WAFC Local News – December 22, 2025, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The LaBelle City Commission voted to not enact more regulations on food trucks. They opted not to make any changes. Each application currently comes before the commission for review. Food trucks are not allowed at church events, on vacant lots, and in the downtown business district. Lieutenant Allen Hudson of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office says some food trucks just show up on private property without permission. Now what we deal with all the time is, hey, this person set up a food truck on my property. I didn’t tell them we could do so. Those are easy. We’ve done those several times in the last couple of months. Hey, go by there. Hey, probably aren’t that safe to be here. Oh, I thought it was an empty lot I could set up here. Now you can’t. You need to leave. Patty Kulak, the city planner, says they don’t allow them downtown. Mobile food vending is prohibited within the downtown business district on the zoning map. Commissioner Bobby Spratt says the deputies should evict these food trucks if they’re there without permission. Just take a big torch down there and burn it up. Commissioner Hugo Vargas says maybe they should expand food truck usage at Barron Park and Foray Park. Mayor Julie Wilkins says there should be food trucks at church events. There’s a lot of churches that are in residential areas, not business areas. Per this, it would not be allowed. Palm Beach County Schools have requested more state appropriations for the West Tech program in Belle Glade. They want to expand welding, diesel mechanics, automotive and culinary programs. Dr. Jalonde Morgan is a big advocate for West Tech. With West Tech looking at expanding the Glades workforce, we are seeking funding for the welding program as well as being able to invest in electives in the culinary programs as well as automotive and diesel maintenance. School board member Marsha Andrews saluted the Pahokee Middle School 830 Cadet Squadron, voted the number one school-based squadron in the state of Florida. The Moorhaven City Council heard from Mayor Clay Browning frustrated they haven’t gotten any code enforcement cases before the magistrate they hired this year. He says they get a lot of complaints from people about the city looking bad and they can’t really reassure them that action is being taken. And it’s frustrating because we’re getting calls. And when we ride around town and we see some of the stuff that we see, and we’re like, what else? We throw our hands up. City Attorney Steve Ramooney says they are reporting the code enforcement complaints to staff, but there’s a process to take and that can take time. And then she takes it from there and that leaves council out of the blow by blow, so to speak, because it’s my preference that you not engage because at some point there might be something that comes up for the council and then you could get recused because you’ve already had substantial contact and you get accused of being biased one way or another. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).