SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Fla.—A bicyclist was killed Friday night after he turned in front of a truck on State Road 50 near Mascotte and Groveland, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., a 30-year-old man was riding a bicycle on Anderson Street, when he turned into the direct path of a 2021 Chevy Silverado being driven eastbound on State Road 50 by a 67-year-old man of San Antonio, Texas, FHP said.
The man was thrown from the bicycle and pronounced deceased on the scene; the Texas man was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
Publisher’s note: This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla.— Tropical Storm Helene, expected to make landfall Thursday as Hurricane Helene, is expected to bring wind and rain to Lake County and residents should finish storm preparations by Wednesday afternoon. How to get information and sandbags, along with closures are listed below.
Citizens Information line: 352-253-9999
AlertLake Notification System: sign up at https://alertlake.com/ or text ALERTLAKE to 888777
TAVARES, Fla.- Lake County public schools will be closed Thursday due to Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall, according to Lake County Schools.
After-school activities on Wednesday are not cancelled and a decision will be made about Friday following Wednesday’s mid-day briefing, LCS said.
TAVARES, Fla.—Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link is scheduled to be honored Wednesday night by a young man who will run his 1,550th mile in support of fallen first responders.
Zechariah Cartledge founded Running 4 Heroes Inc., a non-profit organization in 2019, to raise funds for fallen first responders. Cartledge is scheduled to run the mile at 8 p.m. Wednesday, at Tavares Middle School, 13032 Lane Park Cutoff Road, Tavares. Attendees are asked to arrive between 7 and 7:30 p.m.
LEESBURG, Fla.—Hundreds of residents, law enforcement officers and firefighters lined U.S. Highway 27 to pay their respects and show their support for Master Deputy Bradley Link and his coworkers at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Monday morning.
Residents stood in the rain along the 15-mile trek from Leesburg to Minneola, waving flags and saluting Link as he was transported to the funeral home handling his arrangements, bringing tears to the eyes of deputies and residents alike.
TAVARES, Fla.—Lake County Public Safety Communications (911) is experiencing intermittent outages due to Hurricane Debby. Residents may not be able to reach dispatchers in an emergency. If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call the non-emergency number at 352-343-2101.
TAVARES, Fla.—Each June, more than 40,000 amateur radio operators, known as “hams” set up temporary transmitting stations in public places throughout North America to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill, and service to our communities and nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933 and remains the most popular event in ham radio. The competitive aspect of Field Day is to contact as many other amateur stations as possible between 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
The public is invited to attend the event in Tavares this weekend that will showcase mobile command vehicles from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake Amateur Radio Association (LARA.) It will be held at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Training Bureau and Lake Tech Institute of Public Safety Weapons and Driving Range, 13000 Frankies Road, Tavares.
LARA consistently wins top honors each year in Florida and North America. The club was established in 1952 by a local group of radio amateurs and now has a membership of over 150 “Hams.” LARA’s vast radio systems enable worldwide communications, amplifying the club’s impact and reach. For their life-saving work, hams worldwide have received commendations and international praise.
FLORIDA—The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting a license-free freshwater fishing weekend Saturday and Sunday
Florida residents and visitors of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to try recreational fishing this weekend and FWC has helpful resources for new anglers to get started.
Largemouth bass are Florida’s most popular freshwater fish and if you catch one 8 pounds or heavier, submit it to TrophyCatch. There is a special promotion this season where pink-tagged bass are swimming and worth extra prizes in five waterbodies across the state. Try your luck and you could even win sunglasses just for fishing in these five waters!
All other rules, such as seasons, bag and size limits apply during license-free fishing weekend.
Keep the fun going all year and buy a recreational freshwater fishing license, to renew or purchase a fishing license, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
LITTLE LAKE HARRIS, Fla.—The unofficial start to summer is upon us and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding boaters to stay safe during National Safe Boating Week that begins Saturday.
Inside Lake had the opportunity to speak with FWC’s Kristen Turner and Chad Weber, along with Hunter Bland of the National Safe Boating Council Friday about staying safe on the waterways. Florida is the “Boating Capital of the World,” with more than 1 million vessels registered in the state, according to FWC.
Florida does have some requirements for boating but common sense and taking simple precautions can prevent a tragedy. A boating safety course is required for anyone born after Jan. 1, 1988; classes are available in classroom setting and also online, FWC-approved courses can be found here.
All vessels are required to have personal flotation device (PFD) for each person onboard and FWC encourages everyone to wear it at all times. In an emergency situation, people often won’t have time to put on a PFD. This reporter and Inside Lake Photographer Bonnie Whicher were required to wear a PFD during a ride-along Friday. The weather cut the ride-along short, but Weber used that opportunity to educate the Inside Lake staff on how to handle changing weather conditions.
FWC Officer Chad Weber PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
“You need to know where you are at. (Bad weather) is one of the hidden dangers (people) overlook,” Weber said. “The best thing to do is get out of the water.”
Bland said often homeowners will let a vessel stay at their dock to ride out a storm and he’s even known people to invite boaters in their home to ride it out.
“There are good people out there,” Bland said.
Filing a “float plan can also save your life, Turner told Inside Lake. Though not required, a float plan is letting someone know where you are going and what time you expect to be back. The United States Coast Guard provides a fillable PDF float plan and suggests you provide it to a reliable person, along with a photo of the vessel. While the information would be extremely helpful in an emergency, Bland stressed that something as simple as a text message letting someone know your plans, would suffice.
FWC Northeast Region Public Information Director Kristen Turner PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
Weber also suggested other things to have onboard, such as rain jackets, a cooler with water and a first aid kit; tools and extra fuses can also come in handy, Bland added.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla.—Caps will be flying through the air this week and next as Lake County Schools seniors say goodbye to high school and hello to adulthood. Graduations are scheduled to begin Tuesday with Tavares High School and will end with Lake County Virtual School next week. Schools are listed below in alphabetical order.
East Ridge High School—9 a.m. Wednesday at UCF/Addition Arena
Eustis High School—9 a.m. Saturday, at Eustis High School Panther Stadium
Lake County Virtual School—6 p.m. May 23, at Mount Dora High School Auditorium
Lake Hills School—occurred May 1 at Lake Hills Gymnasium
Lake Minneola High School—7 p.m. Friday at UCF/Addition Arena
Lake Success Academy—3:30 p.m. Friday at Lake Success Academy
Leesburg High School—8 a.m. Saturday at Leesburg High School Stadium
Mount Dora High School—8 p.m. Thursday at Mount Dora High School Stadium
South Lake High School—7:30 p.m. Wednesday at UCF/Addition Arena
Tavares High School—7:30 p.m., Tuesday UCF/Addition Arena
Umatilla High School—7 p.m. Friday Grafton Center Elks Club
