News Cast for January 22nd:
Two people were killed on SR 78 near Ortona in a three vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The accident disrupted the time children got home from Glades County Schools due to road closures and detours.
Troopers said the dead were a 35-year-old woman from Apopka, and a 61 year old man from Knoxville, Tennessee.
The crash report said a sedan driven by the Apopka woman caused the crash when it crossed the center line and collided head on with a truck driven by a 45-year-old man from Miami.
The truck then entered into the path of an east bound van driven by the Knoxville man.
All three drivers wore seat belts. None of them had passengers.
Glades County Commissioners approved the rezone of 475 acres at the north west corner of State Road 78 and County Road 721.
The Big Lake Project includes 1,000 residential units, about 1.38 million square feet of commercial use and 2.5 million square feet of industrial use.
The plan also includes a medical facility that could be a hospital and perhaps a drug rehabilitation center.
12 acres of passive recreation is included in the plan along with various wetlands and water storage areas.
There was little opposition at the public hearing. One resident did raise concerns about additional traffic and noise in Lakeport.
An Okeechobee man was charged for allegedly shooting protected birds.
An arrest report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Andrew Melhorn, 29, mistook four sandpipers for snipe was hunting in the Kissimmee River Public Use Area in Highlands County last fall.
A second hunter was also charged. Matthew Runge, 30, of Monticello, New York.
The report said eight birds were taken by shotgun. Neither hunter had any prior criminal record.
They were given notices to appear in Highlands County court.
Possible penalties for violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act include up to $15,000 in fines, up to six months in jail, or both.
South Florida Water Management Governing Board member Ben Butler thanked congress for including funding for the LOCAR reservoir in eastern Highlands County.
Martin County Commissioners happened to be in Washington, DC as the funding was debated and were able to lobby lawmakers to get the funding this year.
County Administrator Don Donaldson said they didn’t want to wait until 2026.
“It was very important that the funding get in the water bill. The district is looking to expand storage northwest of Lake Okeechobee.”
Butler said he sees a lot of progress.
“We are making constant improvement. The next time we send discharges or when the discharges have to go out the St. Lucie, that water is cleaner.”
Former President Joe Biden signed the water appropriations bill before he left office.
According to the South Florida Water Management District, The purpose of this reservoir is to store excess water in the northern watersheds and release the excess water at times when it is beneficial for the region. This increased storage capacity will reduce the duration and frequency of both high and low water levels in Lake Okeechobee, which are harmful to Lake Okeechobee’s ecology. With these improvements to Lake Okeechobee levels, the reservoir will help reduce the likelihood of harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the northern estuaries.