Okeechobee dairy farmer Woody Larson will be inducted into the Florida Hall of Fame in 2026.
The annual banquet and induction ceremony will be held on February 10 at the State Fair.
The Florida Department of Agriculture said Larson has dedicated his life to advancing Florida agriculture through his generous spirit and steadfast leadership.
He got into the agriculture industry as a child. He also is a graduate from the University of Florida.
The family business has grown into thousands of acres in Okeechobee and Highlands County.
Larson is already in the Florida 4-H Hall of Fame and has received both the UF/IFAS Award of Distinction and Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Okeechobee County complained they have been stalled at the airport due to the South Florida Water Management District.
“This is like crazy,” Commissioner Terry Burroughs said, “We can’t get out of our own way because they don’t give us the whole list of stuff that they want.”
He blamed the district for stalling county progress as they can’t build new facilities at the airport.
“We have other plans for the airport but we can’t do anything else at the airport because we study it to death.”
He wanted staff to tell him what the problem is and why they can’t get the district to make decisions without always asking for more information.
“What type of problems are we running into over there? We can’t get all the questions (at one time). We have to quit spinning our wheels. It is costing us time and money. We must be able to do what we need to do at the airport.”
Burroughs said the county wants the airport to grow, add facilities and make it more profitable and they can’t do that without permits.
“As a rural county we struggle financially. We are fiscally constrained. It seems to me we should be able to use that tag. You (Water Management) are prohibiting us from being better than we are because you are studying this thing to death.”
Okeechobee County added a new sandbag machine to help them prepare for incoming storms.
The machine is capable of filling 1,600 bags per hour.
Public Works Director Darren Brown said he felt the county is well prepared for the storm season.
He noted before the storm hits the public works department works hard and long hours to get the community prepared.
Brown said the machine will expedite the process and there will be no more shovels filling sand bags.
“When the storm is coming public works will have you covered.”
The St. Lucie County Planning Board recommended denial of a mine on Sneed Road.
Pereira Sand Mine applied for a conditional use permit for 77 acres. The mine would be 50 foot deep and would leave a lake after three to five years of excavation.
The main concerns from neighbors were heavy truck traffic, impacts on ground water wells, and impacts on property values.
The county had a condition that would require all trucks to travel south out of the mine to Okeechobee Road and not allow any trucks to travel north on Sneed Road.
The residents were concerned because Okeechobee Road does not have any right-hand turn lanes for Sneed Road.
Roberta Wester lives next door to the site. She said there have been several near accidents on Okeechobee Road at Sneed Road for west bound traffic.
“Nobody slows down, I’ve almost gotten nailed and now we have dump trucks slowing down and we are going to have a lot of wrecks.”
James Payne of the Rockin C. Ranch said the traffic pattern is a recipe for disaster.
“Anybody who drives on 70 knows the speed limit is 65 miles per hour. You will have dump trucks pulling out of there, and they don’t move that fast.”
The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners will have final say on the permit.
Okeechobee Sheriff Noel Stephen said his agency will abide by the court ruling that allows open carry of firearms.
“As a Second Amendment support myself, I understand the strong desire many of our citizens feel to own and carry firearms for person protection as well as sporting endeavors,” he wrote.
Stephen said all firearm owners that intend to carry, open or concealed, firearms, need to become educated on gun safety and be wise in the manner that they carry and use their firearms.
“I remind you that even with the expansion of open carry, there are still many places that prohibit firearms, whether concealed or open, like courthouses, government buildings, and schools.”
Stephen said private property owners can also prohibit firearms on their property, whether it be a business or a residence.