WOKC Local News – September 17, 2026, 7:40 AM
Transcript
WOKC News. Concern over medical marijuana. With WOKC News, I’m Charles Murphy. The city has to impose a new drug-free workplace policy as medical marijuana legalized. Vice Mayor Monica Clark had some concerns, wanting to know when employees have to disclose they use the medical marijuana and when they can use it. She says she’s concerned about high-risk positions like police officers. Are you saying that our police officers are allowed to have medical marijuana? That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that they can come to us and say that they have a medical marijuana card, and we have to have a conversation with them. We have to sit down. Why? There’s a whole process that would be involved, and you have to do it on a case-by-case basis. You can no longer just simply say, you’re a police officer. You can’t do that. The city also approved new text amendments that allow higher building heights up to 45 feet in certain neighborhoods. Governor Ron DeSantis, promoting the state’s Second Amendment sales tax holiday, he broke ground in Lakeland on a new state archery range, which supporters say could become one of the largest facilities of its kind in the nation. The new Florida Archery Center will expand these existing offerings while providing more opportunities for Floridians to enjoy shooting sports. A manager at the Dollar General in Indiantown was convicted of organized fraud and grand theft. 47-year-old Raquel Pacheco pled no contest to charges he stole more than $6,000 in items from the store with another store employee. The other employee received nine months in jail and two years probation. Martin County detectives say they had video surveillance footage of some of these thefts. Democratic candidate for governor David Jolly received the endorsement of several Republicans across the state, including popular rural county candidate Bobby Williams. Williams says he thinks Jolly is the better choice because he’s a fifth-generation Floridian who won’t sell off the state to developers. He says that there has been a lot of misleading commercials about Jolly as well. He’s not who y’all say he is. I mean, he’s actually fighting. You know, he’s a godly man. He’s not a trans guy. He’s not all things are telling you he is. Williams was one of the top vote-getters in rural counties, finishing second in both Okeechobee and Glades County in the Republican primary. A deal to fund the Istapoka Marsh Improvement District fell through in Highlands County. Commissioners were trying to impose a millage on agriculture properties and assessments for non-ag properties to match new laws. County Commissioner Scott Kerouac says he will not support the new funding formula. He’ll keep working with the state. So we’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place and been backed in a corner, and I’m gonna come out fighting and do the best that we can. Wayne Gahn doesn’t want to be taxed in Bear Hollow. Bear Hollow Ranch Estates is on the ridge. It’s not in the marsh. We’re about 50 feet higher than the marsh. We’ve received zero benefit from any of the works of the district, and we would like to request that the boundary be examined and properties that are not in the Istapoka Marsh Watershed Improvement District be removed. I’m Charles Murphy, WOKC News.
Recorded from the WOKC daily newscast (Glades Media).