The Love Local campaign, launched by the City of Winter Garden last fall, continues in 2021 with a line-up of programs and activities to help small businesses recover from financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intent of...
Seventy (70) new 1 bedroom rental units with a large clubhouse and pool were recently opened in Clermont overlooking Jacks Lake. The rental units are located behind Home Depot. Residents age 62 and above are eligible if they...
Steve Smith of the advocacy group Housing for All of Lake County hosted a recent meeting at the South Lake Community Foundation with the Mayors and County Commissioners in south Lake County to discuss solutions to the growing affordable...
Submitted by the Animal League
My name is Pawdrey Hepburn and I am a bee-u-tiful Snowshoe Siamese Blend. I am 5 years young and weigh about 7 pounds. I am very sweet and very playful. If I had my own...
submitted by the Team At Keep Clermont Rural
Friends,
The Green swamp is facing its greatest threat yet and we need your help!
In two days, this Tuesday, February 23, 2021, the Central Florida Sand Mining Association will be back again in front of...
Article and Photos by Linda Charlton
The Bison Needs A Name
The Presidents Hall of Fame has a bison, and museum manager/curator Tommy Candido would like help naming it. The life-size bovine replica is not in the museum proper, it is...
Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
On a rainy spring day, Dunkin’ brought rays of sunshine to Clermont with its fresh donuts, great service, masks, gloves, happy staff and safe social distancing protocols.
The South Lake Chamber of Commerce...
Beginning Monday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m., Lake County residents can apply for rental assistance through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Registration for the program will close at 11:59 p.m. on March 21.
Lake County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program is...
Two elementary school teachers and one high school teacher—all with less than three years’ experience— on Wednesday learned they are already leaders in their profession.
Jacob Carriero, a physical education teacher at Mascotte Charter Elementary, Amy Crofts, a pre-K/ESE teacher...
Lake County welcomes several NCAA Division I softball regular-season games to the area, with games starting this weekend and going into next month. In conjunction with THE Spring Games organization, more than a dozen college softball teams from across...
Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The City of Clermont has been working on its Downtown and Waterfront Development Plan for quite a few years and remains committed to keeping its community updated with ongoing quarterly updates.
The City's...
Article and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
Rocker Realty of Clermont is currently celebrating its Grand Reopening. The Real Estate Office has been specializing in sales and property management in South Lake since 1972.
Emily Phillips has become the new lead broker...
Five Lake County students have been named Finalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Finalists are Jackson Cheplick, East Ridge High School; Audrey Lord, Eustis High School; and Kendyl Cardwell, Jathin Gadiparthi, and Avery Morrison, Montverde Academy.
According...
OAKLAND, FL — For Sgt. Anthony Vitale and K9 Chase, the Feb. 9 Town Commission meeting was bittersweet. The occasion officially marked K9 Chase’s retirement and Sgt. Vitale’s acceptance of the Police Chief’s Award.
In 2016, Sgt. Vitale approached the...
Groveland - Cherrylake and IMG Citrus, who are both subsidiaries of IMG Enterprises, a 90-million-dollar Florida agri-business with diversified operations in citrus, ornamental landscape, ecosystem restoration, and real estate, today announced it has appointed Melanie Ressler, Timothee Sallin, and...
Pastfinders of South Lake County is a genealogical society. In the 1980s a group of Clermont residents took classes on Genealogy and found it extremely exciting. They wanted to pass on the knowledge they had to others. They decided to...
Articles and Photos by Ted Luebbers
The Florida Aviation Network paid a visit to the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida on January 30, 2021 to shoot a television show about their aviation youth...
The Clermont Police Department is investigating a reported bank robbery that occurred at approximately 9:45 AM at Regions Bank, located at 2630 E. Highway 50.
The Clermont Police Department responded to Regions Bank for a reported bank robbery. Bank staff...
Jordon Spears from Modica & Associates recently confirmed that pollen is floating on the west side and throughout Lake Minneola.
Jordon reported on heavy cyanobacterial blooms in lakes Palatlakaha and Minnehaha. They are keeping watch on the canal leading to...
Lake County Supervisor of Elections, Alan Hays, announces scholarships available through the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE). Local college or university students may apply for one of the three $1,200 scholarships to be awarded across the state.
To be eligible...
Beginning Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, at 3 p.m., Lake County residents can preregister for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Registrants will be notified when the application portal opens and will receive additional program information.
Lake County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program...
Terrific Kids is a character-building Kiwanis program that recognizes students for modifying their behavior. The program encourages kids to become the best version of themselves. Kids determine what being terrific means to them, then develop their own goals and...
New Hope Christian Academy, located at 105 E Baker St., Minneola, recently honored its Terrific Kids for January, and members of the Kiwanis Club of Clermont were there to help celebrate the kids' achievements.
Terrific Kids is a Kiwanis Club...
Kiwanis Club of Clermont members welcomed guest speaker Author William "Bill" Delia to their meeting.
Bill is a writer, poet, and songwriter with eleven books currently in print. His next novel release, "Remember Who You Are", will be published later this...
The Clermont Police Department is launching a new online reporting platform for Clermont citizens.
“As part of our commitment to providing exceptional service to our Champions, this web-based reporting system will allow the public to file certain incidents, such as...
MINNEOLA
Hills of Minneola - If you haven't driven past Hancock Road, near the Florida Turnpike, you'll probably be startled (lots of construction and dirt being moved around). The multi-phased development being constructed, consists of approximately 2,200 single-family houses and...
Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
Mayor Pat Kelley is proudly known as a fiscal conservative and a hero in his Minneola community. Born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he started life in a military family on a...
Photos and Article by Larry Oskin
Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut celebrated their grand opening in Groveland. Members of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting. Many dignitaries from Clermont, Groveland, and south Lake attended, including Groveland...
The Florida Department of Health in Lake County (DOH-Lake) Groveland Amazon site will be closed effective immediately thru Monday, February 15, 2021 due to lack of vaccine availability. They will re-open once the next shipment arrives which is expected...
Four community leaders have joined the Education Foundation of Lake County Board of Directors.
The new members include:
Lee Woods, President of Lee Woods Construction
Lori Baker, real estate agent at Baker Hampton Team at BNB Realty
Alise Morris, Business...
Darren Johnson, Clermont downtown entrepreneur, received approval by Clermont City Council to proceed with plans to build on a 1.04-acre site, located on the northwest corner of West Avenue and Minneola Avenue intersection. The mixed-use project consists of 25...
submitted by the Animal League
Hi Friends!
Bo here, and I am looking for a new place to call my forever home. I am a HANDSOME 4.5yr old Labrador Retriever/Staffordshire Terrier Blend and weigh about 56 pounds. I have the most gorgeous black...
Lake-Sumter State College and Stetson University have entered into a new agreement that creates the opportunity for LSSC Honors students to transfer to Stetson University’s Honors Program upon completion of their Associate in Arts (AA) degree.
Stetson University, in DeLand,...
by Michelle Delaney
Mary Kathy Leslie, a Clermont homeschooled 11th grader, is a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders on March 20th and 21st, 2021.
Mary Kathy's nomination was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize...
The Champions Trail Race (CTC), which took place on Saturday, Jan. 23rd in Clermont, raised $2,320 for the South Lake branch of the Boys & Girls Club.
The first-year race was part of Clermont Triathlon Club’s initiative to make endurance...
Congregation Sinai will host their annual Purim Party celebration service virtually this year on Friday, February 26 starting at 7:30 to 9 PM. This combination Kabbalat Shabbat service will be filled with entertaining music and a Megillah reading. To...
Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont remains a truly unique and valuable treasure trove of American history. Sadly the founders, John Zweifel and his wife Jan, recently passed away.
Their six children...
Shannon Clark, a fourth grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at Eustis Heights Elementary, is the 2022 Lake County Schools Teacher of the Year.
Clark, a Mount Dora resident who has been teaching for seven years, was announced the...
The Clermont Police Department will host from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Feb. 10, in partnership with Cheeser’s Palace, located at 707 West Montrose Street.
Coffee with a Cop is a nationwide program that reinforces good relations between the community...
In honor of National Day of Service, the Lake County Democratic Party organized a drive-thru food donation initiative on Sunday, January 17th which collected more than 3,000lbs of food donations for the Lake Cares food pantry in Mt. Dora...
The Town of Oakland is proud to announce the opening of the Healthy West Orange Arts and Heritage Center at the Town of Oakland on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors of the Center will have the...
Step back in time to early Lake County at the Bourlay Historic Nature Park. Sign up for a guided tour of the nature preserve by moonlight and lantern.
Your guide will discuss the rich history of the preserve and along...
First Saturday Montverde Market at Kirk Park begins Saturday, February 6! Visit the market from 10 am - 3 pm and shop from over 30 different vendors, while enjoying live music.
Seven Day Update on the COVID-19 Virus
Good AND Bad News! The number of positive cases of COVID-19 virus is trending down, however, new variants of the virus are showing up all over the nation. The best way to stop...
Feature Story & Photos by Larry H. Oskin
The Southern On 8th Kitchen and Bar Brings Charm, Grace & Fine Dining To Clermont!
The Southern On 8th Kitchen & Bar recently opened for the fine dining experience of its guests. With...
Hosted By The Clermont Downtown Partnership
The Clermont Downtown Partnership continues to host exciting new Downtown Clermont food, entertainment and events. Many of the downtown shops remain open late. Hundreds of visitors regularly pack the streets with masks and safe...
Article by Marty Proctor
Wednesday afternoon, January 27, the Lake County Water Authority (LCWA) unanimously approved the replacement of the Villa City dam on the Palatlakaha Creek. The dam was originally built in 1963. It has been repaired several times...
As of yesterday afternoon, 4,173 appointments had been administered at the State-supported immunization site since its soft launch last Wednesday. Today, we added second dose appointments. We have received a lot of positive feedback about the site and will...
Clermont, already known as a low-crime community, experienced a 14.3% overall reduction in crime in 2020, according to recently released Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics.
“Undoubtedly, this reduction in crime is attributed to the dedicated men and women of the...
This year, the Clermont Police Department (CPD) was involved in many programs, projects and public events, including the planning/preparation of two peaceful protests; implementing COVID protocols; executing a BODY Cam program and a new ONLINE reporting system, and maintaining...