WOKC Local News – February 23, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. A golden opportunity with WOKC News. I’m Charles Murphy. Lake Okeechobee Coalition plans some more large burns and muck removal on Lake Okeechobee this spring using a variety of technicians and companies. They’ll try some experiments to try and improve water quality and their budget is 20 million. Alyssa Jordan told the Lake Coalition that the recent freeze also impacted the fishery with a fish kill. So we’re just starting to see dead fish in the lake. It takes a little while, you know, for dead fish to float. You know, initially they sink to the bottom and then when they start decomposing, they float. So we’re just starting to get lots of reports. Our biologists, other people we’ve heard from a decent amount of dead tilapia. Democrats are criticizing the funding the state is making for immigration enforcement. Nearly 600 million has been spent to detain 20,000 people. The DeSantis administration spending money without prior legislative approval, constructing Alligator Alcatraz, and are looking for even more detention sites, according to emergency management director Kevin Guthrie. We have looked at DeSoto County. We have looked at Immokalee. I believe it’s technically Hendry County. Every place that we look at Gulf County Work Camp is a state owned facility. Pahokee still having problems deciding on who their managers should be. Tammy Busey has been pushing to get the job she’s interim. She even has family members showing up at meetings lobbying for her. Cynthia Mitchell says they need a black woman at City Hall. We already know what you want. You already said you want a white person to be the city manager. So you continue to do the stealing. That’s not happening anymore. James Scott also supports giving her the job. He says she’s done a lot in 90 days. I mean, coming from Pahokee, I’m always going to give you the benefit of the doubt because I’m tired of hearing people from Pahokee can’t do this and they can’t do that. I say that’s crazy. And my thing over there, I know that Miss Busey is doing this job from her heart. The Cracker Trail ride across the state this week coming to Okeechobee last night. They’re crossing the county today. Deborah Brand lives in Arcadia, and this is her sixth ride. She says it always is a good experience. And she brought along a friend this year. I always look at the different developments going on, but also just how like the citrus groves aren’t there where they were before. Some of those pieces and stuff. And but no, I’m really just enjoying that. And they always do amazing as far as giving us a little heritage. So it’s pretty cool. St. Lucy County Commission Chair Jamie Fowler encouraged county staff to challenge themselves this year. She says the county needs to get even more done in 2026. And I don’t want that push to be viewed as coming from a place of disappointment, disapproval or negativity, but rather from a place of confidence, confidence and knowing that even with all we’ve achieved, we can achieve more. I’m Charles Murphy. WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).