News Update for 3/7/25

Highlands County is considering bringing back a local business tax after nearly two decades. County commissioners have asked the County Attorney to research how neighboring areas implement similar taxes. While the tax previously generated about $150,000 annually, officials say it provided crucial safety and regulatory benefits, like ensuring fire inspections and tracking businesses. Supporters argue the tax would help businesses bid on projects and deter unlicensed contractors. Commissioners are also exploring a public database to verify business legitimacy. The next steps include drafting tax rules and creating software for enforcement.
Sebring residents—don’t be alarmed if you see smoke coming from your plumbing this week! A New Jersey-based company, National Water Main Cleaning, is conducting smoke tests on the city’s sewer system to detect leaks. City officials advise checking if smoke inside your home is from the test and not a fire. To minimize issues, pour water into unused drains to keep traps full. Testing continues for the next few days. For more details, visit the Sebring City Fire Department’s Facebook page or call 561-508-6135.
Police and city officials are responding after a video of a child on the ground with her hands behind her back went viral. Police Chief Vance Monroe says officers were taking the child’s mother into custody Tuesday, as they investigated reports of an armed man at a market. The mother and child were in the car police were trying to find. Monroe says officers followed procedure, but he wants to review the incident for training purposes. The child’s mother says her daughter got down because police were pointing guns at her. Monroe says the officer pointed his weapon down as soon as he became aware of the child. Police chief Vance Monroe says officers were investigating a reported armed robbery at a market, and the child and her mother were in a car driven by a man who showed a firearm.
Sebring International Raceway is set for a record-breaking weekend as over 260 entries kicked off the HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour and HSR Sebring Historics yesterday. This marks the largest season-opening field in HSR history and the biggest Classic 12 lineup of the decade. For the first time, the event leads into next week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, creating a two-week motorsports spectacle. It also launched the inaugural HSR Classic Endurance Championship. With vintage sports cars, endurance racing, and the debut of the expanded HSR Prototype Challenge, fans can expect nonstop action through March 9th.
Authorities say a multi-county chase involving a vehicle with seven teens inside ended in a crash in Orlando. Deputies in Polk County were notified early Thursday morning that a stolen vehicle out of Osceola County involved in an investigation was in the area. The chase drew a large police response and the vehicle eventually crashed on Lee Road near Adanson Street. Several occupants were apprehended. Two other cars were damaged in the crash, and multiple people were sent to the hospital.
A Lake Wales man’s attempt to evade arrest ended with a K-9 standoff in Polk County on Tuesday morning. Deputies arrived at a Poe Road residence around 7:15 a.m. to arrest 60-year-old Terry Gene Storeby, who was wanted on a felony warrant. Storeby tried to hide behind a shed but surrendered after deputies warned that K-9 Buck would be sent in. He was taken to Polk County Jail on the warrant, along with new charges for resisting arrest and drug possession.
Newly-released information reveals Orange County deputies made a tragic mistake in a deadly shooting. The sheriff’s office released some details yesterday from a shooting last month that killed Jose Luis Lopez. Originally, deputies said Lopez was armed with a knife while holding another man in a headlock. In a bodycam video, a deputy is heard telling Lopez to drop the knife. He was shot when he ignored orders to drop it. Now, though, investigators say no knife was found at the scene. The two deputies involved in the shooting are on paid leave pending an FDLE investigation.
Travelers flying out of Lakeland Linder International Airport will soon have to pay for long-term parking. Officials unanimously approved a contract of more than one-million dollars this week to install a parking payment system and improve the airport’s parking lots. The director of the airport says work will start immediately to construct several improvements to the general parking and overflow parking lots. The paid parking system is expected to be fully installed by early summer.