News Cast for June 25th:
Okeechobee City Council agreed to allow fireworks tent sales during the month of June and December earlier this year.
At a recent meeting they voted to add another day for these sales, July 5th and January 1st.
It would allow these tent sales to hold clearance sales for unsold inventory each year.
Vice Mayor Monica Clark said she was concerned that these fireworks will be shot off on July 5th and legally they aren’t allowed to do so until the New Years Holiday.
“I think we have enough problems with people not adhering to the state law on when they can fire them off. People are not going to buy them on July 4th and put them away until January.”
The council approved a land use map amendment to allow the construction of two duplexes at 2104 SW 2nd Avenue.
They voted to appoint Jamie Gamiotea as one of the city representatives on the Okeechobee Utility Authority Board.
They approved a paving project done recently on segments of NW 9th Street from the city limits to NW 9th Avenue and a segment of NW 9th Avenue between NW 9th Street and route 70 west. The bid was for $409,410.
The council also honored veteran police officer, Sgt. Dawn Wendt for 25 years of service.
The Okeechobee County Planning Board approved a special exception for an equine veterinary facility at 9914 state road 70 east.
Dr. Nathan Lea plans to develop 20 acres of property into the hospital and treatment center for horses.
This will require trucks and trailers to transport the horses as they do not do any field work.
There was concern from chairman Joey Hoover about the use of county roads for these trucks and trailers using residential streets like NE 30th Street.
“This takes a lot of liberties of saying we are going to use residential roads for commercial purposes. I don’t like it, I don’t like it in a lot of places, and why we keep doing it, I have no answer for you.”
After discussion the board decided to limit the visits to 8 trucks per day.
There was concern about having trucks and trailers not be able to make a safe U-turn at the median cut out at Spot and the Sun NE 103rd Street.
“I have to look out for what is best for my clients. Making a U-turn on state road 70 is not right. I don’t work on low dollar horses. To have a horse trailer wreck on 70 would not look good for the county.”
Highlands County Commissioners approved another 110 residential housing units in Spring Lake amidst concerns about too much traffic on US 98 between Sebring and Lorida.
They will be a variety of single family homes and multi family units.
The density is 5 units per acre.
Developer Hummell Wycick said it could be five years before the construction begins. He noted this his likely the completion of the Spring Lake development.
Commissioner Arlene Tuck was concerned the new homes would not be affordable.
Resident Jane Hynote said there is too much growth around Lorida already.
“What about all the traffic on 98 with this development. Are you going to four lane route 98 before this happens? The traffic is terrible right now and this is summer.”
She said you can’t pass on 98 between Lorida and US 27 anymore due to the volume of traffic.
Commissioner Don Elwell said discussions to widen 98 continue but it will likely be more than five years before it is four laned. He said he supports the widening of the east-west corridors, 98 and 70.
“There is people going very quick and there is the occasional tractor on the road that can gum up the work for everybody.”
Pahokee City Commissioner James Scott wants to sue the former city managers that were working for the city when $2.1 million was misappropriated.
There have been a pair of audits done that made recommendations to the city to improve their financial procedures.
The defendants of any such suit would be Chandler Williamson, Rodney Lucas, Jongelene Adams and Greg Thompson.
City attorney Burnadette Norris Weeks urged the commission to be careful because they could be liable if they file a false lawsuit.
“You don’t want the city to incur liability for a knee jerk reaction where you don’t have enough evidence yet.”
There was talk of allowing the State Attorneys Office review these allegations.
Scott said people in the community want to see some action taken, “Why do we keep going around that this doesn’t matter. It does. To me, some answers would be nice.”
Current City Manager Michael Jackson responded to the two audits and said improvements will be made.