Rocky Ellingsworth, who was fired July 2 as the Highlands County Sports Complex manager, lost his appeal of his termination. ...more

July 23, 2008

Of the four Highlands County employees appealing their firings, one's appeal was denied, one is awaiting a decision early next week, and two will have their appeals heard on Aug. 14. ...more

July 19, 2008

Imagine Vicki Pontius' surprise. She had rented the football fields at Highlands County Sports Complex to the Sebring Youth Football Association. ...more

July 17, 2008

SEBRING — The Highlands County Tourist Development Council has weighed in on what it thinks about the Highlands County Sports Complex manager position. The issue was discussed briefly at Thursday's meeting and was brought up as a result of the news that Rocky Ellingsworth had been fired from the position Wednesday. ...more

July 5, 2008

SEBRING — Highlands County Sports Complex Manager Rocky Ellingsworth was fired by Highlands County administration Wednesday for using his county position for personal profit, according to a press release from the county. Specifically, he is accused of using his relationship with a company called Strike Three Softball Inc. to recruit a tournament played at the sports complex, but instead of turning over to the county the fees paid by the teams, he apparently pocketed the majority of the funds. Payroll records indicate he was paid for 20 hours time during the two days the tournament was held. ...more

July 2, 2008

SEBRING — In a closed-door meeting last week, the owners and/or general managers of the top five hotels in this city met privately with new Highlands County administrator Michael Wright to make one request: don't get rid of Rocky Ellingsworth, the Highlands County Sports Complex manager. The hotel owners and managers all told Wright that Ellingsworth is almost single handedly responsible for filling most of their hotel rooms on many off-season weekends because he brings in first-class softball and baseball tournaments. They also said that league and tournament directors who had tournaments at the sports complex have told them they will cancel their tournament dates and hotel accommodations for the fall if Ellingsworth loses his job here. Many of the hotel owners and managers also said they've been told that some tournaments will leave and never come back if Ellingsworth isn't working here, and the teams will travel to whatever new location Ellingsworth works in to hold their weekend tournaments there. ...more

June 30, 2008

PORT RICHEY - All four-wheeled dancers, leapers and gliders with hopes of qualifying for next month's national figure skating championships converged upon Port Richey last weekend to compete in the Southern Regional Championships at Spinnations Family Skating Center. ...more

June 21, 2008

Highlands County commissioners can expect some unpleasant budget sessions this summer as they will be forced to make difficult decisions for the 2008-09 fiscal year. They of course have been aware of this for a while, but that doesn't make it any easier. One position that is being proposed to be cut from the parks and recreation department budget is the manager of the Highlands County Sports Complex. ...more

June 8, 2008

I am writing in reference to an article in the Highlands Today, May 30: "The first chop of Highlands County's budget-cutting axe fell Thursday. It fell on the proverbial neck of Highlands County Sports Complex, manger Rocky Ellingsworth." This is an outrage! The Highlands County Commission all but promised citizens that the sports complex would be proactively managed, and that a manager would be responsible for keeping the operational costs of the sports complex to a minimum. Let me remind you that about 50 percent of all operational costs were to be recovered from user fees and recreational concession stand profits. While as a taxpayer, I feel that the sports complex was built with little community support, and with little support from taxpayers, the "powers that be" decided that it was a worthy project and spent the money anyway. Yes, a large grant paid for a majority of the construction project. ...more

June 2, 2008

SEBRING — The first chop of Highlands County's budget-cutting ax fell Thursday. It fell on the proverbial neck of Highlands County Sports Complex manager Rocky Ellingsworth. He will not have a job with the county effective Oct. 1. That's the day that the county's new fiscal year and new budget begin. Ellingsworth's job is proposed to be eliminated in preliminary planning for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Ellingsworth said he does not want to comment publicly yet about this move, which was announced late Thursday afternoon during the second of three successive daylong county commission budget workshops. ...more

May 30, 2008