Avon Park lost the Highlands County seat to Sebring by sixty-seven votes
The National Register nomination describes “a bitter contest” between Sebring and Avon Park for the seat of the newly created county, noting that Avon Park was the older and larger incorporated town — 890 residents to Sebring’s 812 in the 1920 federal census — and recording that founder George E. Sebring and the Sebring Board of Trade prevailed.[nrhp-90000486]
The contest unfolded across two distinct political and electoral stages.
Legislative Creation and the Temporary Seat
When the Florida Legislature partitioned old DeSoto County into five separate counties in April 1921, the legislative committee — which included W. M. Reck of Avon Park and George E. Sebring of Sebring — negotiated county boundaries and initial arrangements.[wpa-hrs-highlands] Sponsoring bills introduced by Senator Frank M. Cooper and Representative Dr. E. J. Etheredge passed the Senate on 20 April and the House on 21 April 1921, receiving final approval from Governor Cary A. Hardee on 23 April 1921 as Chapter 8513.[lof-1921-8513]
Section 3 of Chapter 8513 designated Sebring as the temporary county seat. Section 5 required the newly appointed Board of County Commissioners to call a special election for a permanent county seat, to be conducted no later than the second Tuesday in February 1923.[lof-1921-8513]
This statutory designation gave Sebring an immediate institutional advantage. From 1 September 1921, Highlands County leased the second floor of the Sebring-Hainz Building on North Ridgewood Avenue for its courthouse offices, courtrooms, and county commission meetings, establishing established administrative patterns before voters went to the polls.[wpa-hrs-highlands]
The Permanent County-Seat Election of 1922
The Board of County Commissioners ordered the permanent county-seat election for Tuesday, 21 November 1922. On Thursday, 23 November 1922, the commission convened in Sebring to canvass the certified precinct returns:[wpa-hrs-highlands]
| Candidate Town | Official Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Sebring | 844 | 51.7% |
| Avon Park | 777 | 47.6% |
| Lake Stearns (Lake Placid) | 8 | 0.5% |
| DeSoto City | 3 | 0.2% |
| Total Votes Cast | 1,632 | 100.0% |
Sebring secured an absolute majority of fifty-six votes over all competing locations combined (844 to 788) and defeated Avon Park by a margin of sixty-seven votes.[wpa-hrs-highlands]
Permanent Construction and Civic Aftermath
Following certification of the election, the Board of County Commissioners moved rapidly to anchor county government permanently in Sebring. On 8 August 1923, the board purchased Block 74 in downtown Sebring for $10,000 as the site for a permanent courthouse and county jail.[wpa-hrs-highlands] In 1926, the county completed a Classical Revival brick-and-limestone courthouse designed by architect Fred A. Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, and constructed by general contractor D. J. Phipps at a cost of $212,000 financed through county bond issues.[wpa-hrs-highlands]
The loss of the county seat by sixty-seven votes shifted regional judicial, legal, and administrative development seven miles south along the Lake Wales Ridge, prompting Avon Park civic and commercial leaders to concentrate their development efforts on commercial citrus packing, railroad expansion, tourism, and hotel construction along the Mile Long Mall.
References
- lof-1921-8513 — Legislature of the State of Florida. Chapter 8513 (No. 118), Laws of Florida 1921, General Laws: An Act to Divide the County of DeSoto, and to Create and Establish the Counties of Hardee, Highlands, Glades and Charlotte. 23 April 1921. laws-of-florida-chapter-8513-1921.md
- wpa-hrs-highlands — Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey (Florida County Histories, Series S 1284, Box 2, State Library and Archives of Florida). Historical Sketch of Highlands County / A Brief Sketch of the Creation and History of Highlands County. 1939. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/343160
- nrhp-90000486 — United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Avon Park Historic District. 22 March 1990. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/90000486_text
Related
- Entity: Highlands County
- Reference: Chapter 8513, Laws of Florida 1921
- Finding: DeSoto County’s plat books were transcribed into Highlands County
- Report: Main Street, the Mall and City Hall
Where this comes from
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- corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
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- unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
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Sources
- Legislature of the State of Florida, Chapter 8513 (No. 118), Laws of Florida 1921, General Laws: An Act to Divide the County of DeSoto, and to Create and Establish the Counties of Hardee, Highlands, Glades and Charlotte (1921)
- Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey (Florida County Histories, Series S 1284, Box 2, State Library and Archives of Florida), Historical Sketch of Highlands County / A Brief Sketch of the Creation and History of Highlands County (1939)
- United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Avon Park Historic District (1990)
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