SEBRING, Florida – This charming town of about 11,000 in Central Florida has long been known for its robust golf courses and a famous auto race. Legendary golf course architect Donald Ross started the golf scenario when he designed the Pinecrest course in 1923 and the Sebring International Raceway, which opened in 1950, is one of the oldest continuously-operated road tracks in the United States.
Now, while those attractions continue to flourish, Sebring is making big progress in another direction. Its downtown area is about to get major television exposure. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency spearheaded a campaign to get Sebring a place on “Home Town Takeover!,’’ a smash hit as a series on HGTV.
In early 2025 Sebring will be the focal point of the series in which Ben and Erin Napier headed a team of renovation experts that revitalized the area known as “City on the Circle.’’
“We applied for the first season,’’ said Kristie Vazquez, executive director of Sebring’s Community Development Agency. “Over 5,000 cities responded, and we were chosen for the third season.’’
Cities in Mississippi and Alabama were sites for the well-received series’ first two seasons.
Ben Napier announced Sebring’s selection in February and the downtown area has been buzzing with activity ever since. The goal has been to breath new life into the town with work projects on several homes, several local businesses and the historic aspect that is unique to Sebring.
Said Napier: “Renovating one house at a time is an awesome experience, but the chance to give support to an entire town, where we can help bring an entire community back to life – that’s something we wanted to try.’’
The Sebring CRA has the task of “carrying out economic revitalization, promoting renovation of buildings and assist in coordination and promotion of downtown events.’’
With Home Town Takeover involved the renovation work will get widespread attention.
Vazquez said the show was looking for cities of about Sebring’s size, and its circular downtown was a big plus. There are few such cities left that have a downtown area situated around a circular park. Sebring’s has six avenues feeding into Circle Park.
Sebring’s entire downtown is a designated 1920s Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The positives of that will be enhanced when TV viewers see the renovation work unfold.
The Circle Theater, built in 1923, had been stagnant for almost a year before it was completely renovated. Sophie’s Café, Brew-Haha’s Burger Emporium and Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works area also among the businesses benefitting from the renovation projects and a stunning three-dimensional mural spotlighting the orange groves so prominent in the area will be a big eye-catcher for visitors. They’ll combine to make City on the Circle a busy place.
While the pending TV exposure is exciting, it’s not the only attraction impacting Sebring. On the golf front Fore Indoor Golf Club is about to open. It has Uneekor Eye simulators and a pool table, creating what owner William Carroll calls a great entertainment atmosphere with climate control.
A five-year renovation at what had been the Spring Lake golf facility is also paying off. Spring Lake had an 800-yard par-6, which was the longest hole in Florida. Its gone now and what had been a 45-hole complex in the 1970s has been reorganized.
Now known as the Sebring International Golf Resort, it now has three nine-hole courses and a Steve Smyers-designed 12-hole par-3 course. Our touring group participated in the Citrus Golf Trail Open pro-am, preceding a Minor League Golf Tour event at Sun N ’Lake course, and Pinecrest, looking better than ever, was the site of our more traditional Durland Cup scramble.
And, only 22 miles from Sebring, work is beginning on a highly-upscale private facility in the little town of Venus. A little mystery is attached to this project, known as High Grove. It’ll definitely be high-end, as an initiation fee is $200,000 and membership will be capped at 250. Gil Hanse, one of of the hottest of today’s golf course designers, heads the architectural team.
The club plans to have more of a national membership with construction heating up on Jan. 1. Limited lodging and an active orange grove will be on the 1,200-acre property and the course will be walking -only.
Morgan Purvis, the director of membership, said the club is not planning to include residential property and High Grove will have “one single owner.’’ Purvis, who lives in Aiken, S.C., wouldn’t name him, but did describe the owner as “an incredibly passionate active golfer.’’
The target for High Grove being in full operation is Feb. 1, 2026.
Meanwhile, the Sebring International Raceway has been declared “the birthplace of American endurance racing.’’ Its premier event – 12 Hours of Sebring – will next be staged on March 15, 2025. The golf and auto racing enthusiasts all figure to benefit once the City on the Circle renovations are completed. 
auto racing fanatics all figure to benefi
Yunii del Cueto, has Sophie’s Cafe ready to provide delicious Cuban food to Circle visitors.
