State of Seminole County 2022 address looks back at cost of Ian, historic flooding
Seminole County Commission Chairman Amy Lockhart started the annual “State of the County” address by looking back at the past year, and the relationships and resources that brought hundreds of people to Lake Mary for the luncheon and event Monday.
Seminole County middle school student, 13, arrested after striking resource deputy in ‘groin area,’ sheriff’s office says
A 13-year-old student of Greenwood Lakes Middle School was arrested on campus Friday in a physical struggle between the teen and a school resource deputy, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
How do Seminole County deputies handle troublemakers in school? Juvenile intervention officers
Every week, John Girard and his fellow intervention officers (who are civilians, not deputies) meet with six Markham Woods students that the school identified as high-risk for dropping out or getting kicked out.
Joel Greenberg’s estranged wife seeks to sell couple’s Heathrow home
As former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg awaits sentencing on child sex trafficking and other federal charges, his estranged wife is asking a judge for permission to sell the couple’s home in Lake Mary’s Heathrow community.
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Central Florida retailers gearing up for Super Bowl weekend
LAKE MARY, Fla. – Retailers in Central Florida are preparing for a busy weekend in the lead up to Super Bowl 55 in Tampa. Workers at Academy Sports and Outdoors in Lake Mary ordered additional Tampa Bay Buccaneers merchandise after the team secured its place in the big game last month. AdThe company has also pre-ordered Bucs championship merchandise in the event of a Tampa Bay win. “We’ve got this whole flat bed and that’s Super bowl champ shirts for when they win,” Ketelaar said. All six Academy locations will have official Super Bowl Champs locker room gear for sale when each store opens Monday at 9 a.m.
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Sanford man facing murder charges connected to deadly triple shooting in Orlando
LAKE MARY, Fla. – A Sanford man is facing murder charges connected to a deadly triple shooting in Orlando on Jan. 12. Telly Engram, 21, is facing two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder with a firearm charge. A third man was dropped off at a local hospital by a personal vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. The man dropped off by a personal vehicle has died from his injuries, investigators said. The people in the car did not provide first responders information concerning the nature of his injuries, according to court records.
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2 detained in double fatal shooting in Orange County
LAKE MARY, Fla. – Two people have been detained in Lake Mary for a double fatal shooting on the 1900 block of Americana Boulevard in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Orange County deputies are investigating a deadly shooting that happened here along Americana Blvd around 2pm. Authorities were able to detain two people on Ronald Reagan Boulevard in the area of U.S. 17-92 in Lake Mary. The photo featured above shows investigators from Orange County and Seminole County responding to the scene by Lake Mary. Two people have been detained in Lake Mary for a double fatal shooting on the 1900 block of Americana Boulevard in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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Hundreds of students at 3 Seminole County high schools in quarantine
Seminole County school officials are working to contact trace students at Lake Mary High School after reports of multiple positive cases. According to officials, seven people at Lake Mary High School tested positive for COVID-19. Other high schools also saw high quarantine numbers last week. Two cases at Hagerty High School led to 112 students in quarantine and 135 students were asked to quarantine at Lake Brantley High School. According to officials, some students were involved in extracurriculars which is why the number of students needing to self quarantine is higher than usual.
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Lake Mary man killed in Florida gyrocopter crash
SAN MATEO, Fla. – A gyrocopter crashed early Sunday in a rural part of northeast Florida, killing the pilot, a 62-year-old Lake Mary man, authorities said. The pilot was the only person on the aircraft and died at the scene in a wooded area of Putnam County, according to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol. The name of the man wasn’t released immediately. Gyrocopters resemble small helicopters but they get propulsion from a rear propeller, allowing them to take off like planes. Authorities said the cause of the crash isn’t immediately known.
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Thief takes off with credit cards, iPad in Lake Mary vehicle burglary, police say
LAKE MARY, Fla. – Authorities are reminding people to lock their doors and to be careful about leaving valuables in a vehicle, after being called to a vehicle burglary at a hotel in Lake Mary. Lake Mary police were called to Homewood Suites at 755 Currency Circle on Nov. 14 just after 1 p.m. An officer met with the victim, who said he was missing a black backpack from his 2016 Ford F150 truck. The investigator said the truck was parked on the corner of the hotel parking lot and had a Mississippi tag. He noted he was missing two credit cards, an insurance card, miscellaneous medications, an inhaler, Army dog tags and a 16GB Apple iPad, the report reads. The victim said he has contacted his credit card companies and there was no activity on them.
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Lake Mary police searching for Trump sign thief
LAKE MARY, Fla. – Lake Mary police are hoping surveillance video will help them identify a woman who is accused of stealing several political signs from a neighborhood. Seconds later a woman runs across the lawn, steals a President Donald Trump political sign and takes off. “They were all Republican signs, in this case, President Trump signs and they were missing,” Hudson said. Police said the woman targeted political signs outside homes in the Hills of Lake Mary neighborhood Sunday night. If you had a political sign stolen or if you have any information on the suspect in the video, you’re asked to call Lake Mary Police at 407-665-6445.
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Postal Service in Central Florida set to hire 1,000 employees in Central Florida
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Postal Service in Central Florida is set to hire 1,000 employees in Central Florida. USPS said successful applicants will work at one of seven mail processing and distribution centers from Nov. 7 through Jan. 1. The openings include:Mail Processing Clerk pays $18.15 an hourMail Handler Assistant pays $16.55 an hourUSPS said positions are open in:Fort MyersMid Florida (Lake Mary)OrlandoSeminoleManasotaTampaYborPositions will also be available at annexes in Lakeland, Melbourne, and Tampa, according to the USPS. Anyone interested in applying can click on this link, applications for the positions listed above we be from Sept. 8 through Sept. 12.
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Teen killed when BMW splits in half during crash near Lake Mary
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. A 19-year-old Sanford man was killed, a 21-year-old driver was critically injured and a 16-year-old girl suffered injures when a BMW split in half during a crash late Tuesday in Seminole County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The fatal crash was reported around 10:30 p.m. on Country Club Road at Continental Boulevard near Lake Mary. According to the FHP, a 21-year-old Sanford man was driving a 2018 BMW north on Country Club Road when he failed to manage a curve. The car left the road, struck a tree and split into two pieces, the FHP said. The driver suffered critical injuries and was taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital, the FHP said.
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Central Floridians wanted as clinic begins work on COVID-19 vaccine
LAKE MARY, Fla. – As the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine continues, some Central Florida residents will do their part and help with the development of a vaccine against COVID-19. Accel Clinical Services announced Wednesday that its DeLand clinical research unit would serve as one of the sites for several clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines. Clinical trials help provide participants with access to new care options at no cost to them. Once submitted, a member of the Accel Research Sites team will then reach out to further evaluate eligibility. One of the confirmed studies for which Accel Research Sites is a location is the Moderna COVE Study of the mRNA-1273 vaccine,” officials said.
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Lake Mary mom channeled pregnancy cravings in Chipotle photo shoot
LAKE MARY, Florida – Jordan-Leigh Beal knew just where to take her maternity photos. She and her photographer teamed up for the photo shoot at a Chipotle restaurant in Lake Mary, FL on June 7. Beal says she suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum, a pregnancy condition that makes it hard to keep food down. She says Chipotle has been her "safe food" throughout her pregnancy. "It has been my saving grace and I couldn’t think of a better place to do my photos," Beal says.
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Sketch released of man who tried to abduct Lake Mary child, police say
LAKE MARY, Fla. – The Lake Mary Police Department has released the sketch of a man who they say tried to abduct a young girl from her home and need help identifying him. Police responded to the area of Silver Cloud Circle Monday around 6:45 p.m. after an unknown man approached a child outside her home. Officers said the man grabbed the child by her arm and pulled her away from the home, but she was ultimately able to escape and run to safety. “The unknown subject ran away from the scene on foot and was last seen in the area of Grayling Street and Timacuan Boulevard,” department officials said in a news release. “It is unknown if the subject had any other mode of transportation.”The child described the man to police as:A white male in his twentiesApproximately 6 feet tall with a normal buildBrown or blue eyes, brown hair with blonde brownish highlightsWearing black pants, a black long sleeve sweatshirt, a black surgical mask and black Nike shoesSmelled strongly of smokeIf you have any information on the incident or recognize the man in the sketch, you are urged to call the Lake Mary Police Department at 407-585-1323.
Seat belts save lives: Teen survives harrowing crash in Seminole County
A 17-year-old survived a crash Thursday morning that left his car wrapped around a wooden utility pole in Seminole County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash was reported on southbound Ronald Reagan Boulevard near Country Club Road, south of Lake Mary. The teen was airlifted to Central Florida Regional Hospital. Seat belts save lives! the FHP tweeted. Teens remember to slow down!The FHP said the crash was speed-related.Photos shared by troopers show the splintered pole standing upright in the middle of the car.
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Woman hospitalized, man arrested after shooting in Lake Mary, police say
LAKE MARY, Fla. – A woman was hospitalized with multiple gun shot wounds following a shooting in Lake Mary on Saturday, according to the Lake Mary Police Department. A man, later identified as 34-year-old Jamalah Lewis, was taken into custody following the shooting at the gated Fountain Parke townhome neighborhood off of Rinehart Road, police said. Photo courtesy Seminole County Jail (Copyright 2020 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.) Zach Hudson of the Lake Mary Police Department said the victim and the suspect knew each other. Lewis is being held at the Seminole County Jail without bond.
2-alarm fire scorches Seminole County home
Published: May 6, 2020, 6:16 amLONGWOOD, Fla. – Fire ripped through a Seminole County home late Tuesday, but no one was hurt, according to officials. The fire started around 11 p.m. on Wingfield Drive off Markham Woods Road near Longwood. Firefighters from Seminole County, Longwood and Lake Mary battled the two-alarm blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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‘It’s a chronic problem:’ Lake Mary police ticketing speeders on I-4 during stay-at-home order
LAKE MARY, Fla. – The Lake Mary Police Department said with less traffic on the road due to the state's stay at home order, officers are seeing more drivers speeding. During that time, eight vehicles were pulled over for driving over the posted speed limit. Michelle Hernandez stood on the pedestrian bridge over the interstate with her radar gun and caught drivers speeding. The posted speed limit along the stretch of I-4 where the traffic enforcement operation was being conducted is 65 miles per hour. “Once traffic increases, I would imagine we’ll get back to a normalized traffic problem.
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Little santa, elf gift Disney characters handmade Christmas ornaments
Two Lake Mary children brought Christmas joy to Disney World characters. The idea all started when 5-year-old Vanessa Harmon asked her mom, Candace, if they could give Walt Disney World characters presents this Christmas. The family spent time making and decorating the ornaments before hand-delivering them at the Disney parks. The family’s Instagram account @Disney.Bound.Family said, “My 5-year-old daughter wanted to do something nice for the holidays and we came out with making ornaments. Then we took fabric paint and made little Mickey ears on the outsides.”Needless to say, everyone loved the sweet gesture.
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Lake Mary students create portraits of children for Memory Project
LAKE MARY, Fla. – Lake Mary High School art students are giving a special gift to children in Puerto Rico through a worldwide project. The Memory Project began in 2004. The goal is to cultivate kindness by inviting artists to create portraits of children who have gone through difficult times. Art teacher Karen LeBlanc said her class was given the option of creating portraits for students either in Puerto Rico or Colombia and chose Puerto Rico. Since 2004, The Memory Project has created more than 130,000 portraits for children in 47 countries.