Highlands County will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and festivities across the area. Sun ‘N Lake of Sebring will start things off on Thursday, July 3, from 5 to 9 p.m., with food trucks, live music, and fireworks at 9 p.m. In Sebring, Highlands Lakeside Theatre will host its annual Patriotic Revue on Friday, July 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by the City’s fireworks show at City Pier Beach on Lake Jackson at 9 p.m. Avon Park’s Main Street celebration will take place Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., with vendors, live entertainment, and fireworks at 9 p.m. Lake Placid Jaycees will also launch fireworks over Lake June in Winter at 9 p.m. on Friday.
Highlands County drivers should expect delays as resurfacing work on the Arbuckle Creek Bridge begins Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30 a.m. Work will continue through Wednesday, July 9, with lane closures and possible 15-minute traffic stops. Crews will then patch asphalt along Arbuckle Creek Road near Riverdale Road and MLK Jr. Boulevard. Major projects also continue on US 98 and US 27 with lane closures, detours, and construction through 2025 and 2026. Utility upgrades are in progress on Lakeview Drive, SR 66, and SR 70, with alternating lane closures. Motorists should use caution, expect delays, and check FL511.com for updates. For details, call 863-402-6529.
A Lakeland man was arrested after trying to sell a stolen school iPad on Facebook Marketplace. 28-year-old Gerald Lenard Simpson, Jr., faces charges including petit theft and dealing in stolen property. A Polk County School Board employee spotted the iPad for sale for $100 and recognized the district’s logo in the listing photo. She alerted deputies, who tracked Simpson down. Simpson claimed he found the $400 iPad over a year ago but decided to sell it. He turned it over to deputies and was booked into the Polk County Jail.
South Florida State College’s Board of Trustees has approved its proposed 2025–26 general fund budget with no tuition or salary increases for now. The preliminary budget meets state deadlines despite the late passage of Florida’s budget, which is still awaiting the governor’s signature. Vice President Peter Elliot noted adjustments may follow once the state budget is finalized. The budget includes energy upgrades under a Trane lease, with savings expected next year. A $1 million one-time appropriation is also anticipated, subject to the governor’s approval.