Life and Crime in Highlands County, Florida

 

Best Fishing Lakes in Highlands County

Freshwater fishing in Highlands is some of best in the country drawing in professional and amateur fisherman from all over the world. Some of the best fishing spots are:

• Lake Jackson
• Lake Letta
• Lake Lotela
• Lake Pythias
• Little Bonnet Lake

 

FLORIDA FISHING, BOATING & WILDLIFE LAWS

 

List of Highlands County Golf Courses

Highlands County is also known for several great places to golf, such as:

• Country Club of Sebring
• Highlands Ridge Golf (North & South)
• Pinecrest Golf Club
• Placid Lakes Country Club
• River Greens Golf Course

Sebring Race Track

One of the oldest sports car racing tracks in the United States and it is located at the Sebring Regional Airport, which was once a U.S. Army Air Base during World War II. The first race was held in 1950 on New Year’s Eve and just a little over a year later began offering the ‘12 Hours of Sebring’ sports car race.

Obstacles within the County

Sebring, and other nearby cities in Highlands, have certainly experienced their share of natural disasters and witnessed unimaginable crimes over the past few years.

Sebring SunTrust Bank Robbery

Just last month, a robbery at SunTrust Bank led to multiple fatalities when a gunman opened fire then called 911 to report his own destruction.

Video of Sebring Helicopter Crash

Just last year, a pilot and his passenger were killed in Sebring while flying in a gyrocopter. The vessel crashed into two mobile homes located on Caribbean Road. Fortunately, there were no residents home at the time of the crash.

Highlands County Hit Hard During Hurricane Irma

Sebring and other towns in Highlands County felt the impact of Hurricane Irma in 2017 quite extensively as the storm unexpectedly made a last-minute turn into the central part of the state. Highlands County was impacted severely, more so than any other county other than Monroe (Florida Keys). Although more than 13,000 homes were affected, volunteers and residents in the community worked diligently together to get through the difficult times.

Highlands County FL Crime

TYPE OF CRIME		CHARGES
MURDER / MANSLAUGHTER		7
RAPE		38
ROBBERY		42
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT		242
PROPERTY CRIME		457
BURGLARY		693
LARCENY		1,863
MOTOR VEH THEFT		109

Help to Stop and Prevent Crime

The Highlands County Sheriff decided to try a new approach for stopping gun violence in some of the most dangerous communities in the area. In the summer of last year, they started using a new bike patrol in areas, including:

• Avon Park Southside
• Washington Heights, Sebring
• Highway Park, Lake Placid

Local residents can assist their local law enforcement by reporting tips to previous crimes and reporting suspicious activity to the Heartland Crime Stoppers organization. This initiative is a collaborative effort of Highlands, Polk and Hardee counties. To report a crime anonymously, simply call 800-226-TIPS (8477).