Highlands County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Highlands County: 45 seats on 14 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 15 local governments in Highlands County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
3
3
School districts (school boards)
2
1
Special districts (elected boards)
9
3
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Highlands County
105,702people
54.4median ageU.S.: 38.9
$54,897 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
15.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%
20.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$187,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.4%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
10.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
11.1%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
13.8%U.S.: 8.4%
55.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
28.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 22.2% · White 63.1% · Black 9.3% · Asian 1.5% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Highlands County
6.3%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 6.1%. Florida: 4.2%.
34,038people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
36,340in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
6.3%
2,302
34,038
36,340
August 2026
6.8%
2,477
33,869
36,346
July 2026
6.8%
2,474
33,747
36,221
June 2026
6.6%
2,423
34,506
36,929
May 2026
6.2%
2,279
34,485
36,764
April 2026
6.4%
2,351
34,481
36,832
March 2026
6.1%
2,261
34,536
36,797
February 2026
6.8%
2,533
34,708
37,241
January 2026
7.0%
2,596
34,242
36,838
December 2025
6.2%
2,254
34,380
36,634
November 2025
7.0%
2,592
34,276
36,868
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
6.1%
2,246
34,355
36,601
August 2025
6.3%
2,270
34,032
36,302
July 2025
6.1%
2,198
33,818
36,016
June 2025
5.6%
2,057
34,606
36,663
May 2025
5.0%
1,833
34,739
36,572
April 2025
4.7%
1,701
34,842
36,543
March 2025
4.8%
1,756
35,149
36,905
February 2025
5.1%
1,877
35,206
37,083
January 2025
5.3%
1,958
35,136
37,094
December 2024
4.7%
1,702
34,826
36,528
November 2024
5.0%
1,825
34,662
36,487
October 2024
5.0%
1,829
34,811
36,640
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
5.6%
2,067
34,594
36,661
2024
4.8%
1,766
34,985
36,751
2023
4.3%
1,566
34,910
36,476
2022
4.3%
1,519
34,016
35,535
2021
6.1%
2,082
32,238
34,320
2020
8.1%
2,737
30,963
33,700
2019
4.7%
1,614
33,071
34,685
2018
4.9%
1,737
33,656
35,393
2017
5.7%
2,032
33,376
35,408
2016
6.7%
2,323
32,251
34,574
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Florida's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Highlands County
251.8 per 100,0002020. Florida: 383.6.
1,607.0 per 100,0002020. Florida: 1,769.4.
8murders2020, 296 violent crimes in all.
2020 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2020
296
251.8
1,889
1,607.0
2019
280
240.7
2,341
2,012.5
2018
314
275.7
2,394
2,101.8
2017
329
294.1
2,665
2,382.0
2016
327
297.4
2,667
2,425.4
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Highlands County Sheriff's Office
2024
0
0
97,382
Sebring Police Department
2025
22
125
12,007
Lake Placid Police Department
2025
1
26
2,609
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Florida · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.79 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 110,186 people.
197sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
198civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Highlands County Sheriff's Office
155
189
95,570
Sebring Police Department
35
6
12,007
Lake Placid Police Department
7
3
2,609
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
197
1.79
198
3
2024
159
1.42
126
3
2023
207
1.92
120
3
2022
269
2.52
112
3
2021
202
1.90
193
3
2020
200
1.87
199
3
2019
189
1.79
202
3
2018
193
1.87
201
3
2017
186
1.83
196
3
2016
180
1.80
192
3
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Highlands County Clerk of Courts?
Jerome Kaszubowski (Republican) is the Clerk of Courts of Highlands County, Florida.
Who is the Highlands County Property Appraiser?
C. Raymond McIntyre (Republican) is the Property Appraiser of Highlands County, Florida.
Who is the Highlands County Sheriff?
Paul Blackman (Republican) is the Sheriff of Highlands County, Florida.
Who is the Highlands County Supervisor of Elections?
Karen Healy (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Highlands County, Florida.
Who is the Highlands County Tax Collector?
Eric T. Zwayer (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Highlands County, Florida.
Who are the Highlands County commissioners?
Kevin Roberts (District 1); Don Elwell (District 2); Scott A. Kirouac (District 3); Arlene Tuck (District 4); Chris Campbell (District 5).
Who is on the Highlands County School Board?
Isaac Durrance (District 1); Donna Howerton (District 2); Mason Whidden (District 3); Reese Martin (District 4); Brenda Longshore (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Highlands County?
About 105,702 people, with a median age of 54.4; the median household income is $54,897 and 15.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Highlands County?
6.3% in September 2026 (preliminary): 2,302 people unemployed in a labor force of 36,340, against 6.1% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Highlands County?
15 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 2 school district and 9 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Highlands County?
3: Avon Park, Lake Placid, Sebring. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county Supervisor of Elections' official lists and candidate filings and the bodies' own websites; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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