SEBRING –– The Highlands County Tourist Development Council favors retaining the operation of the tourism program as it is and asking the county to advertise for a director to replace Jim Brantley. The council spent about two hours Thursday discussing options and receiving input from the public concerning the future of the county's tourism program. Since the council is an advisory board to the Highlands County Commission, it can only make recommendations. The county commission will make the final decision. The recommendation is expected to come before the board in December. County Administrator Carl Cool, who attended the workshop, said the tourist council wants to review a proposed job description for the director at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 6. If the council approves the description, the item could be on the Dec. 11 commission agenda. ...more

November 2, 2007

SEBRING – The Highlands County Tourist Development Council will consider three options in deciding how to replace former Tourism Director Jim Brantley during a workshop on Nov. 1. The workshop will begin at 8:15 a.m. in Room 3 at the Highlands County Agri-Civic Center, located at the corner of U.S. 27 and George Boulevard, in Sebring. Brantley left the position in September, but is continuing to work as a consultant for the county. The council will make a recommendation to the Highlands County Commission. The commission will make the final decision on how the council will be run. Before he departed, Brantley and Highlands County Administrator Carl Cool talked about the situation and came up with a suggestion. However, it was not presented as a recommendation from either Brantley or Cool. ...more

October 28, 2007

Seven months into its work and under a deadline to report back to Hillsborough County commissioners, a committee studying revisions to a plan governing development along North Dale Mabry Highway is as divided as ever. ...more

October 20, 2007

Monday night's Balm Civic Association meeting was about planning - more specifically, the Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan. ...more

October 20, 2007

The ambulance stationed at the Lutz Volunteer Fire Department gets so few emergency calls that Hillsborough County Fire Rescue officials want to find a better use for it. ...more

October 10, 2007

SEBRING — A fraction of 60,000 expected motorcycle riders attended the Run for the Heartland's opening ceremonies Friday morning, but organizers, merchants and early visitors said the party will really get jumping today. The three-day event lasts through Sunday. Most events are free and open to the public. Last year, local police estimated attendance at 30,000 people and organizers expect twice as many guests this year. ...more

October 6, 2007

Hundreds of canoeists and kayakers are expected to plunge into the Alafia River on Nov. 17 for the eighth annual Alafia Canoe and Kayak Challenge. ...more

September 12, 2007

LAKE PLACID — "Big Al" and "Daisy" aren't clowning around when it comes to the future of Toby's Clown Foundation and Clown Alley. Albin "Big Al" Pelski, the foundation's president, said Monday that rumors swirling around the Clown Museum, on Interlake Boulevard, about Toby's Clowns being on their last legs were false. "Nothing could be farther from the truth," said Pelski. ...more

September 11, 2007

Keystone Park is getting busy these days. On weekday evenings the grounds are filled with cars, parents and hundreds of youths. ...more

September 8, 2007

On Tuesday evenings at the Keystone Civic Center, grandmother and granddaughter take art and calligraphy classes together. ...more

September 5, 2007