FIRST

A sneak peek into the fascinating people who make Lake and Sumter counties great.

Some 107 years ago…

Tavares is branded as America’s Seaplane City, which is fitting since the first recorded seaplane flight was 107 years ago, off Lake Eustis on Feb. 23, 1914. According to the city’s historical records, the flight was piloted by Tony Janus,…

The art of isolation

In March of 2020, soon after COVID-19 and quarantines were introduced, 81-year-old Janet Fittro of Eustis began painting and telling stories, also adding scripture, and sharing them on her personal Facebook page. “The response was overwhelming… my readers were encouraged…

Outstanding Student: Cerina Rolle

Running toward bright future of world travel and helping others. Photos: Nicole Hamel Vital stats: 17 years old. Junior at Eustis High School. Member of basketball and track teams. One older sister in college. Secretary of student council her freshman…

Person of Interest: Ebo Reul Isaac Entsuah

Finding crumbs after hitting the ground running. Photo: Nicole Hamel Vital Stats 27 years old. Ebo means “boy born on Tuesday,” and he was actually born in Toronto on a Tuesday. Family includes parents, two older sisters, fiancée Morgan Ana,…

Here they come

Three of Florida’s 10 fastest-growing towns are in Lake County. Fruitland Park tops the list, followed by Groveland at No. 2 and Clermont and No. 9. The list comes from HomeSnacks, a website that conducts studies and provides what it…

Jones’ top boss has passion for aviation

Jones Brothers Air and Seaplane Adventures, a popular attraction based in Tavares, was recently acquired by Peter Closi, a Florida native and entrepreneur who has helicopter and seaplane tour operations in Key West and St. Petersburg/Clearwater. “I have a passion…

Why so Blue?

Groveland’s District 5 Councilman Randolph Waite (appointed in November 2019 and elected in a special election March 2020) is working alongside fellow council members, city staff and local residents to reinvent the historic Groveland neighborhood surrounding Blue Street. It is…

Welcome to Lake 2021

Akers Media is pleased to announce that the 2021 edition of Welcome to Lake, a detailed guide of everything high and low to do in Lake County, will be released later this month! Readers will enjoy overviews of each of…

Oh, to be young again

The City of Clermont launched a webpage that’s all about youth. According to Clermont’s official Facebook page, the city has many different programs and organizations available for its younger residents, including the Clermont Youth Council, Clermont Police Officer mentoring, and…

Did you know?

Altoona is the site of the McTureous Homestead and Museum, a 19th-century Cracker house and the childhood home of Medal of Honor recipient Robert M. McTureous, Jr., a U.S. Marine fatally wounded while fighting valiantly in Okinawa, Japan. He received…