Department closed its doors in 2015, the Sheriffs Office is now the primary law enforcement agency for the town. All public safety in Highlands County utilize a Motorola P25 Trunked Radio System which was initiated by Polk County. Highlands and Hardee Counties have piggybacked onto the system. To date, Highlands County Law Enforcement is the only law enforcement on the entire system to use 24/7 ADP encryption. Politics Highlands County, like the relatively nearby southwest coast, is strongly Republican: the last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Harry Truman in 1948. Like North Florida, but unlike the southwest coast, George Wallace was able to outpoll the Democratic Party here in 1968, and only in 1992 and 1996 has the Republican candidate not won an absolute majority since. Economy Top employers The top private employers of Highlands County are as follows: 1. Advent Health Hospital (1500) 2. Walmart (796) 3. Agero (600) 4. Highlands Regional Medical Center (413) 5. Delray Plants (350) 6. Palms of Sebring (257) 7. Alan Jay Automotive Network (250) 8. Lake Placid Health Care (210) 9. Positive Medical Transport (150) 10. E-Stone USA (87) Libraries Highlands County is part of the Heartland Library Cooperative which serve Highlands County and some of the surrounding counties in the Florida Heartland, including Glades, DeSoto, Hardee, and Okeechobee. Based in Sebring, the cooperative has seven branches within the Heartland region, with three of those branches in Highlands County: Avon Park, Lake Placid and Sebring. Communities Cities Avon Park Sebring Town Lake Placid Unincorporated communities Avon Park Lakes Brighton Cornwell DeSoto City Fort Basinger Fort Kissimmee Hicoria Lorida Placid Lakes Spring Lake Sun 'n Lake of Sebring Sylvan Shores Venus See also Florida Heartland Lake Denton National Register of Historic Places listings in Highlands County, Florida Samaritan's Touch Care Center References External links Government links/Constitutional offices Highlands County Board of County Commissioners official website Highlands County Supervisor of Elections Highlands County Property Appraiser Highlands County Tax Collector Florida DOT Highlands county General Highway Map Special districts Highlands County Public Schools South Florida Water Management District Southwest Florida Water Management District Heartland Library Cooperative Judicial branch Highlands County Clerk of Courts Public Defender, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties Office of the State Attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida Circuit and County Court for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida Tourism links Highlands County Convention