April 19, 19933
04/19/93
13:39
'$813 763 1031 CASSELS &McCALL
LAW OFFICE OF
CASSELS McCALL
400 NW SECOND STREET POST OFFICE BOX 968 OKEECHOBEE FLORIDA 34972 TELEPHONE 813.763.3131 FAX 783•IC
Michael W. Morrell, Esquire
Attorney at Law
310 West College Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301 -1406
April 19, 1993
JOHN D. CASSELS. JR
LAURA ANN McCALL
Re: Report on Case Status
DOAH Case No. 92 -4909
Dear Mike:
As our telephone conversations sometimes tend to get sidetracked, permit me to reiterate
several points:
1. Okeechobee County has in the past, and continues to advocate new creation
of a utility authority. In fact, it was the County's suggestion initially to have
an appraisal performed.
2. That the newspaper article of Matt Perez which attributed to me a comment
that the utility authority was a dead issue, was a misquote. As stated above,
it is my client's position that an appropriate utility authority will best serve the
needs of i ll residents of Okeechobee County. I would not have made a
statement contrary to my client's position
3. The two million dollar number submitted by the Finance Director was
discussed at a meeting between the. Chairman of the County Commission and
the Mayor the previous Friday. Both the Mayor and the Chairman agreed
that each government would provide the other with a figure for discussion.
The County has yet to receive a number from the City.
4. As I indicated previously,1 continue to feel that we made substantial progress
toward settlement and would like to think that the remaining issues can be
resolved. Toward that end, I would rather spend the next thirty (30) days
settling as opposed to preparing for an administrative hearing.
0 /19/93 3:40 $813 763 1031
In our telephone conference of this date, I indicated to you that I had drafted a proposed
status report for your review. During that conference, it became clear that we may have a
different perspective on some of the recent events and accordingly, I have abandoned that
draft in lieu of the simpler and more direct request for an additional thirty (30) days prior
to setting this matter for hearing. Should you concur, kindly execute the joint report and
forward it to the hearing officer. On the other hand, should you feel that further negotiation
would not be fruitful, please advise immediately so that I might file a unilateral report.
With kindest regards, I am
Sincerely,
N D. CASSELS, JR.
JDC /tsn
-3351
CASSELS McCAL1. 1 j 003
Michael W. Morrell, Esquire
Page Two
April 19, 1993