After appearing several times before the Sebring city council and sending a letter to the Highlands County Fairgrounds, officials of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have announced that the Loomis Brothers Circus has cancelled their appearances in Highlands County.
At issue were the elephant and tiger acts, which PETA officials alleged were open to mistreatment and the use of training equipment recently disallowed by a Sebring municipal ordinance.
PETA officials say that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.” Officials of the Loomis Brothers Circus reportedly say they are looking into legal repercussions.
Next year’s Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring already is going to be a big deal, featuring both the iconic 12 Hours and an 8-Hour World Endurance Championship Race. Now officials of the International Motorsports Association say that next year will be their 50th Anniversary – adding to the excitement.
They released their schedule yesterday, noting that Sebring will continue with their mid-March date. They also revealed that NBC Sports will be the home of IMSA events beginning next season.
Longtime Florida Senator Bill Nelson has claimed that Russian operatives have penetrated some of the state’s election systems.
Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Penny Ogg says if it did happen -as far as she knows- it didn’t happen here. Ogg said that there are security checks before, during and after the balloting.
She said her office would continue to monitor and increase Physical and Cyber Security as it has always been and continues to be a concern and priority for the Elections Office.
Yesterday, Ogg conducted the annual public testing of the tabulating machines. That is where the machines that tabulate all ballots are tested. Those include; Vote by mail, early voting and Election day.
Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Helms, Highlands County Commissioner Don Elwell and a representative from the Florida Division of Elections were present. The results were 100% accuracy for the counting of our ballots on the machines.
Meanwhile, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner has requested more information from the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, which Nelson had cited as his source. Federal law enforcement officials also have said they could not corroborate the claims.