Editing Sebring, Florida (section)

== History ==

Sebring was founded in 1912. It was named after George E. Sebring (1859–1927), a pottery manufacturer from [[Ohio]] who developed the city. He had a circular plan as the focal point for the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.visitsebring.com/cities/sebring/ | title=Sebring Florida &#124; Find nature, car racing, art and culture | date=July 5, 2017 }}</ref>  It was chartered by the state of Florida in 1913, and was selected as the county seat of Highlands County when the county was created in 1921.<ref name=histsoc>{{cite web |url=http://www.sebringhistoricalsociety.org/ |title=Brief History of Sebring |publisher=Sebring Historical Society |access-date=July 20, 2007}}</ref> The village of [[Sebring, Ohio]], is also named for George E. Sebring and his family.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sebringohio.net/hindex.asp |title=Village of Sebring, Ohio - History |publisher=Village of Sebring, Ohio |access-date=October 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031009135140/http://www.sebringohio.net/hindex.asp |archive-date=October 9, 2003 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Sebring is known for its collection of historic and historically designated buildings. The [[Sebring station|Sebring Train Station]], [[Central Station (Sebring, Florida)|Sebring Fire Station]], and the [[Highlands County Courthouse]] are all [[National Register of Historic Places]] buildings that are still in service, as well as the entire [[Sebring Downtown Historic District]], consisting of shops, restaurants, offices, businesses and apartments all bordered by the water. [[Harder Hall|Harder Hall Resort]] and the [[Kenilworth Lodge]] are both surviving examples of large, extravagant boom time hotels.

=== 2019 shooting ===
{{main|2019 Sebring shooting}}
On January 23, 2019, 21-year-old Sebring resident Zephen Xaver entered a [[SunTrust Banks|SunTrust]] bank off of [[U.S. Route 27 in Florida|U.S. Route 27]] wearing a [[Bulletproof vest|ballistic vest]] under his sweatshirt and armed with a [[9 mm caliber|9 mm]] handgun. Xaver forced five women inside to lie on the ground before fatally shooting them all. Xaver then had a 2-hour standoff with responding police before eventually agreeing to surrender, after which [[SWAT]] drove an armored vehicle through the front entrance of the bank and arrested him.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 25, 2019 |title=Sheriff's office: 1 employee escaped Florida bank massacre |url=https://apnews.com/article/2a0a9d8c174a41bf9853daf4a0108da4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824031923/https://apnews.com/article/2a0a9d8c174a41bf9853daf4a0108da4 |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

A year later, after the bank was demolished, a new park was opened up in its place called Reflection Park. The park features a pentagon shaped plaque with sunbeams from the SunTrust logo emblazoned on it, with each side of the pentagon representing a life lost in the attack.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=McClellan |first1=Matthew |last2=Suarez |first2=Ken |date=January 23, 2020 |title=One year later, site of Sebring bank massacre becomes memorial |url=https://www.fox13news.com/news/one-year-later-site-of-sebring-bank-massacre-becomes-memorial |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123231959/https://www.fox13news.com/news/one-year-later-site-of-sebring-bank-massacre-becomes-memorial |archive-date=January 23, 2020 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |work=[[WTVT]]}}</ref>