News Cast July 22nd:
Still no decision on food trucks
The Okeechobee City Council
Discussed the food truck issue again, and two members urged them to consider grandfathering in a food truck that has become a permanent fixture on the north east side.
Some on council want them to remain mobile so they can move around the city.
The city has no intention of stopping the business from operating.
Vice Mayor Monica Clark said the city needs to be fair to brick and mortar restaurants who pay property taxes and hire people.
“I understand being in business and the rules pertaining to some people don’t pertain to other people. It drives me crazy because they are not fair.”
Mayor Dowling Watford said the state regulations are preventing the city from having good regulations on food trucks.
“We thought we were doing everybody a favor by allowing the food trucks in the city. That is what we thought but it didn’t turn out the way we thought it would.”
The Mayor also supports keeping food trucks mobile and not in one fixed location day after day.
Okeechobee County will continue to contract with St. Lucie County to drug test those on probation and house arrest and those facing drug charges.
The Okeechobee drug court has been mostly praised for helping people fight drug addictions.
County Administrator Deborah Manzo said the county will have to pay more for the drug testing program. They agreed to contribute $40,000 this year. Next year the request will be $80,000.
St. Lucie County said it costs them $160,000 to do the drug testing. They received $78,000 from those being tested in Okeechobee in the past year.
Clerk of the courts and former county judge Jerry Bryant started the drug court program here.
He said the drug testing is a prevention measure.
“Most of the crime in the world today can be traced back to some kind of drug problem. I mean There are exceptions and there are just some bad people in the world. A lot of the people we put over at the jail housing is because of drugs. I’d like to catch them before they get over there.”
A 45-year-old Pahokee man is killed in a head on collision in the Glades Friday afternoon.
The Palm Beach County Sheriffs Department said Eric Thornton was northbound on 715 when the 2005 Scion crossed the center line and struck a Ford F 150 pickup.
Thorton died at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 27-year-old Markes Hallback of Moore Haven suffered minor injury.
Two people from Wisconsin died in a head on collision on state road 60 at the Lake Kissimmee South Boat Ramp.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a westbound Chevrolet Silverado driven by a 45 year old Fort Lauderdale man crossed the center line and collided with a Honda SUV driven by a 68 year old man from Madison, Wisconsin. A 65 year old woman passenger in the SUV was also killed.
A second passenger in the SUV, a 84 year old Largo woman suffered serious injury. A 19 year old Port St. Lucie woman suffered minor injury.
In the Silverado, a 77 year old Fort Lauderdale woman suffered serious injury and a 26 year old Fort Lauderdale woman suffered minor injury.