News Cast for January 3rd
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic enforcement detail on New Years Eve and the early morning hours of New Years Day.
The goal was to educate motorists and remove dangerous drivers from the road.
Sheriff Noel Stephen said they made 53 traffic stops or public contacts and issued 15 warnings for unlawful speed, one warning for reckless driving and 14 for equipment violations.
The six deputies assigned also wrote four speeding tickets, and found two drivers with no license and three driving with a suspended license.
They also made two DUI arrests.
“Safety is our top priority,” Sheriff Stephen said, “This initiative is a clear demonstration of our commitment to protecting the residents and visitors of Okeechobee County.”
The Osceola County Development Review Committee approved plans for a bio solids treatment facility owned by Compost USA north of Kenansville.
Some 160 acres of the 724 acre parcel surrounded by pasture and citrus grove, will be used for the facility on 441.
The committee agreed to allow the facility to operate Monday through Friday from 7 am to 6 pm and from 7 am to 2 pm on Saturday.
Up to 120 trucks could visit the facility each day. The facility will accept organics, food, manure, yard waste, vegetation and stable bedding and can handle up to 8,000 cubic yards per day.
The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners continued discussions on chicken ordinances in certain residential areas.
Planning Director Bill Royce said they intend to limit the residential areas to a maximum of six chickens.
The commission also had different opinions on whether to require a permit for chickens.
Commissioner Frank DeCarlo supported the permits. He said if a person received a permit, they would have the does and don’ts of backyard chickening.
“The word is out you can have chickens. Is all the does and don’t going to go with it. Are people going to have chicken everywhere. I have a neighbor in the city that must have 25 chickens running around his chain link fence.”
Mike Sumner balked at the $15 permit.
“My personal opinion, I don’t believe a person must have a permit to have the chickens.”
The county has no plans to allow roosters in these residential zoning districts.
The Okeechobee City Council discussed some concerns about recent bids for air conditioning and air flow work at city hall.
Aurston Mechanical received a $31,000 bid to modify and improve the air flow in the finance department and administrative areas.
Vice Mayor Monica Clark voiced some concerns about the fairness of the bid process.
She said they should start over.
“I think there has to be detail when you are going out to bid and getting prices so you are getting apples for apples. I really believe we should go back out have a mechanical contractor that can provide really good service and find out what we really need for city hall, get it done properly, and go out to bid.”
Council member Bob Jarriel said the process was not fair to the three companies that submitted bids.
“We should have had a bid for the electric. We should have had a proposal where all three of these companies were bidding on the same items.”
City Administrator Gary Ritter said the city felt like they gave everybody a level playing field and equal ground.