NEWS CAST FOR FEBRUARY 5TH:
It is getting expensive
The City of Okeechobee is alarmed at the rising costs of resurfacing city streets.
They used up the entire 2024 fiscal year budget for street work on one street, SW 5th Avenue with a price tag of $881,000.
Inflation, growth, and demand have been factors in the rising prices.
Mayor Dowling Watford said he had sticker shock when he read the bid.
“We have to decide if we want to spend that kind of money. To me the question is do we really want to pave that street?”
Vice Mayor Monica Clark said it looks like the city can’t afford to maintain their streets at these prices.
“We are not going to be paying any city roads if it is going to cost us $800,000 to do a half mile.”
The state will begin work on 70 west from SW 21st Avenue to the Highlands County line.
The council also approved an extension of their office lease with the Okeechobee County Chamber of Commerce until 2028 and also approved a rezoning to allow an expansion at the Budget Inn on South Parrott Avenue.
A 30-year-old from Lauderdale by the Sea was identified as the driver who fled from police in St. Lucie County helping to cause the death of a Florida Highway Patrolman, 26-year-old Zachary Fink on I-95.
A truck driver was also killed Friday morning. He has not yet been named.
Michael Addison will face three counts of felony homicide, two counts of vehicular homicide, driving without a license in an accident causing serious bodily injury or death, aggravated fleeing and attempting to elude with serious bodily injury or death, and an out of county warrant from Broward County for aggravated battery.
Addison was allegedly driving the wrong way on I-95 after he made a U-turn in the south bound lanes. The trooper tried to catch him and was attempting a U-turn himself when he was struck by the tractor trailer.
The remains of a 2 ½ year old Florida panther were located on the railroad trestle over Fisheating Creek in Glades County on Thursday.
Biologists suspect the panther was struck and killed by a freight train.
Scott Martin had a record setting 90 pounds 6 ounces of bass over three days to win the Bassmaster Elite Series on Lake Okeechobee.
The Clewiston man wrapped up the record setting performance with 31 pounds and 7 ounces of bass on Saturday.
He did most of his fishing in Harney Pond Canal in Lakeport.
He won the tournament by 22 pounds.
He said it was an emotional week for him as he won the tournament in his home town.
“To win this tournament in this parking lot in front of my mom and dad was great. I remember my dad winning a tournament in 1991 and he praised me for helping him that week. That was the first time I thought I wanted to stand on his podium one day. To do it here in Clewiston in front of my family and friends is so amazing.”
Another Florida republican congressman is calling on the President to be impeached for the ongoing border crisis.
Byron Donalds says the border problem could be solved with an easy fix.