WAFC Local News – August 05, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Glades County Commissioner is pondering whether to give employees a 4% raise or a $1,000 bonus. Candidate for County Commission Linda Cisneros says she’d like to see a 4% pay hike in the budget. And I understand that. It’s just more of a morale thing for me and I think for the employees. I think everybody’s working hard and everything is going up in price. The City of Moorhaven set their tentative millage at 5.2738 mills. Two members wanted to keep the millage rate at the rollback rate of 4.794 mills. The City tax base rose by $912,000 in the past year to just over $71.1 million. Their budget hearings are September 3rd and September 15th. The Clewiston City Commission also beginning budget workshops. Other local governments have expressed concern about impacts from property tax reform. From conferences they’ve attended, commissioners say they’re expecting well over 60% of Floridians to approve the additional Homestead exemption. Tim Pruitt says that would mean taking a lot of tax revenue away from the City of Clewiston. First year at $150,000 we’re going to be looking at almost a million dollar loss in revenue after the first year. The second year you’re about $1.2 million. City Administrator Danny Williams says they will be watching their budget closely. I think we’ll do well. I think this is a year we’re going to have to try to squeeze some things. Because next year probably will be. I mean the bottom line, once we figure out what we’ve got to cut, we’ll cut it. I mean it is what it is if that takes place. The property tax values are up 11% this year in Clewiston. A Florida judge has found the wording of Amendment 3, save our homes from excessive property taxes misleading and biased. We hear more in this report. State law requires constitutional amendment ballot language to be clear and neutral. The title, to save our homes from excessive property taxes, he found is a political tagline and is rhetoric and emotional and not neutral and just not appropriate for a ballot question. Plaintiff Attorney Jamie Cole says numerous statements in the ballot summary are factually inaccurate and the judge ordered the Attorney General to correct the defects. Cole warns if the corrections are not sufficient, he will fight to prevent Amendment 3 from ever appearing on the ballot. I’m Karen Curtis. Among arrest, Ramiah Moore of Pahokee is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, allegedly using a large knife to assault someone. The victim and the suspect apparently had argued over burnt food in an oven that the suspect left unattended in the kitchen. The suspect says she commonly uses a knife to get into bedrooms in the residence. A Belle Glade woman is charged with aggravated battery with a motor vehicle after striking a victim at Pioneer Park in her vehicle. The victim suffered a broken leg. The vehicle then fled the scene and was located after a traffic stop on South Main Street. The victim was taken to Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade. Another woman was apparently sprayed with mace during this fight. U.S. Senate ready to debate the Farm Bill and Committee this week. Democratic Senator John Bozeman spoke on the Senate floor saying the legislation will help struggling farmers and ranchers facing bankruptcy and loss of their farms. He calls it an important investment in rural America and will also expand medical care and services in rural areas. Senator Bozeman says agriculture needs the relief. The calls for a modernized Farm Bill have only grown louder as the inherently risky nature of agriculture, coupled with the unique challenges facing producers today, pose an imminent threat to their livelihoods and our national security. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).