WAFC Local News – October 15, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. The City of LaBelle approved the Wawa downtown after a two and a half hour debate. Mayor Vince Ross cast a deciding vote. I’m for the Wawa. I’ve had 50-50 and the lady mentioned that I was elected, I guess, to vote on the Wawa. But me personally, I feel like I was voted for my integrity and my judgment and who I am as a person. The historic district protecting downtown traffic congestion were the biggest concerns from detractors. Supporters looked at the equality Wawa provides, the millions in tax revenue and 35 new jobs. Commissioner Kevin Holland says that big money will help LaBelle. We don’t have a lot of fat to trim. We just don’t. Some of our communities that are our neighbors, you know, Fort Myers, Naples, and they’re somewhat obese with money, if you will. But we’re not. We’re their skinny cousins, I guess you’d say. And I hate to even say we’re broke. I hate to admit it. But we are. Alan Pickles was opposed. He says it’s the worst intersection in LaBelle. If you start adding that amount of traffic coming in and out of Main Street and the other street, it is going to be a catastrophe. Jill Kaye claimed that nobody in LaBelle wanted this. You’re going to put out of business some of these small businesses that we love. Romero Rodriguez says it’s too lucrative a business to let go. Don’t let this opportunity go by. You know, right now the economy is not that great. Everything is real expensive. They want to put this type of money in our city? Oh my God, let them do it. Planner Dan DeLisi says the big issue with the downtown in LaBelle with State Road 80 is not theirs to control. The problem with State Road 80 is you don’t control it. Joe Leon says the fight to save downtown is already over. That part of LaBelle is gone. That ship sailed many years ago. There’s nothing left there as far as the downtown historic district. If we want to keep looking in the rearview mirror, stop looking out in the windshield, LaBelle is not going to continue to grow. If we don’t have the revenue and stuff to continue the growth here, we’re going to be another city like Moorhaven that’s going to die. Palm Beach Mayor Sarah Baxter held a town hall meeting in South Bay to hear concerns from the public before the election. One of the biggest issues, affordable housing. Mayor Baxter says they’re doing what they can to bring affordable housing, noting muck removal can make it costly. She commented on the high rents in the Glades. All we can do is try to keep costs down so they don’t feel the need to raise the rent to then pass that on to you. That’s never what we want, right? While not specifically addressing recent claims, she got undue perks from the job of mayor She did say she will answer questions from constituents on a one-on-one basis, not through the media. Think positive. Congressman Scott Franklin thinks the economy is rebounding. He says the gas prices should be further reduced. Polk County has had lower gas prices for a while. Their argument is, well, the futures are showing the gas is going to go higher, so we’re going ahead and doing the increase now. Well, the futures are now showing that the gas is going lower, so they ought to be bringing the prices down. Franklin says in any midterm election, a lot of it has to do with how the economy is performing. The wallet is obviously what drives people’s motivations, usually in November at the ballot box. I think things are getting better. A new study placed inflation at 3.7% in Florida. During the same period, gas prices went up 9.1%. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).