WAFC Local News – February 06, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection added the Culligan property to the Dinnerland Ranch Water Management Area on County Road 833, adding it to the Florida Forever list. The property is 194 acres and will be purchased outright. The property is connected to others in private ownership the state is interested in acquiring. It is the home of Sandhill Cranes, Crested Caracara, various wading birds, and the Everglades snail kite. Diane Pepe spoke about the benefits of purchasing the Culligan property. The proposal meets multiple Florida Forever measures including contributing to linkage corridors, protecting biodiversity, and providing the public with recreation opportunities. Priorities for the state legislature for the Glades this year include plenty of road work. Palm Beach County is asking for $13 million to improve County Road 880 and replace the Sam Center Road bridge over the C-51. The City of Belle Glade also wants road improvements, storm drainage, and a hardening of the Lakeshore Community Center. This is City Commissioner Tequila Collins. Our three appropriation requests are stormwater, hardening of the Lakeshore Civic Center. Last year’s request was $2 million for this project and we are requesting another $2 million as this building is very vital to our community and it serves multiple purposes for our community. The last and final request is our roads. As everyone already knows the condition of our roads and how very much important this is to us to improve. Palm Beach Clerk of the Court Mike Caruso wants more awareness about scams like property deed scams and the jury duty scams with more education efforts from the state. Glades County Commissioners approved a comprehensive plan amendment that allows an RV park and coffee farm in Lakeport. Many neighbors were opposed, concerned about the traffic it might bring from farm tours. Others’ concerns were turning the RV park into a migrant labor camp. Planner Susan Bouchant spoke about what’s proposed at Old Lakeport Road and 78. Staff agrees that the proposed transition future land use will allow for the proposed rezoning which will allow for the property to be developed with additional commercial uses, potentially increasing the value of the property and bringing additional visitors to Glades County. Matt Davis is the applicant. He expects minimal amounts of RVs. The next rumor going around is that I’m going to be doing over 100 units on this property. I live on the property. I don’t want to be next to 100 units on the property. He says it will fit in well with Glades County. The pushback I’m getting in a farming county, I’m trying to create Florida’s first coffee farm with just a handful of RVs to accompany it. Resident Sherry Conway says they don’t need more RVs in Lakeport. What’s to keep them from not moving on to putting this into labor camps because there is a need for that in our area. Bobby Corden says the Lakeport Community Association is in support. We would like to express our full support for the proposed small farm tour destination known as Okeechobee Coffee Company. There is an RV park down the road. This man wants to do a fraction of that. A home invasion robbery is reported in Pahokee. 27-year-old Dionne Foreman is charged with breaking into a residence, pointing a firearm at a female resident and stealing her phone. Florida’s first bear hunt in a decade wrapped up without incident. Law enforcement officers say they issued no citations. 52 bears were killed, less than a third of the potential number as they issued 172 permits. Starting today, Florida driver’s license exams will be given exclusively in English. The State Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says the exams for non-commercial licenses were offered in several different languages. CDL tests were offered in English and Spanish. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).