News Cast 3/14
News Cast for March 14th:
Okeechobee is getting a Culver’s restaurant
The city announced a developer has plans to bring in the restaurant, a car wash and perhaps a hotel on 16 acres just east of the new Race Track gas station on North East Park Street.
Ritter said the developer has revised his plans a bit.
At first they had considered a storage facility on the property.
“They recently submitted the plans for Culvers and the car wash. We have not gotten any plans in for anything else but they have talked about a potential hotel going in there as well.”
Culvers has 94 locations already in Florida with the closest being in Port St. Lucie, Jensen Beach and Stuart.
An Okeechobee drug trafficker sentenced to three years in the prison and over $53,000 in fines and court costs.
Jessica Beecham pled no contest to charges that also include driving while license suspended, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Okeechobee Narcotics Task force said Beecham had over 30 grams of methamphetamines in a home they raided last August 9th on NW 42nd Avenue.
They also found that a 10-year-old child lived in the home.
Beecham told investigators she doesn’t sell drugs, she just does drugs.
Others living in the home were also busted on possession charges.
Western growth has long been an issue in Martin County.
A county staff proposal to pursue a western lands study this year has been scrapped by county commissioners.
Supporters said it will prevent urban sprawl while opponents worry it will mean development of farm land all the way out to Lake Okeechobee and up to Okeechobee County.
County Commissioner Harold Jenkins said the study is needed but he worries it will become too political and divisive.
“This study will turn into a political football and it will be right at its climax during our next election. I kinda think its necessary but if we are going to politicize it I say just can it right here today.”
Farm workers with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their allies will embark on a 5-day march today from Pahokee, to the coastal city of Palm Beach to celebrate more than ten years of success with the Fair Food Program.
Geraldo Reyes Chavez said they want to push Publix, Krogers and Wendy’s to join the program.
He said one of their main goals is to improve farm worker rights in the fields.
The Fair Food Program is a human rights initiative that many of their competitors joined over a decade ago.
They’d like the grocers and restaurant to do their part to help expand the FFP’s gold standard protections to farm workers on their suppliers’ farms.
They will end the march on Saturday in West Palm Beach with a rally and demonstration.