HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Tuesday, July 9, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 190 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun County may want agreement on FEMA funds have been good to have cities help each municipality would pay BoCC: Cities out with asking for the refund. would not be easy. Highlands Commissioner Ron Handley County Public Information Officer should pay part remarked at the last Board of Gloria Rybinski, when asked how County Commission meeting that that would break out, said the of admin costs cities had been on the county’s debris information from Irma By PHIL ATTINGER “coattails” with regard to getting was not catalogued by city but by STAFF WRITER reimbursement from FEMA. street. “They need to pay their part of There are roughly 80,000 lines SEBRING — As evidenced from the cost to recover funds,” Handley of data in the report to review to the multi-million dollar check re- said. figure out the percentages, she ceived from the Federal Emergency Highlands County does not yet said, the way it’s recorded now. Management Agency, Highlands have an interlocal agreement with She said Monday that one County had a lot of debris cleanup the cities to set out what that per- possible aspect of an interlocal after Hurricane Irma. centage would be, said County agreement would be to define FILE PHOTO each municipal boundary in a That included debris inside city Administrator Randy Vosburg. A John Deere track loader deals with debris on Magnolia Avenue limits and at the Sebring Regional “But we want to make sure we debris collection zone. That way, in Sebring, just north of Eucalyptus Street, one week after Airport, and now county commis- have that now,” Vosburg said. the city or town could then pay a Hurricane Irma struck in September 2017. Debris removal, sioners have suggested it would Trying to figure out how much FUNDS | 3A throughout the county, took more than three months. On the right track MARC VALERO/STAFF The City of Sebring has filed a lawsuit related to this billboard, on the Lake Jackson side of U.S. 27, that was rebuilt after being heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma. Sebring suing MARC VALERO/STAFF The School Board of Highlands County will likely order nine more school buses, for the fourth year in a row, said Assistant Superintendent of billboard Business Operations Mike Averyt. School District’s budget picture looks good company By MARC VALERO STAFF WRITER Over rebuilt sign SEBRING — The School Board By MARC VALERO of Highlands County will consider STAFF WRITER today the advertising of the district’s tentative budget, which has yet to be SEBRING — The City of Sebring is finalized. suing a billboard company with the There are still a few unknowns city contending that a sign on U.S. with the budget, according to should not have been rebuilt after it was Assistant Superintendent of Business destroyed by Hurricane Irma. Operations Mike Averyt. Sebring City Attorney Bob Swaine said The state will be issuing the “re- the billboard is on the lakeside of U.S. 27 quired local effort” portion of the south of the Gate convenience store. property taxes soon because it is due “This is a sign that was destroyed by by July 19. Hurricane Irma that was grandfathered The teachers union is still negoti- into the location where it was on the ating and there is hope that will be MARC VALERO/STAFF lakeside of U.S. 27,” he said. “After it completed by the end of the month. was destroyed it was not allowed to be After the district’s fund balance The School Board of Highlands County continues to pay back a loan it received in 2005 for rebuilt there and so that is what the classroom construction that included the building of Memorial Elementary School. (reserves) dipped quite low a few lawsuit is about. years ago, Averyt believes the district The accrual entries will provide the Averyt said. “Unfortunately, what the city does is on the right track to improve the final expenditures and revenues for The district continues to pay back with this impacts how it can enforce the fund balance. various categories in budget, Averyt a loan from 2005 to build classroom sign ordinance in other capacities, so it “Hopefully we are going to be above said. wings at many schools. is a bigger issue than one sign.” 5%, which means we are out of trou- School districts face state interven- Those payments of about $4.5 mil- In a complaint filed Dec. 27, the City ble and everything looks good. So we tion when their fund balance goes lion per year will continue though of Sebring is suing The Lamar Company, will see,” he said. “We are still trying below 3%. 2032. LLC (billboard company based in to do all the accrual entries, so I won’t “We are well above that right now When that is done that will free Louisiana) and TLC Properties Inc., know for sure for probably another and we are trending the right way,” which granted an easement to Lamar couple of weeks.” BUDGET | 4A for its billboard at 189 U.S. 27 South, Sebring. Lamar constructed a billboard on the billboard site around 1987 and around 1994 Sebring adopted a sign code White House reviews human rights’ role in US policy that included provisions prohibiting off-premises signs in certain locations. By ERIC TUCKER fearing it would consist of members The billboard site is located within the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS who “hold views hostile to women’s area of the code that prohibits off-prem- rights” and blow away existing ises signs, the complaint states. WASHINGTON — The Trump human rights treaties. The billboard was allowed to remain administration said Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo under a “grandfathered” provision that it will review the role of human announced the creation of the prohibited destroyed signs from being rights in American foreign policy, Commission on Unalienable Rights, rebuilt, the complaint states. appointing a commission expected saying the country must be “vigilant Following Hurricane Irma in to elevate concerns about religious that human rights discourse not be September 2017, it was observed that freedom and abortion. corrupted or hijacked or used for the sign was destroyed by the storm, the Human rights groups accused dubious or malignant purposes.” complaint states. the administration of politicizing As human rights claims have THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In September 2017, Lamar completely “proliferated,” he said, nations have rebuilt the billboard despite the prohi- foreign policy in a way that could Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, unveils undermine protections for mar- grown confused about what con- bition in the code and Lamar did not stitutes a human right and which the creation of Commission on Unalienable seek the required building permit, which ginalized populations, including Rights, headed by Mary Ann Glendon, left, a the gay, lesbian and transgender rights should be respected and would have been denied, according to Harvard Law School professor and a former the complaint. community. Democratic senators treated as valid. U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, during an Despite multiple notices of the have raised concerns about the “I hope that the commission will announcement at the US State Department in panel’s intent and composition, ROLE | 4A Washington, Monday, July 8, 2019. SUIT | 4A Classifieds .................... B7-10 Money Market ..................A11 TV Listings ......................A13 Good morning To Comics ..................... B11-14 Obituaries ........................ A4 Viewpoints ......................A10 Bonnie Lyndsay Lottery ........................... B2 Sports ............................ B1 Weather .........................A14 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | July 9, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com Sebring man charged with cocaine possession By MARC VALERO convenience needed it to buy a drink. STAFF WRITER store at Rodriguez gave consent 629 N. to the offi cer to a search SEBRING — A Sebring Ridgewood of his person, which man has been arrested on Drive. revealed a glass smoking drug charges after activity The offi cer pipe with a burnt residue in a high drug crime area advised both that fi eld-tested positive MARC VALERO/STAFF led to a search of the subjects the as cocaine, the report The School Board of Highlands County will have a workshop on the Academy at Youth Care Lane suspect at a convenience HERNANDEZ reason why shows. and student discipline at 3 p.m. on July 30. store parking lot. RODRIGUEZ he asked Rodriguez was charged According to a Sebring them to with possession of Police report, an offi cer speak to him was because cocaine and possession on patrol in the area of the area is known to be a and/or use of drug Academy program/discipline to the Sebring Parkway high crime/drug area, the paraphernalia. and North Ridgewood report states. Rodriguez was released Drive at about 2:22 p.m. Jerry Hernandez- from the Highlands Friday saw two men Rodriguez told the County Jail on Saturday be discussed by School Board exchange something at offi cer the subject gave after posting a $1,500 the gas pumps at the him a dollar because he bond. By MARC VALERO they should go to the “obviously they are on STAFF WRITER Academy.” probation for the follow- When a student has 23 ing year and if they get SEBRING — School referrals, they are stealing any referrals, they are Board Chairman Bill time from all of the other supposed to be expelled Fort Meade man arrested for Brantley’s kids and teachers in the for the rest of the year,” he concerns classroom, Brantley said.