The dedication of the Florida Medal of Honor Memorial and Museum in downtown Sebring has been delayed once again. Retired U.S. Army Col. Michael Borders who has been overseeing the project, sites subcontractor schedules and the availability of materials as reasons for the most recent delays. The new dedication date has been set for December 12th at 10am and Florida Medal of Honor recipient Mr. Robert Ingram will be the keynote speaker for the dedication event. The public is invited to attend.
Sumter County could get the worst of Hurricane Debby in Central Florida. The National Weather Service issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Sumter County. Tropical Storm Watches were issued for Lake and Polk counties. Up to six inches of rain is expected. There could be flooding in low-lying areas. Wind gusts could reach 50 miles an hour. Debby is expected to reach the Big Bend late this morning as Category One storm.
Four people are dead, including a deputy, after a shooting in Lake County. The sheriff’s office says three deputies were ambushed Friday during a well-being check at a home in Eustis at a home in Orlando Hills. When the deputies entered the home, they were met with gunfire, and one deputy was trapped. Deputy Bradley Link wound up dying from his injuries. Two other deputies were hurt as well. Meanwhile, a 49-year-old man, a 23-year-old woman and a 22-year-old woman were also killed. Deputies believe the two women were sisters, and the man was their father.
Team USA’s men’s swimming individual gold medal streak is still alive. Bobby Finke successfully defended his 15-hundred-meter freestyle gold medal Sunday. He did so by setting a new world record in the event. The Florida native’s gold medal marked the first for the U.S. in men’s individual swimming events at the Paris Olympics. The last time the U.S. competed in an Olympics and did not win at least one men’s swimming individual gold medal was in 1900.
Hurricane Debby has made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 storm. The National Hurricane Center says Debby came ashore this morning in the state’s Big Bend area near Steinhatchee with maximum sustained winds of around 80 miles per hour. Forecasters expect it to bring life-threatening storm surge to portions of the Sunshine State and major, possibly historic, flooding to parts of the Southeast.
One person is dead and another is in custody following a Saturday afternoon shooting in Sarasota. Local police say it happened near the nine-hundred block of John Ringling Causeway just after 2:30 p.m. The victim – whose identity was not released – was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died. A suspect – 66-year-old Richard Minor – was taken into custody with charges pending. No other injuries were reported and incident is still under investigation
A woman is in custody for the shooting that killed a Lake County deputy and three others. The sheriff’s office says she was taken into custody for a mental health evaluation after Friday’s shooting in Eustis at a home in Orlando Hills. Deputy Bradley Link was killed along with a man and his two daughters. Link and two other deputies responded to the home for a well-being check at the request of the woman who is now in custody. Neighbors say she’s Julia Jefferson, and she has a history of violence and has shown signs of mental illness. Property records show Jefferson co-owns the home where the shooting happened
Plans are in place to help those affected by Hurricane Debby. That’s the message Governor Ron DeSantis delivered yesterday. Debby made landfall this morning. DeSantis says the Department of Emergency Management is ensuring the state is prepared to respond quickly and efficiently. He says the state is also trying something new. DeSantis says for the first time, flood control barriers have been placed around utility substations to ensure power is maintained throughout the storm. Also, utility linemen from out-of-state are staged and ready to respond around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible.