Floodplain Management The City of Florence is updating its floodplain management code to comply with FEMA’s new model code, required by July under the Endangered Species Act and related legal settlements. A special meeting will be held Tuesday, May 20th at 5:30 PM at the Florence Events Center to inform […]

King and Queen Chosen Saturday night’s coronation held all the pomp and circumstance that was anticipated as the City of Florence gets ready to kick off the busiest week of the tourist season with the 118th annual Rhododendron Festival.  The newly appointed Queen Rhododendron and King of the Coast are […]

ODOT Scams Oregon residents are being warned about a new wave of scam messages claiming to be from DMV or ODOT, falsely demanding payment for unpaid toll fees. The messages threaten vehicle suspension, legal action, or credit damage. ODOT does not operate a toll program, and officials say these messages […]

Legislature to Consider TRT Changes The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is sounding the alarm over two proposed bills in the Oregon Legislature that could have major consequences for the local tourism economy. House Bills 2977 and 3962 would either raise or redirect transient lodging taxes, revenue that Florence depends […]

Eugene Man Arrested in Florence Early Monday morning, Florence Police responded to an alarm at the Senior Center on Kingwood Street around 5:45 a.m. Officers arrived to find a U-Haul van parked nearby and discovered a man actively stealing items from an outbuilding. The suspect, identified as 63-year-old Steven Blair […]

New Generator for City of Florence The City of Florence has received a new 52-kilowatt portable diesel generator through a $69,585 grant from the Oregon Resilience Hubs and Network program. The equipment will support the city’s emergency operations, particularly during power outages that impact wastewater pump stations. Florence operates 39 […]

Tire Slashing at Fred Meyer Florence Police responded to a report of vandalism Thursday morning, May 1, at the Fred Meyer parking lot. Officers arrived around 8:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a white male actively slashing vehicle tires with two knives. The suspect, identified as Samuel Benjamin Rice of […]

Vehicle Vandalism At Fred Meyer Florence police responded Thursday morning to multiple reports of vandalism at the Fred Meyer parking lot. According to initial information, a male suspect armed with one or two knives was slashing vehicle tires. Officers arrived on scene, detained the suspect at gunpoint, and safely took […]