The latest Florida Department of Health statistics released this morning now indicate Highlands County’s corona virus numbers have gone up by another four, with 116 new negative cases. There now have been 138 positive cases of the virus registered here.
According to the numbers, of the 4,619 tests now administered, 4,478 – or 94.6-percent – have come back negative. There have been 38 hospitalizations listed and nine deaths since records started being kept back in March.
A traffic stop by Highlands County sheriff’s deputies turned into a drug haul and a trip to jail for a Lake Wales man. Officials say they arrested 30-year-old Gerison Antonio Alvarado on numerous counts after they found quantities of methamphetamine, LSD and a number of pills of controlled substances. Also seized were a scale, bags, a handgun and a quantity of cash.
Alvarado was booked into the Highlands County jail.
Highlands County commissioners have recieved some bad news about the budget for the upcoming 2020-2021 fiscal year, Highlands County Administrator Randy Vossburg told the commission at this point it “wasn’t pretty.”
He indicated that between a significant loss of sales tax revenues due to the lockdown and requests for monetary increases from some constitutional officers, he was projecting a revenue shortfall at this time.
That could mean an increase in property taxes.
In other action, the three commissioners not up for election agreed to turn down a request to have a candidates’ forum in the chambers – sayng they wanted to avoid any appearance of partisanship.