WAFC Local News – April 14, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Florida U.S. Senator Rick Scott came to Hendry County to hear from farmers and ranchers on the impacts of this year’s freeze. The group wants federal assistance. The freeze dipped temperatures to as low as 19 degrees in parts of Hendry County. Some say it’s the worst freeze since the 1980s. The amount of damage was placed at 3 billion for Florida agriculture. Sugar farmers saw a lot of damage in multiple year impacts. Ranchers have seen winter feed cost double and even triple in our state. And citrus could lose a number of new trees they planted last year. This farmer described his damage. Everything we planted in September that grew for five, six months, we’ve had to mow to the ground. This freeze was unlike anything we’ve seen in decades. We can see that it kills the grass. We can see we have to increase our supplementation, but we may not see the damage until future calf crops. Maybe they don’t breed back as well. Scott says President Trump will likely help with federal disaster funds. We do have a partner with Trump. I mean, he does care about farmers and ranchers, which is positive. Matt Joyner with the Florida Citrus League says this freeze was different than others he’s experienced. What makes this freeze so much worse than hurricanes of the past and freezes of the past is the duration and the scale of the temperatures. It was 100% of the farm, not just parts of the farm. Artis Hammack of Glades County says even smaller farmers were impacted. We get labeled big sugar, but when you come and see us, we’re the real sugar, and we’re so appreciative that you understand that. A Wellington mother complained she was ostracized and harassed and her children bullied at school. Adrienne Pugh says it was in response to filing a safety report for a teen that lived next door to her children’s school, seen on social media, pointing guns. He later shot two teens at a park in Palm Beach County. Pugh says she was right about this gunman. Meanwhile, the individual I warned the school about was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting two teenagers at a park near Limestone Creek. Thankfully, it wasn’t the children in the schoolyard. She says the school deemed her a problem and a Karen and a complainer and dismissed her. The Pahokee Commission decided not to extend the application period for the city manager position for 60 days. Tonight, they will interview four finalists. They discussed how they wanted to handle the search. Because if we said we was done taking applicants, we should have been done. That’s Commissioner James Scott. He says the city is looking bad again on the way they’ve handled this process. It’s not a big deal to me. It’s just don’t look professional. Okay. That’s what I’m saying. But then it don’t look fair. Fair to who? Among the candidates are the interim city manager, Tammy Bussey. A 31-year-old Hendry County man is facing burglary with an assault charges after the report of a possible kidnapping. Nicholas Laredo had a past history of domestic battery charges. He allegedly grabbed a child at another residence, got into an SUV and fled the scene towards Lee County. They were able to locate the vehicle near Alpha. Charges include burglary with an assault and interfering with the custody of a minor. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).