WAFC Local News – March 19, 2026, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The Henry County Land Planning Agency approved a special exception to allow a gun manufacturing business in southern Henry County. 1.75 acres of alico land will be used for the operation at 15,500 County Road 833 in Devil’s Garden. The application said an existing concrete block agriculture building now used to store tractors will be converted into the manufacturing business. They do not plan to add employees. The entire property is 788 acres and has just one single family residence. The property is used and zoned for agriculture. The facility has gotten all permits from ATF and federal agencies. The county would not allow the warehouse to be expanded without further approvals. The property cannot be used as a firing range. Moorhaven City Council has won a court battle with a tenant that created a junkyard on land he leased in the city limits. The tenant has since been evicted and the court ordered him to clean up the property. The city attorney says the man might have a warrant for his arrest for an incident that occurred on the property too. There is interest in developing the property into multi-family housing. The property was a former packing house along the railroad. There are about 12 boats and other items that’s needed to be removed. City Attorney Steve Ramouni maybe they should apply for a Brownsfield grant to help this cleanup. Nothing’s going to happen with this property until it’s cleaned and I know Larry you had looked at the whole Brownsfield issue and there is an ability to to do something through there. The Palm Beach County Commission approved a comprehensive plan amendment for the NORA Life RV Park in the Glades not far from Belle Glade. It is located west of State Road 715 just over a mile north of Hooker Highway. It is also right next to Paul Rardin Park between Pahokee and Belle Glade. It’ll be on 15 acres and will include 89 RV spaces which is a density of six per acre. They expect to get a lot of people interested in using Lake Okeechobee. Kevin McGinley representing the applicant was asked about the length of stay for this facility. My understanding is six months the code says that you can stay in an RV slot without moving but this is an RV park that will cater towards the Glades area particularly Lake Okeechobee. If you’ve ever been out there there’s nothing around it. Mayor Sarah Baxter says she supports the RV park project. I think our Glades area is amazing and if we can create an RV park that allows people to come visit I think that would be amazing. A bill died in the House that would impose penalties on trucking companies and drivers who are undocumented and prevent them from operating commercial motor vehicles in the state. Senator Don Getz said the bill included some common sense protections. The purpose of this bill is to require due diligence. If you are an individual who’s a motor carrier and you’re hiring drivers under this bill if you wanted your driver to come through Florida they have to be legally present in the United States have a valid CDL understand and read English be able to follow road signs and laws. Companies could face fines up to fifty thousand dollars. Getz cited recent fatal crashes in Florida as evidence of an urgent safety threat and said trucking firms must better vet their drivers. The bill died in a House committee. I’m Charles Murphy WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).