The Okeechobee Tourist Development Council voted to provide $25,000 in bed taxes to the Okeechobee Music Festival to promote in for 2026.
The festival is returning after a hiatus and is scheduled for the third weekend in March 19-22 at Sunshine Groves on Dark Hammock Road.
Among the headlining acts this year are the Lumineers, Fisher, GRiZ, and T-Pain.
TDC Chairman Brad Goodbread said the event really helps the economy.
“Everybody seems to have fun and the injection of dollars that that event brings into our economy just cleans Walmart out, Walgreens, they just clean everything out.”
TDC Board member David Desai said this is one of the most successful events in Okeechobee that brings in a lot of people. He said this is the first time they asked for funding.
“I agree with the $25,000 because they do contribute tremendously to Okeechobee. If you put all the other events together, this festival gives you more bang for the buck than anybody else.”
A Brighton reservation woman was sentenced to four years of probation for her role in an alleged fraud.
Ynez Gonzalez helped to defraud a local bank of $12,500, authorities said.
Seminole Police investigated the case. Gonzalez pled no contest to grand theft, scheme to defraud, fraudulent use of a credit card and identity theft.
Police said there were multiple victims. Gonzalez admitted she shared one of the victim’s personal and banking information.
Her co-defendant Robert Koff entered a no contest plea to 18 different charges including identity theft, scheme to defraud, grand theft over $10,000, petit theft, uttering a forged instrument, and fraudulent of a credit card.
He was sentenced to five years of probation and to make restitution to five victims in the case.
He scored 101 months in prison and had prior convictions for fleeing and eluding police, burglary, grand theft, possession of narcotics, resisting arrest, battery, criminal mischief and carrying a concealed weapon.
He was labeled an habitual offender by the court
A former Okeechobee man faces charges in a cocaine trafficking ring allegedly operating in Palm Beach County.
Hayward McQueen, 73, was arrested in Operation Trackside involving Boynton Beach Police and other agencies.
He allegedly sold $14,000 worth of cocaine in August.
The arrest affidavit said the buyers weren’t impressed with the quality of the drug calling it bad quality with a bad taste.
18 other suspects were arrested in the operation.
Boynton Beach Police said they seized some $450,000 in suspected drug cash, 11 vehicles and a boat.
McQueen was convicted of sale of narcotics in Okeechobee in a 2016 case and spent two years in prison.
St. Lucie County Commissioners delayed until December a decision to raise impact fees for transportation.
Several business owners, the Treasure Coast Builders Association, and several realtors urged the county to delay increasing the fees.
Commissioner Larry Leet said he supports increasing the impact fees. He said numerous residents have told them they want developers to pay for the impacts they are putting on the county.
Amanda Geller, a local realtor, wanted the commission to be pro-business.
“Higher costs make it less attractive for builders and businesses to invest here. Instead of putting down roots in St. Lucie County, people will move north and west where it is more affordable to build.”
The county will also receive public input on a proposal to name a county road after Charlie Kirk.
Okeechobee County received $150,000 in grants from the state of Florida to increase traffic patrols.
The money will go toward finding impaired drivers, cracking down on speeding and aggressive driving, and helping kids remain safe in car seats.
The main goal is to reduce the number of fatal and serious bodily injury crashes in Okeechobee County.
In the past year Deputies put in 3,263 overtime hours to work traffic. They made 99 arrests, made 3,667 traffic stops and distributed over 3,200 pamphlets to educate dangerous drivers.
Route 70 west construction has begun in Highlands County.
The FDOT announced lane closures between County Road 721 and Greenbrier Lane will continue through the month. The work will be ongoing Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Flaggers will be directing traffic in the construction zone. Motorists are encouraged to consider alternate routes to allow more travel time.