News Cast for November 22nd:
Okeechobee County Commissioners would like to meet face to face with the Florida Department of Transportation to have them explain what the county describes as negligence of their maintenance responsibilities of our state roads and drainage systems.
Chairman David Hazellief said he goes to other counties and sees better roads, better maintenance and quicker response to community needs.
He noted the FDOT doesn’t even do routine maintenance any longer.
“Someone is going to get killed at the pot hole at the Taylor Creek bridge. Some little sports care will hit it just right. How many meetings have we discussed it, well over a year, now the pavement is gone.”
It has been several years since Okeechobee lost its maintenance yard on NW 9th Street.
The commission also has recently decried poor drainage on route 70 west including flooding ditches, pastures and yards, and crushed culverts.
“They need to come and look us in the eye and tell us they don’t really care.”
A wrong way driver was killed on state road 70 in western St. Lucie County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The 63 year old Melbourne man was headed west in a Toyota sedan without the vehicle headlights when he crossed the center median near Gentile Road and was driving in the west in the east bound lane.
The sedan collided with an east bound tractor trailer and car carrier driven by a 25 year old Boca Raton man.
The two vehicles crossed over the center media after the impact and came to rest on the western shoulder and tree line of the road.
The road was closed for much of Wednesday night headed toward Okeechobee.
Two Palm Beach County deputies were killed and a third was critically injured struck by an SUV while doing traffic enforcement in western Palm Beach County Thursday morning.
Corp. Luis Paez and Deputy Ralph Waller died at St. Marys Regional Medical Center after being air lifted. Deputy Ignacio Diaz underwent surgery and was in critical but stable condition at last report.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the motorcycle officers were conducted traffic enforcement when one of the deputies couldn’t get his bike restarted. He called the other two over to assist him and the three were working on the bike when the crash occurred.
A 30 year old woman from Pennsylvania was east bound in an SUV when she came upon a slower moving motorist in the center lane and attempted to pass her on the right.
Bradshaw said the driver lost control of the SUV and the vehicle entered the shoulder of the road and struck the officers.
Bradshaw said the driver was not impaired and they are not certain if she was driving over the speed limit.
Port St. Lucie welcomed a new police chief this month as Leon Niemczyk was promoted to the position after the election of Richard Del Toro as Sheriff.
The appointment did not come without controversy as councilmember Anthony Bonna said he did not like how the search was conducted. He said they also disrespected Mr. Del Toro and his contributions to the city by immediately removing him from office.
“I don’t know why we would treat a 26 year employee of this organization like that. I don’t understand it. Was it your prerogative Mr. City Manager. You work for the council and I don’t approve of the job you are doing.”
His main criticism was directed toward City Manager Jesus Merejo.
Bonna said it does not build trust or confidence in him as a city manager that I can have a private conversation with him and trust that he won’t spread it to others.
Merejo said he tried to weigh the opinions of all the council members.
“I speak to all council members and at the end I make the decision to what is best for our residents and for our team. I will continue to do that until my last day here.”