News Cast for October 28th:

10 years in prison

A drug trafficker here in Florida illegally was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after he appeared in federal court on Friday.

34 year old Mauricio Villalpando Gaytan sold $100 to an undercover officer on January 28. The next day he tried to sell one kilogram of cocaine to the same officer, court documents show.

Gaytan was armed with a pistol at the second drug deal.

He pled guilty in U.S. District Court to armed drug trafficking and illegal re-entry to the US.

The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners supports the right to hunt and fish.

Mike Elfenbine applauded the county support for Amendment 2 on the November 5 ballot.

He said the passage of this amendment is important.

“The right to fish and hunt is only protected in statute. As you well know, legislators tend to do things on a whim sometimes. Putting this language in our constitution insures those protections in perpetuity.”

He said there is a $22 million impact each year from hunting and fishing licenses.

“19 percent of the Florida wildlife corridor was purchased with sportsmen dollars. 79 percent of the corridor includes agriculture lands that rely on hunting revenues to stay sustainable.”

Highlands County Commissioners are working on a legal mechanism to tax farmers in the Lake Istokpoga Marsh Watershed Improvement District.

Last year the legislature prevented special assessments on agriculture land that prevented any revenue from being collected in this district for routine maintenance and capital projects.

Commissioner Arlene Tuck advocated for getting financial support from South Florida Water Management District. The county also worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture to see if they could help.

Scott Kirouac said the state caused this problem and they should solve it.

“We have to have a revenue source for maintenance. We are running out of maintenance money and will be out by the end of the year or early next year. “

The county is working on a legal taxing district to provide revenue.

The U.S. Congress has failed to move forward the farm bill this year and have also not addressed any proposed protections for outdoor workers due to the danger of extreme heat. This impacts farm workers in Florida.

Department of Health and Human Services Directo Xavier Becerra declared a health emergency for farm workers due to high temperatures earlier this year.

He also wants the Congress to do what it can to provide health insurance benefits for those that provide the nation’s food supply.

ByTaylor