WAFC Local News – March 16, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. LaBelle Mayor Julie Wilkins wrote a letter to the Department of Transportation expressing concern on the behalf of the city over the median project on Highway 80. She said the medians would make things worse and less safe. She noted the high volume of trucks that come through LaBelle wouldn’t be able to make U-turns and thus make deliveries. She says some trucks would be forced onto residential streets that would damage city pavement. She says the Department of Transportation would be hurting LaBelle in the name of progress. I am the leader of the commission as it sits on the board and I was trying to get that out without conveying that, because I know your opinion, and I was trying to convey that we all are concerned and that was my intent with that, so. Hugo Vargas opposed the letter saying he has a different opinion. Congressman Scott Franklin has been reviewing the files related to Jeffrey Epstein. He says there continues to be a public fascination with the case. Everybody thinks there’s some dark government conspiracy covering things up. I’ve never seen anything that would bear that out. He says some have been unfairly accused of wrongdoing and he wants the courts to give the victims as well as the suspect due process. People who had been, you know, lauded for things in the past are now having their names taken down off of buildings and other things just because they had some association with him, whether it was criminal or not. The Pahokee City Commission will consider a lease of eight boat slips and two to three campsites with a firm that does business with the U.S. military. John Boone represented Blue Ops, a Red Cat company. He says they work with military drones and would use the marina and a small section of Lake Okeechobee for developing and testing their products. He says they would hire security and dock hands from the Pahokee area if possible. Boone says their company products are gaining in popularity. It’s becoming more popular because it works. It’s a new wave of warfare. So we’re playing catch up in the United States so you will see more and more and more people showing up to service the need. Mayor Keith Babb says he has no problem with leasing this property to this company. Personally, I think it would be a benefit to the city. You’re leasing boat slips and campground sites so I don’t see a real issue or problem there at all. Glades County manager Paul Carlyle, among the small county officials that took time during rural county days in Tallahassee this year to speak about property tax reform. He says a small county like Glades does not have extra money lying around and can survive losing tax revenue. He says small counties like Glades will be fighting for survival. Glades County doesn’t have a way to make up these funds. Our sheriff’s department is 60% of our funds. We also have to fund the court system. We have to fund the property appraiser. We have to fund the tax collector. So we get nine million in ad valorem taxes. My sheriff’s eight million. My clerk’s budget’s a million. I mean, there’s no way to make up this money. Glades County has no grocery stores to speak of, no hospital, and their sales tax revenues are very low. He says at budget time, many residents are asking for more services they can’t afford like fire and ambulances. Glades County has not changed their tax rate since 2014. It’s been at or near the millage rate cap. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).