News Update for 1/9/25
Lake Placid residents will now have an extra option when disposing of their live Christmas Trees this year. Local organization Keep Lake Placid Beautiful is sponsoring a recycling event in which one lucky resident dropping off will have the chance to win a $100 gift card. Live Christmas trees can be dropped off through January 20th at the Greater Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce, from 10 AM to 4PM, Monday through Friday. The Chamber is located at 18 N. Oak Avenue in Lake Placid. For residents outside of Lake Placid, any Highlands County solid waste customers can take advantage of free curbside pickup for their live trees providing it has been stripped of all decorations, is in sections of no more than six feet, and bundled correctly. It will be collected on the regular yard waste collection day.
Publix is experiencing an egg shortage at Florida stores. The Lakeland-based supermarket chain says it’s working to restock the product after an outbreak of bird flu impacted its supply. Due to an increase in demand, the company is urging shoppers to regularly check their local locations. The rare HPAI virus has caused a multi-state outbreak among dairy cows and even led to a few human infections.
A plan is in the works to ease traffic on a busy Polk County interstate. Florida transportation officials say the Moving I-4 Forward initiative will help improve more than three miles of the highway from US-27 to the Ronald Reagan Parkway. When the project is complete, there will be four regular lanes and two express lanes in each direction. Crews will also create a new overpass at Grandview Parkway in Davenport. The goal is to improve safety from eastern Polk County into Osceola and Orange counties. Work is scheduled to wrap up in 2027.
Help from Central Florida is on the way to Los Angeles. Volunteers from the Central Florida Red Cross are heading to LA this morning to help those dealing with wildfires. Thousands of people have been displaced so far. A Central Florida Red Cross spokesperson tells Fox 35 the volunteers will man shelters for those who are displaced.
Central Florida first responders are reminding residents the importance of space heater safety as cold fronts continue to move in. Orange County Fire Rescue says the equipment should always be kept away from kids, pets, and anything flammable. Space heaters should never be plugged into an extension cord or placed on carpets. Before walking out the door, firefighters say the appliance should be turned off and unplugged. The U.S. Consumer Product Commission says around 17-hundred space heater-related fires are reported across the country each year.
A man is hurt after he was shot by a deputy in Central Florida. It happened yesterday afternoon in Orange County. The sheriff’s office says deputies were investigating two drive-by shootings that took place yesterday morning on San Jose Boulevard when they found a 16-year-old suspect. The teen was armed and refused to drop the weapon, so two deputies fired their weapons. A 24-year-old man was shot in the foot, but Sheriff John Mina says he’s going to be OK. The deputies are on leave as the FDLE investigates. As for the drive-by shootings, Mina says no one was hurt, and several people are facing charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa is warning the public about a phone scam. Federal authorities say a Sarasota woman was duped out of 12-thousand dollars by a caller who said she missed jury duty and would have to pay up or be arrested. The scammer convinced her to deposit the cash at a “Bonding Transition Center,” which turned out to be a Bitcoin ATM. Investigators say the caller used a cellphone that had been smuggled into a Georgia state prison. Two suspects are facing charges in the case. Authorities say no law enforcement agency will call and demand a payment for missing jury duty.
Rick Scott wants to ‘lock the clock.’ Senator Scott yesterday introduced the Sunshine Protection Act. It would put an end to changing the clocks twice a year, and it would make Daylight Saving Time the national, year-round standard. Scott says changing clocks twice a year is an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than a benefit. He says the bill is a common-sense change that will simplify and benefit the lives of American families.
Florida is seeking money that was paid out as an error during the pandemic. South Florida’s Trinity Health Care Services sent a bill to the state for around 50-thousand dollars for registering people for COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021. The problem is, the state accidentally paid over five-million dollars to the health care company. The state is suing Trinity to recoup that money and several other overpayments. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the suit argues Trinity was required to return overpayments for any work not actually performed and money not actually owed.