After doing weeks of research on the state law, legal issues and complaints of residents at Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, Highlands County Assistant Administrator Ricky Helms recommended Tuesday that the board of county commissioners do nothing about the battle there between homeowners and the large, absentee landowners. ...more

August 13, 2008

The public is invited to a candidate forum set for 6 p.m. today at the Agri-Civic Center. ...more

July 14, 2008

SEBRING - The public is invited to a candidate forum set for 6 p.m. Monday, July 14 at the Agri-Civic Center. Contested Highlands County Commission races will be part of the forum, followed by sheriff's office candidates. Highlands Today is sponsoring the forum and it will be moderated by Richard Hensley, editor of the paper. ...more

July 10, 2008

SEBRING — In a closed-door meeting last week, the owners and/or general managers of the top five hotels in this city met privately with new Highlands County administrator Michael Wright to make one request: don't get rid of Rocky Ellingsworth, the Highlands County Sports Complex manager. The hotel owners and managers all told Wright that Ellingsworth is almost single handedly responsible for filling most of their hotel rooms on many off-season weekends because he brings in first-class softball and baseball tournaments. They also said that league and tournament directors who had tournaments at the sports complex have told them they will cancel their tournament dates and hotel accommodations for the fall if Ellingsworth loses his job here. Many of the hotel owners and managers also said they've been told that some tournaments will leave and never come back if Ellingsworth isn't working here, and the teams will travel to whatever new location Ellingsworth works in to hold their weekend tournaments there. ...more

June 30, 2008

SEBRING – Zane Thomas, who works in the Highlands County planning department, has filed to run for county commissioner. As an independent, Thomas automatically goes into the November general election for the county commission seat held by Guy Maxcy. Maxcy, a Republican, is running for his fifth consecutive four-year term. Thomas unsuccessfully ran two years ago as a Democrat for the state representative's seat held by Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid. ...more

June 18, 2008

You had a letter today suggesting that Guy Maxcy should be removed as county commissioner. My suggestion is that he should be re-elected. When it was proposed that the impact fees should be suspended because of the downturn in local building, I sent an e-mail message to several commissioners expressing my disagreement. Instead of a no response or just a simple acknowledgment that I received from other commissioners, Mr. Maxcy sent me a thoughtful, well-written note expressing his opinion. Then, after the impact fee suspension idea was rejected, Mr. Maxcy had the courtesy to call me on the phone to discuss the issue and to say that he had come to believe the impact fee suspension was a bad idea. ...more

June 16, 2008

Carl Cool running for county commission is the biggest joke since WMD. The good old boys are at work again! Cool stated his decision was based on advice from close friends and prayers. Close friends being the present commission-less Barbara Stewart, and the prayers of the commissioners hoping the good old boys are not caught with their hands in the cookie jar again. Barbara Stewart has been a thorn in the side of the present county commission for the last four years because she has the grit to ask questions and go against the grain of the good old boys. This is the reason they would like to get rid of her. ...more

June 13, 2008

SEBRING – Impact fees are likely to rise by 5 percent effective New Year's Day. But the people paying the impact fees on new homes and new commercial buildings might get a break on how they pay these fees, imposed to guarantee population growth won't outstrip dollars for infrastructure. It's possible that a committee may recommend, and the Highlands County commissioners would adopt, an installment payment plan so that impact fee payments could be stretched out over several years. On June 23, the Impact Fees Advisory Committee will vote to recommend to county commissioners changes in impact fees for 2009. ...more

June 5, 2008

SEBRING — When it comes to drumming up business here, the real estate and home building industries in Highlands County may be going coastal. Builders and Realtors are taking a serious look at funding an advertising campaign targeted at residents of coastal communities, to convince them that they can leave the coast for a better, and cheaper, lifestyle here. An open meeting for anybody interested in the possible coastal ad campaign is set for 2 p.m. May 29 in the Highlands County Commission chambers. ...more

May 21, 2008

SEBRING — Suspending impact fees is just one of the ideas Highlands County Commissioner Guy Maxcy will propose for a "stimulus package" to jump-start the county's stalled economy. Since Maxcy first proposed suspending both impact fees and building permit fees to get the struggling construction industry going again, people have been giving him additional ideas. At least four of those ideas will be added to Maxcy's plans to suspend impact and building permit fees when he officially presents his "stimulus package" to the county commission. Maxcy said Monday he will ask Edgar Stokes, the chairman of the county commissioners, to schedule his proposed stimulus package as a discussion item at the March 4 commissioners meeting. ...more

February 25, 2008