WOKC Local News – August 17, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. City faces budget shortfall. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. Okeechobee City Council has a budget shortfall of 1.6 million. They propose a spending plan at 9.2 million this year. Finance Director Taylor Connell says most of the increases in the budget are due to inflation. Sure, we’re up by $100,000, but 100,000 is not three million. Vice Mayor Monica Clark says government spending is out of control. Why is that double the expense than it was five years ago? And that businesses don’t have those kind of increases. Our personal budgets don’t have those kind of increases, and it’s gotten carried away. A police department requested just over four million, public works just under 1.9 million. Employees would see about a 2.5% raise. They’re looking at about 1.35 million in capital projects. Sheriff Noel Stevens says not a lot of juvenile problems over the summer. There was some routine vandalism and fights at Lock 7. One new trend has been pasture parties. Stevens says there’s some positives in these things as they’re mostly safe, but the problem is it’ll get on social media and too many people show up. Kids from out of county and away from here, and then the troubled folks and of age people going out there, and the next thing you know, we’re having problems and fights and other things that are happening. Stevens says they’ll continue to check on clerks at local stores to make sure juveniles can’t buy alcohol. He also had this tip to stop vehicle thefts. If you lock it up, our burglars and thieves are lazy, you know, so that’s a good deterrent is to lock our doors. State Representative Dana Krabulski will host a public forum August 25th in Fort Pierce to discuss the proposed Amendment 3, property tax reform. It’ll be at the Mid-Florida Events Center at 6 p.m. Krabulski says the legislature approved a data center bill of rights that gives local governments more control this year. It also prohibits ones that are owned by foreigners. She also says the state approved $290 million in sales tax relief. Key pieces include a four-month sales tax holiday for hunting, fishing, and camping supplies and a property tax assessment cap for mobile homes. The budget permanently repeals the 2% commercial lease rent tax and makes the back-to-school and disaster preparedness sales tax holiday permanent fixtures to Florida law. If you’re going to Belle Glade tonight, Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office says 441 is closed at Sand Cut, which is north of Canal Point, just inside Palm Beach County, this Captain Mark Halperin. The Morning Star Road, that is a complete shutdown of 441. And it’s going to be open to local traffic only, but there is a point when they get to the railroad that if anyone tries to bypass that, they will be turned around. So you’re really just going to waste your time if you go past the detour route to think you’re going to get by the site. The best way to get to Belle Glade this weekend will be around through Clewiston. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).