News Update for 9/1/25
Highlands County Habitat for Humanity is launching Women Build 2025 — a movement uniting women to create safe, affordable housing for local families. The official kick-off happens Thursday, September 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Avon Park Community Center. The free event will offer networking, door prizes, and information on how to volunteer, sponsor, or support this year’s build. Women Build volunteers will take part in construction and hospitality roles during build days scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7. Details are available at HabitatHighlands.org.
Sun ’N Lake of Sebring will soon start work on just over a one-mile extension of its walking and biking trail, running from Cortez Boulevard to Balboa Boulevard. The $569,000 project is backed by a county recreation grant and district funding. Once finished, the six-mile trail system will feature lighting, benches, signage, and nine exercise stations, plus security cameras for safety. Officials say the extension will better connect neighborhoods with the Sun ’N Lake Preserve and give the community a safe and healthy way to stay active. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months.
A man is accused of hurting a police officer and a K9 in Polk County. Lake Wales Police arrested Marlon Arrindell yesterday morning. He was pulled over for speeding on US 27, but police say he took off. An officer caught up to Arrindell at a gas station on Highway 60, but the LWPD says he fought with an officer. The officer unleashed his K9, but Arrindell got back into his car and took off. He allegedly dragged the officer and the K9 through the parking lot. Arrindell was pulled over again about a mile away on East Bay Boulevard, but he apparently tried to make a run for it. He wound up getting caught while trying to scale a barbed wire fence.
Arcadia police and DeSoto County deputies arrested a man Thursday night after a violent crime spree that included a stabbing, attempted carjacking, and burglary. Investigators say 35-year-old Fernando Benitez Azuara tried to hijack a car on U.S. 17, stabbing the driver in the hand before fleeing. Minutes later, officers found him breaking into the Arcadia Golf Course office, where he was taken into custody. Deputies recovered a knife, stolen items, and drug paraphernalia. Azuara now faces multiple charges, including armed carjacking, aggravated battery, and burglary. He is being held in the DeSoto County Jail on $110,000 bond.