WAFC Local News – April 16, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Henry County Commissioners unanimously turned down a special exception for the former Tyrell Gardens in Fort Denod. The estate is at 2736 Fort Denod Road. The historic residence and botanical gardens wanted to be an event venue and host events of up to 125 people, including weddings. Rodney Murray says the county should oppose this unanimously. Why would the majority of the people in Fort Denod be against this and you want to approve it for just a small handful of three or four people? That would be my biggest question. Y’all were voted in to represent the majority of the people. The majority of people in Fort Denod do not want this to take place. County Commissioner Emma Byrd says it might hurt neighbors. They was having smaller weds like they already was having. I don’t understand why they just can’t keep it like it’s been. But if when you start enlarging it, it’s not gonna just encroach you, it’s gonna encroach the people around you. It makes you think different, make you look at it different. Julie Wilkins, representing the applicant, says she didn’t think there’d be too many complaints or incidents. They’ve had over 100 weddings there and no one’s heard, no one’s complained. Or if they have heard, they haven’t complained. There haven’t been any complaints. And they just want to continue the tradition of what’s always been done there. Some complained about too many speeders on that road and too much traffic. Others were concerned about the noise it might generate. This county commissioner, Mitchell Wills. My concerns is that if the road was, if it was lit better, if it had wider lanes, it wasn’t a situation. And right now they use it for a racetrack. I mean, everybody that lives there will tell you that. I made a comment in the last meeting about 90 miles an hour and they said, no, they’re only doing 70. 70 is unacceptable in that zone. Glades County schools were surprised when the IRS took $267,000 out of the district bank account for a penalty they didn’t owe. Congressman Scott Franklin’s office is helping the district retrieve the money. The district did not owe any funds. They just failed to check one box on an online form in 2019 and penalties started to accrue. The state declared Glades County schools in a financial emergency recently and this did not help. You can only imagine the surprise that we, and the shock that we felt. That’s superintendent of schools, Beth Barfield. She says the IRS has provided them no information. They weren’t very helpful and they could not help us. So they kept giving us to somebody else and sending us to another department. She says it is an unfair penalty. A Belle Glade man arrested during a traffic stop in Stewart for allegedly possessing illegal narcotics and a handgun. 34 year old Jermaine Knowles was going over the speed limit in an area of Southeast Cove Road near Federal Highway. The deputy smelled the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. Knowles also had an open warrant out of Hendry County for driving while license suspended or revoked. Deputies say they found 4.5 grams of cocaine and a Glock pistol. Knowles is also a convicted felon. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).