.
In the end, they rejected a proposal from Yan & Arp – instead selecting local restaurateur Bob Cadzow’s vision for the property. Cadzow might best be known for the Faded Bistro – another downtown eatery. He has suggested turning the space into an Irish Pub, with hotel rooms in the upstairs.
There may be some sticker shock at tax time thanks to the Highlands county commission. They first moved to jack the garbage collection rate from aroUnd $170 to as much as $240 a year. They stress that number is a tentative figure and will be used for negotiation with the county’s waste hauler.
On the upcoming fire assessment – they set no caps on charges to businesses, residences or institutional buildings. They instead kicked the can down the road – agreeing to take that up at an August 3rd meeting.
Commissioner Kathy Rapp made a motion formulated by the county attorney. It passed on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Arlene Tuck dissenting. Tuck had lobbied to leave things as-is for a year, pointing to damage caused to citizens by Corona situation and her pledge not to raise taxes.
Highlands County fire units had problems trying to quell the flames at a home on Mary Bell Landing yesterday afternoon. Among other things, they had to wait for a time as ammunition inside the house was discharging due to the heat. Units from Desoto City, Lorida, West Sebring and Sun ‘N Lake responded to the call off Highway 98.
Firefighters pulled water from the nearby Istokpoga Canal to fight the blaze. Nobody was home at the time of the fire. No injuries have been reported.
A Lake Wales man was killed yesterday in a traffic accident on Highway 27. Police in the Crown Jewel of the Ridge say a truck driven by Lonnie Garvey was southbound near the Owens Road intersection. The 56-year-old Lake Wales man apparently clipped the car in front of him and lost control of his pickup.
The Silverado reportedly overturned several times, ejecting Garvey who was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say speed appears to have been a factor in the accident.