News Update for 5/27/24
Today is Memorial Day and here are a few events happening in Highlands County to pay tribute to our country’s fallen heroes. Lakeview Memorial Gardens will be hosting their 12th Annual Memorial Day Event, starting at 9:00am this morning. It is located at 854 Memorial Drive in Avon Park. The Highlands NAACP Veteran’s Affairs will be offering their veteran’s program from 11:00am-2:00pm today with free food and special events to pay tribute to veterans and our fallen heroes. Located at Southside Veteran’s Garden in Avon Park. And The Military Sea Services Museum is hosting their county-wide Memorial Day Observance this afternoon at 2 p.m. with free refreshments and tours be provided in the museum after the ceremony. Located at 1402 Roseland Avenue in Sebring. Roseland Avenue will close from Kenilworth BLVD. to First Street at 1:00pm and reopen at 4:30pm.
An Avon Park man has died after he was ejected from his vehicle following a collision with another car in Sarasota County early yesterday morning, according to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report.
A sedan and jeep were travelling east on Clark Road when the jeep slowed down directly in front of the sedan. The sedan then collided with the rear of the jeep causing it to travel off the roadway and collide with a street light and fence, ejecting the driver from the vehicle. The driver was a 24-year-old Avon park man and he was pronounced dead on scene. The driver of the jeep was reportedly uninjured while the passenger suffered minor injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
A pilot is hospitalized in critical condition after a glider crashed near a Winter Haven intersection.
Crews responded around 1:50 p.m. Saturday afternoon on Avenue K Southeast in a residential area near Winter Haven High School. Police say the pilot was the only person onboard and there were no injuries on the ground. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
An airboat operator died and two people were injured after a crash on Peace River on Saturday in DeSoto County. According to the FWC, the airboat operator had two other people on board. They sustained minor injuries and were taken to the hospital. FWC says the airboat hit a tree limb and they are still investigating why and how it happened. The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, DeSoto Fire Rescue, and FWC all responded to the scene. The investigation remains active.
The Sebring City Council has approved the proposal from Lakeview Water Sports, which will continue to offer watercraft rentals on Lake Jackson, but will now officially be able to utilize a City parcel on the southside of Veterans Beach. Lakeview Water Sports, Inc., was the sole proposer for the city’s request for proposals for waterfront concessions at Veterans Beach. Lakeview Water Sports Inc. has offered to pay the city $1,200 per year or $100 per month for a license to use the property. The council unanimously approved a motion for a 12 month license to be awarded for use of the southern half of 4270 Lakeview Drive for waterfront recreation and watercraft rentals with a license to be crafted by city staff, subject to council approval.
A teenager is dead after a crash in Hillsborough County. It happened Saturday night in Carrollwood at Dale Mabry Highway and Colby Street. FHP says an 18-year-old Odessa woman was riding a motorcycle that hit a car that turned into her path. She was taken to the hospital where she passed away. Troopers say the driver of the car was not hurt. No charges have been announced.
A man is facing charges after an argument turned deadly in Hillsborough County. The sheriff’s office announced yesterday that Kamal Padlowski was arrested for an incident Saturday in Ruskin off Bahia Beach Boulevard. Deputies say Padlowski and another man were arguing on a boat, and the argument continued when they reached a dock. At one point, Padlowski allegedly pushed the man, who hit his head on the dock, and Padlowski allegedly pushed him into the water. The sheriff’s office dive team found the man’s body. The 50-year-old Padlowski is charged with second-degree murder.
South Florida has some new heat records from the Memorial Day weekend. The National Weather Service announced new records were set yesterday at Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and in West Palm Beach. The temperature recorded at MIA and FLL hit 96 degrees, and in West Palm Beach, it was 95. The oldest record that fell was the one at MIA. The old record of 94 had stood for 75 years.