WAFC Local News – November 24, 2025, 8:32 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Congressman Scott Franklin says he continues to support ICE and the immigration and deportation activities. He says the country has now secured the border and want to do more. The border incursions by illegal crossings has come almost to a complete stop. Advocate and parent Michelle Ovulogon continues to pursue hands-free cell phone usage in the state. She told the Henry County State Delegation that more people die from distracted driving each year. Insurance costs are now 37 percent higher in Florida. She says cell phones are costing lives on a daily basis. Lives are being lost every single day because of a stupid cell phone, because we just can’t put them down. She says most drivers have no concern about other motorists. And especially how people behave in the confines of their vehicles, feeling that they’re invincible. What they need to do matters more than anybody else and anybody else’s lives. Governor Ron DeSantis approved two conservation easements and one acquisition, totaling 13,375 acres within the Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress corridor in Collier and Henry Counties. It will enhance connectivity between the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Big Cypress National Preserve and Dinner Island Wildlife Management Area. These properties provide critical habitat for imperiled species, such as the Florida Panther, while supporting agriculture operations. These properties lie within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The City of Belgrade approves their annual operating budget for the year. The general fund is $15.56 million. The property values in the city are up 8.6 percent this year and the property taxes collected increased by 6.6 percent. The budget includes a 3 percent raise for employees and $141,000 to renovate City Hall. The city also wants to reduce overtime pay this year. Finance Director Diana Hughes explains why the taxes are going up. The explanation for the increase in taxes is being used for purchasing capital equipment and for public safety services provided by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. A South Bay man arrested after a high-speed chase, an I-95, in West Palm Beach. Palm Beach Sheriff Deputy, say 32-year-old, Jakevious King, made a traffic violation on the Yogochuy Boulevard exit and sped away, going the wrong way down a one-way street. Palm Beach Aviation kept an eye on the vehicle for the sheriff and it parked at a residence on 8th Street. He then tried to flee on foot, jumping over fences and running through multiple backyards. King was found a short time later near the parked vehicle. If convicted, this would be his fifth offense for driving while license suspended. He was also charged with fleeing and eluding police and resisting arrest. Palm Beach County Commissioners extended for a month the Northwest Belle Glade Water Main Improvement Contract. They approved a contract change order for $357,500, 23,000 linear feet of new water main being installed, most of the funding coming from HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development. They also proclaimed Poverty Awareness Week. Pemberley Bush says Palm Beach County continues to lead the way in reducing childhood poverty. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to addressing poverty. Together, we can continue to work toward meaningful solutions and a brighter future for all. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).