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Highlands County, Florida

69 topographic sheets cover 31 settlements here, and 17 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

17 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Florida within the United States
Highlands County within Florida

What the record shows

  • 424 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 17 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 12 buildings, 4 districts and 1 site.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 31 populated places in this county; 31 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

17

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Archbold Biological Station at Red Hillbuilding200707000698
Avon Park Historic Districtdistrict199090000486
Central Stationbuilding198989001009
Elizabeth Haines Housebuilding199393001119
Edward Hainz Housebuilding198989001010
Harder Hallbuilding199090000341
Highlands County Courthousebuilding198989001013
Highlands Hammock State Park and Florida Botanical Gardens and Arboretumdistrict2018100003021
Highway Park Cemeterysite2020100005241
Kenilworth Lodgebuilding200000000661
Lake Placid A. C. L. Railroad Depot, Oldbuilding199392001733
Pinecrest Hotel, Oldbuilding200000000266
Santa Rosa Hotelbuilding2017100000957
Seaboard Air Line Depot, Old-Sebringdistrict199090000425
Sebring Downtown Historic Districtdistrict199090000424
H. Orvel Sebring Housebuilding198989001012
Paul L. Vinson Housebuilding198989001011

Photographs from libraries nationwide

7 of 19 shown

Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 19 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.

Morrow Motel, Sebring, Florida, Boston Public Library - undated
Morrow Motel, Sebring, Florida. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
"Golfers paradise" in the orange groves, Boston Public Library - undated
"Golfers paradise" in the orange groves. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Fisher's Restaurant, Boston Public Library - undated
Fisher's Restaurant. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
The Eastman Fruit Basket, Lan - Joy - Mommy - Daddy Ben - Bennie, happy to have you stop and visit with us, Boston Public Library - undated
The Eastman Fruit Basket, Lan - Joy - Mommy - Daddy Ben - Bennie, happy to have you stop and visit with us. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Miller Motel, U.S. highway 27-- 2 miles south of-- Sebring, Florida, Boston Public Library - undated
Miller Motel, U.S. highway 27-- 2 miles south of-- Sebring, Florida. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
"Tuffy". Tuffy Coach Co.-- Sebring, Fla., Boston Public Library - undated
"Tuffy". Tuffy Coach Co.-- Sebring, Fla.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
"Golfers paradise" in the orange groves, Boston Public Library - undated
"Golfers paradise" in the orange groves. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.

The county from the air

28 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 756 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 28 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-03-03, scale 1:28400
1952-03-03, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-03-03, scale 1:28400
1952-03-03, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-03-03, scale 1:28400
1952-03-03, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-06, scale 1:80000
1978-03-06, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-06, scale 1:80000
1978-03-06, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-06, scale 1:80000
1978-03-06, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-07, scale 1:80000
1980-02-07, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-07, scale 1:80000
1980-02-07, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-04-06, scale 1:60000
1950-04-06, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-04-06, scale 1:60000
1950-04-06, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-04-06, scale 1:60000
1950-04-06, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-04-06, scale 1:60000
1950-04-06, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-03-03, scale 1:28400
1952-03-03, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-10-14, scale 1:125742
1969-10-14, scale 1:125742. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-10-14, scale 1:125742
1969-10-14, scale 1:125742. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-10-14, scale 1:125742
1969-10-14, scale 1:125742. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-10-14, scale 1:125742
1969-10-14, scale 1:125742. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-01-31, scale 1:59600
1970-01-31, scale 1:59600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-24, scale 1:126336
1970-03-24, scale 1:126336. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-24, scale 1:124995
1970-03-24, scale 1:124995. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-24, scale 1:122520
1970-03-24, scale 1:122520. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-06, scale 1:80000
1978-03-06, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-02-10, scale 1:80000
1979-02-10, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-02-10, scale 1:80000
1979-02-10, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-02-10, scale 1:80000
1979-02-10, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-02-10, scale 1:80000
1979-02-10, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-03-22, scale 1:80000
1980-03-22, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-03-22, scale 1:80000
1980-03-22, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

37 stations, 15 gages

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

The 1950 census, district by district

25 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 28-1Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 1 Bounded by City limits; City limits; Winthrop; Seaboard Air Line Railroad
  • 28-2Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 1 Bounded by City limits; Seaboard Air Line Railroad; State Hwy. 64; City limits
  • 28-3Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 1, excluding King's Jacaranda Hotel Bounded by Winthrop; City limits; Main, State Hwy. 64; Seaboard Air Line Railroad
  • 28-4King's Jacaranda Hotel (In Avon Park city, Connissioner's District 1)
  • 28-5Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 1 Bounded by State Hwy. 64, Main; City limits; State Hwy. 8, Cornell, Commissioner's District line;Seaboard Air Line Railroad
  • 28-6Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 1 Bounded by State Hwy. 64; Seaboard Air Line Railroad; Commissioner's District line, Cornell; City limits
  • 28-7Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 2 Bounded by Cornell, Commissioner's District line; Atlantic Coast Line Railroad; City limits; City limits
  • 28-8Avon Park city - That part in Commissioner's District 2 Bounded by Commissioner's District line, Cornell, State Hwy. 8; City limits; City limits; Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
  • 28-9Avon Park Air Force Base - That part in Commissioner's District 1 - That part outside of Avon Park city and excluding Avon Park Air Force Base (part)
  • 28-10Avon Air Force Base - That part in Commissioner's District 1 (Remainder of Avon Park Air Force Base is in Commissioner's District 2) (Remainder of Commissioner's District 1 is in Avon Park city)
  • 28-11Sebring city - That part in Commissioner's District 2 Bounded by City limits; City limits, Commissioner's District line, Fruit Ave., Palm, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Lemon; Pine; Pomegranate Ave., State Rd. 8, Home Ave., Commissioner's District line, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
  • 28-12Sebring city - That part in Commissioner's District 2 Bounded by City limits; City limits; Commissioner's District line; City limits
  • 28-13Sebring city - That part in Commissioner's District 3, excluding Sebring Hotel Bounded by Commissioner's District line, City limits; City limits; Commissioner's District line, Rose Ave., Pine, Commissioner's District; line Commissioner's District line, Center Ave., Dr., Pine, Lemon, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Palm, Fruit Ave.
  • 28-14Sebring Hotel (In Sebring city, Commissioner's District 3)
  • 28-15Sebring city - That part in Commissioner's District 4, excluding Kenilworth Lodge Bounded by Commissioner's District line, Pine, Rose Ave., Commissioner's District line; City limits; City limits; Commissioner's District line
  • 28-16Kenilworth Lodge (In Sebring city, Commissioner's District 4)
  • 28-17Sebring city - That part in Commissioner's District 5, excluding Harder Hall Bounded by City limits, Commissioner's District line, City limits, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Commissioner's District line, Home Ave. State Rd. 8; Pomegranate Ave., Pine, Ridgewood Dr., Center Ave., Commissioner's District line; City limits; City limits
  • 28-18N/A
  • 28-19Commissioner's District 2 - That part outside Avon Park and Sebring cities, and excluding Avon Park Air Force Base (part)
  • 28-20Avon Park Air Force Base - That part in Commissioner's District 2 (Remainder of Avon Park Air Force Base is in Commissioner's District 1) (Remainder of Commissioner's District 2 is in Avon Park and Sebring cities) Commissioner's District 3, outside Sebring city
  • 28-21DeSoto City town
  • 28-22Commissioner's District 3 - That part outside Sebring city and DeSoto city town (Remainder or Commissioner's District 3 is in Sebring city)
  • 28-23Commissioner's District 4, outside Sebring city: Lake Placid city
  • 28-24Commissioner's District 4 - That part outside Lake Placid and Sebring cities (Remainder of Commissioner's District 4 is in Sebring city)
  • 28-25Commissioner's District 5 - That part outside Sebring city (Remainder of Commissioner's District 5 is in Sebring city)

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

2,832 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 2,832 of them, burning about 65,454 acres. 429 started naturally and 320 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning551
Railroad operations and maintenance493
Natural429
Equipment and vehicle use373
Arson/incendiarism320
Missing data/not specified/undetermined243
Misuse of fire by a minor126
Power generation/transmission/distribution116
Recreation and ceremony92
Smoking63
Fireworks18
Other causes8

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
17 May 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined8,800 acresMerritt Island National Wildlife RefugeECHO SPRINGS
30 May 2006Natural4,200 acresFlorida Forest ServiceCHARLIE FIRE
4 June 2000Natural2,100 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
10 February 2009Debris and open burning1,330 acresFlorida Forest Service(HI) BLUE HEAD (133)
14 January 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,089 acresFlorida Forest Service(HI) TRACER (55)
12 February 2001Recreation and ceremony1,070 acresFlorida Forest ServiceSTATION FIRE
5 December 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,050 acresFlorida Forest ServiceSE RANGE (28)
12 May 2009Natural1,001 acresFlorida Forest ServiceBOMB

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1964 to 2025

60 of 248 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 248 reports for this county, causing 5 deaths, 25 injuries and about $9,824,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind99
Hail60
Tornado49
Lightning16
Flood11
Heavy Rain8
Flash Flood2
Dust Devil1
Wildfire1
Funnel Cloud1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2025LightningBrighton2 killedHighlands County Sheriff and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers discovered the vehicle and bodies of two men and their hunting dogs on a levee along a canal near Rucks Dairy Road southeast of Brighton in Highlands County. The men had reportedly gone hunting but had not returned, and were discovered two days later. Investigators suspected the fatal lightning strike likely occurred on Monday, September 22, as the men attempted to return to their car for shelter, with the time of the incident estimated from radar and satellite data.
February 1983Tornado (F2)not stated1 killed, 6 hurt, $250,000no account filed
June 2009LightningSebring Arpt1 killed, 1 hurtA 32-year-old male was struck by a bolt from the blue while golfing on the 18th hole at the Spring Lake Golf Resort. The Lorida Fire Department put out a small fire in a nearby tree. It was not raining at the time of the lightning strike.
June 2012Tornado (EF0)Venus1 killed, $15,000A 32-year-old woman in Venus died from injuries after a tornado threw her 200 feet away from her home. She was found cradling her 3-year-old daughter in her arms who survived.
June 1982Tornado (F2)not stated9 hurt, $250no account filed
May 1978Tornado (F1)not stated2 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
October 2024Tornado (EF2)Lake Placid1 hurt, $500,000Tornado estimated to have begun near the southeastern shore of|Lake Clay before moving north-northwest across the lake and|entering the Tropical Harbor Mobile Home community situated along|the northern shore of the lake. Approximately 20 to 30 units|suffered damage, primarily consisting of carports being peeled|off or removed, along with various degrees of roof, carport and|patio damage. A few units suffered partial wall collapses as a|result of the roof being compromised, with 1 injury as a result|when a woman sheltering inside her bedroom was injured by a|collapsing exterior wall. One unit was found to have been|displaced approximately one foot off its supports, along with its|roof mostly removed and a few walls collapsed. A number of large|limbs were felled in the community as well. The tornado continued|to track north-northwest across unpopulated areas beyond the|mobile home park, then across a solar farm, before likely|dissipating near the southern shore of Lake Apthorpe. Maximum estimated winds were 130 mph.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindAvon Park1 hurt, $60,000Thunderstorm winds caused minor to moderate damage to the roofs of two mobile homes, tore off the awnings of a few homes and downed several trees in a trailer park in Avon Park. Several roadside billboards were toppled or splintered by thunderstorm winds along U.S. Highway 27 south of Avon Park.Two businesses in Avon Park received roof and gate damage from the thunderstorm wind. One person received minor cuts at the Bonnie Brae Estates mobile home park when the thunderstorm wind blew the roof off an extension to her mobile home.
November 1990Tornado (F1)not stated1 hurt, $25,000no account filed
August 2001LightningSebring1 hurtA 40 year old male was shocked and injured by the sideflash of a nearby lightning strike while cleaning the hole of a septic tank on Nautilis Drive in Sebring. The victim was ejected out of the septic tank ground hole and incurred minor injuries.
August 1999LightningSebring1 hurtHighlands County Emergency Management reported that lightning struck and injured an EMS paramedic working outdoors near Eucalyptus in Sebring. The paramedic was touching the metal door of the ambulance truck when he was struck.
September 1998LightningSebring1 hurtLightning struck and injured a female in the process of closing an umbrella before entering a vehicle during a thunderstorm with heavy rain on Crescent Drive in Sebring. The lightning struck and ignited the umbrella while the electrical shock travelled down the left side of the females body.
August 1998LightningSebring1 hurtThe Highlands County EMS reported that a 27 year old male was struck and injured by lightning in Sebring.
March 1998FloodSebring$850,000Heavy rain caused the Arbuckle Creek to rise and wash out a two-lane bridge culvert on Arbuckle Creek Road. Two vehicles that drove over the damaged bridge were washed out into the culvert and destroyed. In Avon Park, nearly two feet of water damaged 30 homes in the Bonnie Brae Mobile Home Park. Water damage also occurred at Aero Interiors and Highlands Aviation at the Avon Park Airport.
April 2022HailSebring Shores$500,000Multiple golf ball hail reports near Sebring from NWS employee and trained spotters. Damage includes broken windows and punctured siding on homes along with shattered car windshields.
March 1998Tornado (F1)Avon Park$437,000no account filed
July 2008LightningAvon Park$290,000Lightning struck the garage of a house on North Rehrer Road and started a fire that destroyed the entire house and two cars.
September 1999FloodSebring$250,000Heavy rainfall of two to four inches in less than four hours caused localized flooding and ponding of water over already saturated soils of southwest Highlands county. At least 25 homes, many of them mobile, incurred water damage along the U.S. Highway 27 corridor from Venus to Sebring.
June 1983Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
March 1982Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
June 1982Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
January 1979Tornadonot stated$250,000no account filed
April 1976Tornado (F0)not stated$250,000no account filed
August 2008FloodSebring Shores$220,000Widespread heavy rains of 5-12 inches associated with Tropical Storm Fay caused $150,000 in flood damage to washed out roads and culverts. Five homes along Arbuckle Creek received flood damage totaling $70,000.
May 2009LightningLake Placid$187,000A restaurant was completely destroyed by a lightning induced fire. The market value of the building was $132,000 while the contents were estimated at $65,000.
March 1998Thunderstorm WindAvon Park$150,000Downburst winds from a thunderstorm caused structural damage to several metal buildings and sheds along State Road 64 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 in Avon Park. The downburst winds blew from north northwest to south southeast which damaged several north facing roof overhangs and facades of commercial buildings along State Road 64.
October 2024Tornado (EF1)Venus$100,000Tornado damage was first observed near the intersection of County|Rd 731 and Alphonso Lane, where several hardwood oaks had large|branches snapped along with a home with roof and garage damage.|The track continued north along Alphonso Lane producing roof|damage to an additional home and shed, while snapping several|pine trees and uprooting a few palm trees. A small storage|structure was destroyed and multiple long trailers, a large|pickup truck and horse trailer were overturned at one residence,|while another had a speedboat knocked into it after being blown|off its trailer. Another residence had a RV moved about 100 yards|from a carport, with an ATV at the location flipped. The damage|path continued north for another quarter-mile, snapping two large|oak trees near the trunk before becoming difficult to discern|thereafter, with the tornado estimated to have dissipated. Maximum estimated winds were 105 mph.
October 2002LightningSebring$100,000Lightning penetrated four different safety devices to destroy an electrical substation. About 2,300 people were without power for up to 20 hours.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindLake Placid$100,000Thunderstorm winds ripped off large segments of a dairy farm roof and damaged several smaller out buildings on Southwest Ruck's Dairy Road near State Road 70, six miles southeast of Lake Placid.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Sebring$100,000The public observed a short lived tornado sporadically touch down near the intersection of West Josephine Road and Bethea Lane over rural extreme western Highlands county. The tornado removed the roofs of two mobile homes, caused extensive damage to the roof of a commercial building, toppled a few large trees and snapped several branches at a commercial tree farm before it lifted and dissipated.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindSebring$100,000Thunderstorm winds removed the roof structure of a fifteen vehicle aluminum carport 25 to 30 feet away from the Highlands Regional Medical Center on U.S. Highway 27. Several large tree limbs were also downed by thunderstorm winds in Sebring.
August 1997Tornado (F0)Sebring$100,000A short-lived tornado caused roof damage to seven pre-fabricated homes, downed a handful of trees and a few power lines along U.S. Highway 98 in Lorida. Two of the homes suffered major roof damage while five received minor roof damage. A parked boat and vehicle were also damaged by a 40 foot Formosa tree toppled by the tornado. The tornado tore a flagpole from the ground and ripped off several carports along Bishop Dairy Road before it lifted and dissipated.
November 1997Flash FloodSebring$100,000no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindSebring$75,000Highlands county emergency management reported that thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to seventeen homes and eight businesses in Sebring.
June 2012Tornado (EF1)Placid Lakes$60,000Public video shows a tornado hitting power lines and kicking up debris. The 600 block of Lake June Road on the north side of the lake had damaged homes.
October 2024Tornado (EF1)Wild Is$50,000Tornado estimated to have begun over rural area south of Wild|Island and county road 621 in conjunction with robust|reflectivity and velocity signatures via the distant KTBW radar.|Social media pictures and videos of the tornado emerged shortly|thereafter of the tornado passing near Wild Island while tracking|north-northwest. The tornado continued over mostly rural|countryside for another approximately five miles with additional|pictures and videos capturing it along its track, and a TDS|became apparent at a height up to around six thousand feet as the|circulation neared Hacienda Drive, about a mile before crossing|U.S. Highway 98 east of Lorida, where several power poles and|pine trees were snapped. Continuing north-northwest, the tornado|then tracked across Bluff Hammock Rd where eyewitnesses reported|its passage, and then North Lake Drive, where it peeled off large|metal roof panels of an outbuilding and buckled its doors, before|a weakening radar signature suggested the tornado likely weakened|and dissipated. Maximum estimated winds were 105 mph.
October 2024Tornado (EF0)(Agr)Avon Park$50,000Tornado damage was first noted to Oak Tree Inn along U.S. Hwy|27 where portions of its roof were blown off and deposited in an|area of trees to its rear. Large tree limbs were also snapped in|the vicinity. An intermittent damage path continued off to the|north-northwest west of U.S. Hwy 27 where two single-wide|trailers along S Hart Avenue suffered awning damage while a piece|of large metal roofing of unknown origin had been deposited|between them. The final damage point presumed to have been|associated with the tornado was several large oak branches|snapped near State Route 64/W Main Street, with the tornado|dissipating thereafter. Maximum estimated winds were 85 mph.
March 2018Thunderstorm WindSebring$50,000The Highlands County 911 call center reported widespread wind damage throughout the county, with numerous trees and power lines down.
March 2018Thunderstorm WindSebring Air Terminal$50,000The AWOS at Sebring Regional Airport reported a 62 MPH thunderstorm wind gust.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindLake Jackson$50,000Highlands County Emergency Management reported that a total of 10 homes sustained wind damage in a mobile home park. Two of the homes became uninhabitable, while the other eight sustained minor damage. A video of the event appears to show the damage was caused by a gustnado along a shelf cloud boundary.
July 2016LightningDesoto City$50,000Lightning is believed to be the cause of a fire that destroyed one mobile home and damaged four others.
July 2008Tornado (EF0)Sebring Arpt$50,000Several homes received minor carport and awning damage, several trees and power lines were blown down, and debris damaged 3 vehicles in the Spring Lake area.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindSebring$50,000The Glades Electric Cooperative and Skywarn Spotters reported that thunderstorm winds removed the roofs of up three weathered mobile homes, downed several large trees, power lines and toppled a few road and billboard signs along U.S. Highway 98 from Lorida to near Sebring.
September 1999FloodSebring$50,000Four to six inches of rain caused localized flooding of roadways and low-lying areas along the U.S. Highway 27 corridor from Sebring south to Venus. A few vehicles and homes incurred water damage from the floodwaters from Sebring to Venus.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindLake Placid$50,000The Highlands County Sheriffs Department reported that thunderstorm winds downed several large trees in and around Lake Placid.
September 1999FloodAvon Park$50,000Three to five inches of rain fell in less than three hours and caused localized flooding of homes, businesses and woodlands in low-lying areas along the U.S. Highway 27 corridor from Avon Park to Venus.
July 1998FloodAvon Park$50,000Four to six inches of heavy rain fell in less than three hours and caused localized flooding of low lying areas along the U.S. Highway 17 corridor between Avon Park and Sebring. A few homes and several vehicles incurred water damage in the Highland Lakes area near Avon Park.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindSebring$50,000Five homes suffered minor to moderate roof and structural damage, along with major porch damage, on Indian Boulevard on the north side of Lake Charlotte from thunderstorm downburst winds. Thunderstorm winds also damaged trees and potted plants on Orange Blossom Boulevard near State Road 66.
April 1993Tornado (F0)Avon Park$50,000A small tornado moved through the Mobile Home Village at Charlie Creek on SR 64 near Avon Park damaging 14 mobile homes.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindLorida$37,500Five powerpoles were snapped along Cowhouse Road south of US Highway 98.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindSebring$30,000Law enforcement reported minor roof damage to one structure and a downed tree onto another nearby structure.
January 1999Thunderstorm WindAvon Park$30,000Thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to the roofs, porches, lanais and carports of few homes along the U.S. Highway 27 corridor between Avon Park and Sebring.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindAvon Park$25,000Highlands County EM relayed reports and pictures of 2 barns damaged by straight-line winds associated with a downburst from thunderstorms in the area. Mostly minor damage consisting of metal siding or roofing peeled away from the structures.
October 2024Tornado (EF1)Archbold$25,000Tornado is from the same cell that moved over Venus, but no known|damage indicators between the points to indicate a continuous|path. Half of the roof was torn off of the Archbold COOP Station|building, with some minor damage to the roof of a nearby|building. Trees and open fields surround the property, with the|start of the track estimated, and the rotation weakening on radar|shortly thereafter before reaching Lake Annie and SR 70 to the|north. Maximum estimated winds were 105 mph.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindDesoto City$25,000Highlands County Emergency Management reported roof damage to 6 homes in Lake Josephine. One home on Leona Dr. lost the majority of the roof. Trees, power lines, and a few carports were blown down as well. The time was estimated by radar.
September 2000Tornado (F0)Lake Placid$25,000A fast moving tornado, associated with an outer rainband of Hurricane Gordon, was observed to sporadically touch down by a Skywarn Spotter in Lake Placid. The tornado downed a few trees, toppled power lines and snapped several branches in Lake Placid before it continued to move north northwest over rural semi-wooded western Highlands county. The tornado was last observed at Highlands Hammock State Park where it touched down and destroyed a ranger outhouse before it receded and dissipated.
June 1982Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
May 1978Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
March 1978Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1975Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed

Mines and quarries

3 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 3 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 2 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand2
Peat1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Tu-Co Peat - Tu-Co PitPeatProducerPeat
Alpha General Services - Alpha MineSandUnknownSand
Dot Sebring - Maint. #09-03 MineSandUnknownSand

Every populated place in the county

31

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.