News Update for 12/13/24
It’s the busy holiday season in Highlands County which means more people and more traffic. The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office in a campaign to keep residents safe on the road. They are reminding drivers to drive sober or get pulled over. The high visibility impaired driving awareness campaign is running now through January 1st. Drivers can stay safe during the holiday season by planning ahead if they intend to drink. They urge residents to make arrangements for a designated driver or secure a taxi or rideshare service to get home safe.
The former Bank of America building in downtown Sebring is up for an environmental assessment. A quote from Engineering Consulting Services has been approved by the Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency Board. The scope of the assessment will include a pre-renovation asbestos survey, lead paint screening, and limited mold assessment to determine is harmful substances are present before renovation commences. While the discussion of the proposal for the building was taken off the most recent agenda, some board members are optomistic that the approved environmental assessment is still a step forward in the disposition process of the property. The proposal for the building was set forth by Marmer Construction and calls for relocating its corporate office to the second floor of the building at 231 S. Ridgewood Drive, while the Sebring Hall of Fame racing museum will occupy the ground floor.
A Central Florida doctor has lost his license after a patient died following a Brazilian butt lift procedure. The Florida Board of Medicine has revoked the medical license of Dr. Christopher Walker. He practiced at Beja Body Med Spa in downtown Orlando. His license was suspended in 2021 after the patient died. According to the complaint, he performed liposuction on the 38-year-old patient as part of the procedure, but during it, he repeatedly crossed through the patient’s abdominal muscles and punctured multiple organs and arteries. The patient suffered internal bleeding and died.
A Central Florida mother is formally facing charges after authorities say she started the fire that killed her son. A grand jury indicted 26-year-old Esther Thelus with murder Wednesday. She is accused of pouring gasoline on herself and her two children inside a west Orange County home before intentionally starting a fire back in August. Her infant son died, while a two-year-old sustained non-life threatening burns. Investigators say Thelus was caught on surveillance video buying the materials for the crime at a local 7-Eleven gas station earlier in the day.
A Lakeland woman is accused of threatening a health insurance company. Authorities say the FBI was contacted Tuesday after Briana Boston placed a call to BlueCross BlueShield regarding a recent medical insurance claim she was denied. Near the end of the call, Boston can be heard stating, “Delay, deny, dispose. You people are next.” The first three words are similar to those written on the ammunition that a gunman used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week. Boston was charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.
A murder suspect from Florida has been caught more than one-thousand miles away in San Antonio. Detectives believe that Romeo Florez-Perez was trying to flee the country. He’s accused of killing a man on Thanksgiving Day. The body was found in a ditch in Kissimmee, Florida. The 23-year-old is behind bars, awaiting extraction.
The death toll of endangered Florida panthers is continuing to rise. State wildlife officials say a three-and-a-half-year-old male was hit and killed by a car in Hardee County on Tuesday. 26 of the 33 panthers found dead this year were due to vehicles. This marks the second-highest recorded number of panther deaths since 2015 and 2016. FWC says drivers who travel the speed limit, especially in Panther Crossing zones, can help protect state animals.
The University of Central Florida has begun an 88-million-dollar expansion of its football stadium, funded by a Tourism Development Tax Agreement. Plans include adding over 12-hundred club seats, 34 loge boxes, 34 sky bays, and 25 luxury suites. The project, approved by the state’s Board of Governors, aims to enhance UCF’s athletics program and boost tourism. Completion is expected in fall 2026.