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.
UMATILLA, Fla. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what may be a murder-suicide in Umatilla Friday morning.
LCSO and Umatilla Police Department responded to a home at 44 South Kentucky Avenue around 5:30 a.m. after a complainant reported receiving a “suspicious text message,” according to a press release.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Tracy Bean, 50, and Ki’anna Lister, 25, both deceased. Today is Lister’s birthday, according to the birthdate released by LCSO.
PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
“The victims displayed signs of homicidal trauma, Lake County detectives are on scene investigating the possible murder-suicide,” according to the press release.
The relationship between Bean and Lister has not been confirmed, LCSO said, the investigation is ongoing.
Inside Lake spoke briefly with Bean’s family member on scene, and she did not want to be identified or make a public comment.
No other victims were found and there are no signs of danger to the public, LCSO said.
ASTOR, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol has identified the man killed in Astor early Wednesday morning.
Robert Sangster Jr., 26, of Umatilla, was standing in the westbound lane of State Road 40, near Blue Creek Lodge Road shortly after 4 a.m. when he was struck by a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee being driven by a 58-year-old Polk City woman. The woman swerved to avoid Sangster Jr., but the right side of the SUV collided with him. He was pronounced deceased on the scene. The woman was not injured and remained on scene, FHP said.
The crash closed State Road 40 for approximately five hours.
ASTOR, Fla.—A 26-year-old Umatilla man was killed Wednesday after he was struck by an SUV on State Road 40 in Astor, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The Umatilla man was standing in the westbound lane of State Road 40 shortly after 4 a.m. when he was struck by 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee being driven by a 58-year-old Polk City woman.
The woman swerved to avoid the man, but the right side of the SUV struck him, killing him. His next of kin has not been notified. The Polk City woman was not injured and remained on scene, FHP said.
State Road 40 west of Blue Creek Lodge Road remained shut down in both directions at press time while troopers conduct their investigation.
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
Photos from the 5th Annual Back the Blue and Red Walk. Organizer Shannon Cook has been supporting law enforcement since 2019 with this walk. This year, firefighters were added to the event, and the name was changed. PHOTOS: Bonnie Whicher/Special to Inside Lake
TAVARES, Florida—For the fifth year in a row, law enforcement and supporters will join forces for the annual Lake County Back the Blue Walk at Wooton Park Saturday morning, and this year firefighters will join the fun.
Scheduled for 9 a.m., this is one of many law enforcement events around Lake County held in May during Law Enforcement Appreciation Month and this year, Organizer Shannon Cook wanted to add firefighters to the appreciation walk to coincide with the Lake County Board of County Commissioners proclaiming May 4 “International Firefighters’ Day” in Lake County, she told Inside Lake.
“I figured what better day to honor our heroes in red,” Cook said.
The walk began in 2019 to show support for law enforcement during a time when the “defund the police” movement was making its way across the country, Cook said, representatives from several law enforcement agencies and numerous public officials are expected to be in attendance.
“The good ones needed to know they were appreciated,” Cook said.
Ryan Koester, son of fallen Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Wayne Koester, left, and Deputy Koester’s brother Vic, right, at the 2023 Back the Blue Walk PHOTO: Shannon Cook
Cook’s close friend, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Wayne Koester, was killed in the line of duty Feb. 9, 2005. Koester, who was 33 at the time, and two other deputies were ambushed while responding to a domestic violence call. All three deputies were shot, and Koester succumbed to his injuries; the other two deputies recovered. Jason Wheeler was shot and paralyzed during his capture and convicted in Koester’s death. Cook was also close to Chris Daniels, who was serving as Lake County Sheriff when he was tragically killed in a charity bus race in 2006, on his birthday.
Participants will meet at 9 a.m. at Wooton Park, 100 East Ruby Street, Tavares. The first stop will be the Lake County Administration Building, then a stop at the Tavares Public Safety Complex and the walk will end at Kalua Beach Bar with lunch, provided by owner Randy Connor; come a little early to enjoy donuts and coffee donated by Greg Wilmore of New Life Baptist Church Leesburg.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A rollover crash sent one person to the hospital by helicopter and another by ground Tuesday morning, according to Eustis Police Department.
Wilbert McMillian, 66, of Eustis, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck westbound on East Barnes Avenue when he attempted to turn southbound on Bay Street, shortly before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
McMillian failed to yield to traffic traveling southbound on Bay Street and rear-ended a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox being driven by Brittany Weatherspoon, 30, of Umatilla. The impact caused the Equinox to strike the median and rollover three times before landing on its roof. Weatherspoon was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, and her passenger, a 4-year-old boy, was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares by Lake EMS. Their conditions were unknown at press time.
The crash occurred just minutes before school zone lights and speed limits were activated in that area.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla.—A Umatilla man was arrested Thursday after stealing a pickup truck from the City of Umatilla and heading into Volusia County at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Just before 3:45 p.m. VSO received a call from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office advising a truck stolen from the City of Umatilla was headed into Volusia County. About 20 minutes later the truck was spotted on West New York Avenue, also known as State Road 44, near the Lake County line, according to an arrest affidavit.
The driver, Eblair Sylvain, 18, apparently saw law enforcement officers and began driving the truck over 100 miles per hour, passing multiple vehicles, going in and out of the ditch area on the side of the road and almost causing several head-on collisions.
Body cam footage of the apprehension of Eblair Sylvain, 18, who is accused of stealing a truck from the City of Umatilla and reaching speeds of more than 100 mph in Volusia County Thursday. VIDEO: Volusia Sheriff’s Office
A VSO deputy deployed stop sticks and struck two passenger side tires and Sylvain continued driving about a half a mile before bailing out, armed with a gun. He fled into a wooded area, dropped the gun and VSO deployed a K9 that apprehended Sylvain a short time later, the affidavit states.
The gun, which had an altered serial number, was found on the scene and Sylvain reportedly told VSO he stole the truck because he was “bored,” and claimed he found the gun under the seat of the truck.
Sylvain was arrested for grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, resisting arrest without violence and reckless driving. He was also issued a traffic citation for improper lane change, according to the affidavit.
He was transported to the Volusia Branch Jail, where he is being held on $17,000 bond.
