January

• Eugene Garfield, the founder of the Auto Train service between Sanford and Lorton, Va. dies at age 74.

• Justin Collison, 21, the son of a Sanford Police lieutenant, turns himself into the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office after being charged with aggravated battery for punching a homeless man outside of a Sanford bar.

• The City of Sanford announces Seminole County Deputy Sheriff Steve Harriett will act as interim Sanford Police chief after the early retirement of Chief Brian Tooley.

• New Mayor Jeff Triplett and Commissioner Mark McCarty are sworn in and attend their first commission meeting in their new positions.

• 2011 Celery Queen and King candidates are announced as a fundraising event for Celery Soup.

• 2011 2nd Annual Seminole’s Got Talent competition begins at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in downtown Sanford.

• Martha Yancey, a Sanford activist and major fundraiser for the playground in Park on Park, dies at 90.

• Sanford Housing Authority residents sue in an effort to stop relocation at the public housing’s complexes which had been slated for demolition.

• Sherman Ware, the victim in the punching outside a Sanford bar by a SPD lietentant’s son, Justin Collison, agrees to an undisclosed financial settlement.

• Cindy’s Dance Studio opens in the former Imperial Opera House at 119 S. Magnolia Ave.

February

• MetroPlan names Sanford’s RiverWalk expansion project a top priority.

• The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens announces it will send Maude the elephant to Zoo Miami. The decision was made after Mary the elephant died, and Maude was left without companionship at the zoo.

• Love Your Shorts Film Festival announces the judges for the “Best of Fest” category, which decided the number one film of the entire festival. The festival also announces Julie Kessler, local artist, will create the awards for the show.

• Dave’s Barbershop announces it will move its location after 35 years on Palmetto Avenue in downtown Sanford.

• Larry the Cable Guy begins filming “Tooth Fairy 2” in downtown Sanford. His film crew used scenes in front of the Historic Sanford Welcome Center and Magnolia Square.

• The Crappie Fishing Tournament is held on Lake Monroe, bringing competitors from all over the southeast to Sanford. During the same weekend, The Kids’ Fishing Rodeo brings 225 children to Lake Carolla, near the RiverWalk, for a free fishing tournament.

• A U.S. District Court Judge denies the request by Sanford Housing Authority residents for a temporary injunction to stop the relocation of residents.

• The Love Your Shorts Film Festival takes place at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce in downtown Sanford. The short film “God of Love,” by Luke Matheny, wins the award for Best of Fest.

• The Colonial Room, a longstanding downtown restaurant, announces it will change ownership. Thirty-five year owner Bill Painter sells the restaurant to brothers Trino and Leonardo Lengua.

• Alaska artist Kay McCarty, brother to Sanford resident Lon Howell, creates a painting depicting scenes from Sanford for Celery Soup.

• Seminole Schools Federal Credit Union celebrates 75 years of service in Seminole County.

• Na’Twan Williams, 13, is killed in an accidental, self-inflicted shooting.

• The Sanford Lofts project, a proposed four-story mixed-use building containing low-income senior housing and retail at 111 N. Palmetto Ave. is approved by the Historic Preservation Board.

March

• Local residents hold “A Night of Appreciation” for former Police Chief Brian Tooley at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce for his 11 years of service.

• Police investigate two shootings in one evening. They resulted in the homicide of Hamilton Clark of Sanford and another in which the victim did not want to press charges.

• Sanford baseball players celebrate Opening Day at the Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium on Mellonville Avenue.

• Seminole County Circuit Court Judge Alan Dickey is named chief judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit, which covers Seminole and Brevard counties. He replaced Chief Judge J. Preston Silvernail.

• A father on Hughes Avenue accidentally runs over and kills his 51-year-old disabled daughter while trying to move his truck in their driveway.

• Teachers protest at Rep. Jason Brodeur’s office in downtown Sanford against proposed cuts to education.

• An investigation into the responding officers in the case of a Sanford lietenant’s son punching a homeless man are all cleared. Of the 11 members of the department named in the investigation only Capt. Coolidge Hargrett was found to violate policy in the days and weeks following the incident.

• The CBS news show “60 Minutes” does a special on homeless students in Central Florida and interviews Seminole Schools Families in Transition Liaison Beth Davalos. The special results in millions of dollars being poured into Central Florida to help the homeless students.

• Clean-up crews finish the work on Sanford’s former gasification site to bring the contaminated section of land up to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards.

• The Seminole County Fire Department receives national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services.

• Jeno Paulucci’s company, Bellisimo Foods, donates thousands of Michelina’s frozen dinners to homeless organizations in Seminole County in response to the “60 Minutes” special.

• Ken Martin and Dodi Baker are named Celery Soup’s Celery King and Queen at the annual Masquerade Ball held at the Sanford Civic Center.

• The Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center adds a free movie in its theater to the monthly Art Walk event, held the fourth Friday of each month.

• Sanford funeral director Bernard Mitchell, who was charged with racketeering, money laundering and grand theft pertaining to missing funeral funds accepts a plea deal that will keep him out of jail.

• The Central Florida Zoo receives national accreditation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

• Commissioner Mark McCarty suffers a heart attack and must undergo emergency heart surgery.

April

• The City of Sanford announces it will raise stormwater utility fees again.

• Vision Airlines starts service to the Orlando Sanford International Airport.

• Former Sanford Housing Authority Director Angel Tua announces he is suing the agency for his dismissal in July 2011, claiming that they breached his contract by letting him go.

• The Sanford City Commission kicks off its search for the new city manager who will eventually replace Interim City Manager Tom George.

• Leonard Vann Lucas is charged with one count of homicide, two counts of attempted murder, firing a weapon into a residence and property damage after police say he was involved in a shooting in Midway that left T’Andre Brown dead and several others injured.

• Interim City Manager Tom George names Bill Lee, an associate dean at Seminole State College and a former captain of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Sanford Police Department’s new chief.

• Budget discussions begin between commissioners.

• Seminole County Public Schools are ranked first by the Florida Department of Education in the percentage of its budget spent in the classroom.

• The City of Sanford holds its annual Eggstravaganza in Fort Mellon Park for the Easter holiday. The event is free and allows children to participate in an Easter egg hunt for prizes.

• The Woman’s Club of Sanford held the first Mr. Bunny event as a fundraiser for Relay for Life. Mayor Jeff Triplett was named “Mr. Bunny” and the contestants were able to raise #3,300 for the non-profit.

May

• Seminole County commissioners select James Hartman to serve as the new county manager.

• Sanford residents solicit donations for the victims of the tornado in Sanford, N.C.

• The EPA announces it will begin testing on a recently named Superfund-site at 121 S. Palmetto Avenue, which previously served as the Sanford Dry Cleaners.

• Sanford Elks Lodge #1241 celebrates its 100th anniversary with a barbeque dinner.

• The Sanford Herald Publisher Gene Kruckemyer announces he will be leaving his position at the newspaper.

• Construction begins on the streetscapes for Palmetto and Magnolia avenues. The project was funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

• The City of Sanford announces it will build a maintenance facility in Fort Mellon Park.

• The Historic Sanford Welcome Center celebrates its 5th anniversary.

• The Student Museum begins fundraising to stave off closing due to budget cuts in the Seminole County school system.

• The City of Sanford holds its annual Memorial Day Parade and ceremony.

June

• The Sanford Farmers Market begins opening on Wednesday evening.

• Planning & Zoning Commission members are unable to move forward with recommendations on the Sanford Lofts project after a tied 2-2 vote.

• The U.S. 17-92 Community Redevelopment Agency wraps up its streetscape project.

• The Central Florida Zoo welcomes its newest addition, Sir Gus, the camel that belongs to the Baha Shriners.

• Longtime Lake Mary City Manager John Litton announces he is retiring after 22 years of service.

• Several of the Historic Sanford Welcome Center’s board members and its executive director resign after more than five years with the organization.

• The Art Affair Gallery expands its customer base by opening a café and wine bar in its space on the corner of Palmetto Avenue and 1st Street.

• The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office begins a take over of the Juvenile Detention Center on Bush Boulevard in lieu of the state shutting the facility down because of budget cuts.

July

• Sanford commissioners learn the Mayfair Golf Course is three years behind on its water payments to the city.

• Sanford celebrates its annual Star Spangled Sanford with fireworks on Lake Monroe and a celebration in Fort Mellon Park.

• A car driven by a 79-year-old Sanford man plummets into Lake Monroe after the man fails to make the turn with U.S. 17-92.

• Harvest Time International announces it will open a health clinic for the needy.

• City of Sanford announces it will pursue a grant that would fund having electric car charging station in downtown Sanford.

• Magnolia Square Market, a second downtown business venture for Willow Tree Café owners Theo and Linda Hollerbach, open in Magnolia Square.

August

• Sanford celebrates National Night Out at Fort Mellon Park, an event sponsored by the Sanford Police Department and Target.

• Rescue Outreach Mission, the only homeless shelter in Sanford, renovates its facilities.

• Sanford commissioners appoint Norton Bonaparte Jr. as the city’s new city manager.

• Seminole County students start back to school with the ringing of The Sanford Herald Restoration Bell at the Student Museum.

• Assistant City Attorney Lonnie Groot tells commissioners during a meeting that they should not speak about the controversial Sanford Lofts project.

• Love Your Shorts holds its “Summer Rewind,” a preview of short films in the 2011 Love Your Shorts Festival, at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

September

• The Florida Election Commission they have found probable cause that Commissioner Mark McCarty broke the law when he misspent campaign funds.

• Sanford recognizes the 10-year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center.

• Due to budget cuts the CRA decides to cut event funding for the following fiscal year budget.

• The 3rd Annual Pirates of St. Juans Festival is held in downtown Sanford and guests complete sidewalk chalk art for the event.

• Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger’s son, Don Eslinger Jr., is injured in Afghanistan.

• City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr. begins in his position at city hall.

October

• Sanford Officer Joseph Wiggins is relieved of duty with pay after he is accused of taking a bribe during a traffic stop.

• The Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce holds BikeFest in Fort Mellon Park but significant rain that weekend dampens the excitement as well as forces another event, Thunder Run, to cancel.

• Justin Collison receives one-year probation after pleading guilty to punching a homeless man in front of a Sanford bar.

• Commissioners learn that the leasee of Marina Island is behind on lease payments and taxes.

• Commissioners contemplate selling the city-owned cemeteries after learning the properties operate with a deficit, sometimes up to $50,000, each year.

• The Historic Sanford Welcome Center holds its largest Alive After 5 of the year, Oktoberfest.

• Two shootings occur within two days in Sanford, with one being fatal.

• City commissioners begin discussions on the proposed new commission districts.

• The City of Sanford learns it does not have the title for the former police station at 815 French Ave. and furthermore, that the space was originally deeded to be a park.

• Goldsboro Historical Museum celebrates its grand opening.

• A commercial promoting Sanford begins playing on local stations in Seminole, Orange and Volusia counties. The commercial was funded by the CRA.

• The City of Sanford celebrates its annual Halloween event, Spooktacular, in downtown Sanford.

November

• YouthBuild announces the organization, which takes at-risk youth and teaches them construction skills, is at risk of losing its federal funding.

• Sanford Police Officer Joseph Wiggins turns himself into police after being accused of taking bribes.

• Commissioners begin to consider a potential panhandling ordinance that would also limit group feedings in downtown Sanford.

• The Sanford Lofts project is approved by commissioners during its first reading in a 3-2 vote.

• The leasee of Marina Island works out a payment with the city to get taxes and lease payments back on track.

• An audit of the Sanford Housing Authority show former director Angel Tua misused credit cards and funds for agency.

• The Sanford Police Department investigates supposedly threatening phone calls made to Commissioner Mark McCarty’s daughter, Grace, after McCarty approves the Sanford Lofts project.

• Michelle Parker, a bartender at Sanford’s bar The Barn, goes missing in Orlando.

• Central Florida Zoo President Joe Montisano announces Sanford’s downtown rooster, Herbie Hancock, has found a temporary home at the zoo while he recuperates.

• The frozen food king and creator of Michelina’s, Jeno Paulucci, dies at 93, only four days after his wife of 64 years, Lois, passed away.

• The CBS news show “60 Minutes” returns to Central Florida to focus on homeless students again, catapulting the Metzgers, a Sanford family, to the national spotlight.

December

• Sanford commissioners decide to move forward with the panhandling ordinance and discuss looking for a central property to operate group feedings.

• Electric charging stations for vehicles are installed in downtown Sanford.

• The command post for the search for Michelle Parker moves to The Barn on French Avenue.

• The City of Sanford holds it annual tree lighting ceremony in Magnolia Square and for the first year, there is snow.

• The Sanford Historic Trust holds its 22nd Annual Holiday Tour of Homes, focusing on the Mayfair Community to the east of downtown.

• Commissioners approve a new event that would bring gourmet food trucks to downtown Sanford each month.

• Sanford commissioners give final approval to the Sanford Lofts project, despite residents’ opposition.

• Sanford property owner Howard Marks and former mayor Linda Kuhn final a lawsuit against the city for the approval of the Sanford Lofts project.

• Commissioners approve Tom George, former interim city manager, as deputy city manager.

• The Orlando Sanford International Airport announces it will use new propane cannons to deter birds from the runway areas.

• Sanford holds its annual Christmas Parade of Lights on 1st Street with thousands in attendance.

• Seminole County Deputy Matt Miller is killed in a traffic accident on Maitland Boulevard in Altamonte Springs.