Highlands County still doesn't have the $1.65 million asphalt plant grant that was promised by Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and county commissioners were furious because they just found out during a meeting Tuesday. ...more

November 4, 2009

Highlands County officials are having surveillance cameras installed at all three of the county fuel depots as a precaution against thefts of gasoline and diesel. ...more

February 27, 2009

In a workshop on Tuesday, the Highlands County Commissioners will discuss a request for mandatory use of two federal programs to check the legal employment status of people hired by the county and by companies with a county contract. ...more

February 6, 2009

Over the past year, the year-round population of Highlands County grew by 1,480 and climbed just over 100,000 people. ...more

December 30, 2008

After a challenging 2008, Highlands Today asked some government officials their assessments of the budget situation for next year. ...more

December 23, 2008

A circuit judge's ruling on Thursday overturned a 2007 state law saying counties had to pay for attorneys who take cases when the local public defender has a conflict. ...more

December 20, 2008

- With great weather and ideal scoring conditions, the Avon Park High School Project Graduation golf tournament on Saturday featured a lot of eagles and birdies. ...more

December 8, 2008

SEBRING — Highlands County commissioners are not pleased with plans to hire three new top administrators at an extra cost of about $300,000 per year. At their meeting today, the five commissioners, three of whom must run for re-election this year, will consider hiring the first division director in the county's history. On Monday, at the county's annual "visioning session," Commissioners Don Bates, Guy Maxcy and Barbara Stewart said they were less than happy with the prospect of what Bates called "adding another layer of administration" to county government. The price tag to do that — adding three employees with the title of "division director" — will be between $190,000 at the low end, to $360,000 per year at the top end of the salary schedules. The county commission had created the new positions last year to increase efficiency. Three new people will be hired, while the fourth position has already gone to Rick Helms, who went from "assistant county administrator" to the new position of "assistant county administrator/director of the division of administrative services." ...more

February 5, 2008

SEBRING — David Flowers, director of Highlands County's facilities management, was given a written reprimand late Thursday afternoon for his improper use of county instant messaging. ...more

January 31, 2008

SEBRING — David Flowers, director of county facilities management, is under investigation for sexually explicit, instant messages he exchanged on county computers with fired budget department employee Treasa Handley. Rick Helms, the assistant county administrator, is in charge of the investigation of Flowers, a former county commissioner who failed in his bid this week to become director of the county's new division of administrative services. ...more

January 31, 2008