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2022-06-21 Affidavit of POPrwuft a& a )� INDEPENDENT NOSMEDIA INC. USA STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF OKEECHOBEE Before the undersigned authority personally appeared Ka- trina Elsken Muros, who on oath says that she is Editor in Chief of the Lake Okeechobee News, a weekly news- paper published in Okeechobee County, Florida; that the attached copy of advertisement, being a Public Notice in the matter of Public Notice in the 19th Judicial District of the Circuit Court of Okeechobee County, Florida, was published in said news- paper in the issues of 06/08/22 (Print Dates) or by publication on the newspapers website, if authorized, on 06/08/22 (Website Dates) Affiant further says that the newspaper complies with all legal requirements for publication in Chapter 50, Florida Statutes. Katrina Elsken Muros Sworn to and subscribed before me by means of Physical Presence QX Online Notarization physical presence or online notarization, this 8th day of June. 2022. JANET SUE MADRAY MY C0MM►SSION # HH 129i46 EXPIRES: May 12, 2025 ,'lROP f ;?p' 4onded Thru Notary Public Underwdters (Signature of Notary Public) STAMP OF NOTARY PUBLIC (D { '22 Lake Okeechobee News C_^-r,,t 313 NW 4th Avenue Okeechobee, FL 34972 863-763-3134 CRY OF OKEECHOBEE PUBLIC NOTICE CRY CWNCIL REGULAR MEETING NOTICEISHEREBYG1VENthatthe tyGot dforthe@yoFOkeetobee will mrdud: a peoar meeffrg an]une 21, 2022, 6 PM, aassoon diaeafter as possible, atOtyHall,55SE3rdACE,Rm20QOl obee,l3_ Thepbhcisan;�1tDala and beI>�rdonalmatrrisC�piescftheagar da w II be.r-le at t e me Ong or may be �iewaydwmkadeJ l� to the meeting from the welosre hUps://www.oWdmtdDM03WAgendaMi- BE ADVISED UA Md ycu irpad to show any doa/maR, pure, Hdeo, orilansh�theCaundlinsppatoroppcetionhrarryi�inmihe a copyafthadoamerkl�Uue,vdei,ar0gnmrntbepwid .,L CJerk for the Sys reoorrk ANY PERSON DECIDING TO APPEAL arty dedsm made t=MCflurgl wttii reoth/ any rtattermredead atth5 me6- ing witl need tner�ea wtx�tim ra�ord ofthe proaeejirg is made and the re cord kdudestlietedimorry and eidar.� Won whidi u,eappml wvtl be ba�1. InwoordaaaWith the Annoanswith OisaUffiesAo;pasor>sw dt�h6M rending amanrrbdationin�tidPa��dispooaalirgBnrldoxx+au th OtyCIe11Cs01fiae in person droll 863-769-9614, Hearinrgg Impaired: Honda Rmay 7-1-1 ro la�than far brmnas days Pam procea7ing• W. Maear DaMrg R Watford, Jr. 542570 LON 4/82022 PUBLIC NOTICE CITY COUNCIL METING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council for the City of Okeechobee will conduct a regular meeting on July 5, 2022, 6:00 PM, or as soon thereafter as possible, at City Hall, 55 SE 3rd AVE, Rm 200, Okeechobee, FL. The public is invited to attend and be heard on all matters. Copies of the agenda will be available at the meeting, or prior to the meeting, and may be viewed and/or downloaded from hftps://www.cityofokeechobee.com/AgendaMinutes-CityCouncil.html. In addition to general items of discussion and consideration, a Public Hearing will be conducted to consider adopting the following proposed ordinances, of which can be inspected in their entirety at https://www.cityofokeechobee.com/public-notice.htmi or in the City Clerk's Office during normal business hours, Monday -Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays: ORDINANCE NO. 1254: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA; AMENDING SECTION 90-633, HOME OCCUPATION WITHIN CHAPTER 90, LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Petition No. 22-001-TA, amendments include but are not limited to: requiring employees who work at the dwelling must also resident in the dwelling, except that up to two employees or independent contractors who do not reside at the dwelling may work at the home occupation; home occupation shall be secondary to the residential use; delete existing wording that provides for a percentage of the total building floor area; exterior of the residence is be consistent with surrounding residential areas, modifications made to the dwelling to accommodate the home occupation must conform to the residential character and architectural aesthetics of the neighborhood; retail transactions at a structure other than the dwelling are not allowed; remove the existing wording that goods/services shall not be sold on the property; expand the list of types of interferences to neighboring property; storage or disposal of hazardous, flammable, combustible, or corrosive materials are prohibited; vehicles and trailers used in the connection with the home occupation must be parked in legal spaces not within the right-of-way, on/over a sidewalk, or any unimproved surfaces at the dwelling; remove existing wording that individual instruction in art, music, or education may be given to one person at a time; remove the existing list of prohibited home occupations ORDINANCE NO. 1258: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA; EXTENDING THE HOLDING REZONING PROGRAM CREATED BY ORDINANCE NO. 1224; PROVIDING FOR A ONE (1) YEAR SUNSET CLAUSE; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. [LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATION TEXT AMENDMENT APPLICATION NO.21-002-TA]. BE ADVISED that should you intend to show any document, picture, video, or items to the City Council in support or opposition to any item on the agenda, a copy of the document, picture, video, or item must be provided to the Board Secretary for the City's records. ANY PERSON DECIDING TO APPEAL any decision made by the City Council with respect to any matter considered at this meeting will need to ensure a verbatim record of the proceeding is made and the record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal will be based. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with disabilities needing special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the City Clerk's Office in person or call 863-763-9814, Hearing Impaired: Florida Relay 7-1-1 no later than four business days prior to proceeding. By: Mayor Dowling R. Watford, Jr. City Clerk Lane Gamiotea 11 NOTICE POSTED: 6/21/22 BBMEBSITE, 6/28/22 FB-MC II 20Z1- 0U 21 20 June 29, 2022 1 Lake Okeechobee News I SouthCentralFloridaLife.com CC I If , Obituaries should be submitted to Lake Okeechobee News by emalling obits@iniusa.org. Customers may also request photos and links to online guestbooks. A link to the obituaries is available at southcent ralRoridalife. com Jodi Alexander Perry, 93 Jodi Alexander Perry was Dom in Knox County, Tennessee on Septem- ber 10, 1928, was one of eight children born to Richard Alexander Perry and Lula Oglesby Perry. He passed away at his residence on June 13, 2022, at the age of 93. Preceded in death by his son, John- ny "Buster" Perry; and two daugh- ters, Suzie Wilson and Patricia Perry; and one grandson. He is survived by his son, Roger" Pete" Perry, Sr. (Marilyn); twelve grandchildren, twenty-five great grandchildren and five great great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday June 29, 2022, at 2:00 P.M. at Harrell Funeral Home, Drip- ping Springs, TX. PhVilis J. Tullis, 80 Phyllis Tullis of Greenacres since December 2022 after residing in Lake Okeechobee since 2004, passed away on June 17, 2022. Phyllis enjoyed many trips to Dis- ney with her family, growing grapes and making grape jelly. She is survived by her daugh- ter, Deborah (Raymond) Gleason; son, Robert (Tammy) Tullis; her grandchildren, Ray (Kim), Jeremy (Cindy), and Justin (Crystal); six great-grandsons, Derek, Ryan, Kyle, Anthony, Christian and Evan; and one great-granddaughter, Serenity. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to All County Funeral Home and Crematory, 1107 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, FL 33460. Mary Geraldine 'Geri' Feagle Stuart, 80 Mary Geraldine "Geri" Feagle Stu art of Lake City, passed away peace- fully on Saturday morning, June 25, 2022 with her family by her side, after an extended illness. She was born in Lake City on September 22, 1941 to the late Cline and Mary Etta Feagle. She was raised in the Lake City area and moved and lived in the Okeechobee area until 2002, when she moved back to Lake City. She was a homemaker and worked as a Home Health Aide for many years as well. She was raised in the Bethle- hem Lutheran Church in Lake City; and in her spare time, she enjoyed crocheting, cooking and working in her garden with her flowers. She was preceded in death by her daughter Dawn Michelle Stuart. She is survived by her children, Charlene Nettles Pitman of Lake City, Tim Nettles (Susie) of Lake City, Brent Stuart (Vickie) of Okeechobee and Jason Stuart of Okeechobee; her siblings, James Feagle (Janice), Al- dine Feagle (Dot), Wendell Feagle, Marlin Feagle (Diane), Olivia Greene (Bob) and Farrell Feagle (Geraldine) all of Lake City. Ten grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews also survive. Funeral services for Geri will be conducted on Friday, July 1, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. in the Gateway -Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow in the Bethlehem Luther- an Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation on Thursday evening, June 30, 2022 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Arrangements are under the direc- tion and care of GATEWAY -FOR- EST LAWN FUNERAL HOME, 3596 S. US HWY 441, Lake City, FL, 32025, 386-752-1954. Please leave words of comfort for the family at www.gate- wayforestlawn.com Post your condolence, memories and photos of your loved one on our obituary page at legacy.com/newszapfl LOANS AND LIENS Commissioners discuss concerns about PACE loans By Katrina Elsken LAIC OKEECHOBEE NEWS OKEECHOBEE — Fli- ers local residents found in their mailboxes sparked a discussion at the June 23 Okeechobee County Com- mission meeting about the PACE loan program. Commissioner David Ha- zelliefexpressed concerns about a flier he received about PACE loans for home repairs. In December 2021, the board of commissioners ap- proved a resolution allow- ing four PACE agencies to operate in Okeechobee County. PACE enables homeowners to obtain fi- nancing for energy con- servation and efficien- cy, renewable energy and wind resistance improve- ments and repay the fi- nancing through voluntary non -ad valorem special as- sessments on their annual county property tax bill. "When someone goes to purchase a house, first thing they do is financing. They get prequalified," Ha- zellief explained. "At that point, the loan department has calculated the pay- ment." He said the mort- gage company has consid- ered the ad valorem taxes CITY ADMINISTRATION in that loan and puts the money in escrow. Adding a PACE loan adds anoth- er charge on the ad valor- em tax bill. Hazellief also expressed concern that because they are on the tax bills, PACE loans take priority over the mortgage. "If you have equity in your house, and go to the bank and get a home equity loan, that is in second posi- tion," he explained. "PACE loans are in the first position before the bank," he said. "If you can't make your payment, they » See PACE on page 22 City Council renews contract to keep Ritter as city administrator By Richard Marion LMM OKEECHOBEE NEWS OKEECHOBEE— Okeechobee City Council members approved a two- year contract for city ad- ministrator Gary Ritter at their June 21 meeting. Ritter was appointed as interim city administrator following Marcos Montes de Oca's resignation from the position in .June 2021. "I appreciate what Gary has done;' said Council Member Bob Jarriel. "I've gotten a lot of compliments about him. And as I go around the city, I see a lot of improvements." "I think we all would agree that Gary has done a wonderful job for us," add- ed Mayor Dowling Watford. Previously Ritter had OKEECHOBEE - The Okeechobee City Council approved a two-year contract for Gary Ritter as city administrator at the June 21 Okeechobee City Council meeting. [Photo by Richard Marion/Lake Okeechobee News] been with South Florida Water Management Dis- trict for 36 years in various capacities including as di- rector of a service center. Following his time with SF WMD, he represented the Florida Farm Bureau Fed- eration and its membership before the SFWMD and lo- cal governments in south Florida. Near the end of the meet- ing Ritter thanked Coun- cil Members for their confi- dence in him "The highlight for me has been working with the staff," said Ritter. "We have an extremely hard work- ing group of people here at the city." / 4AW-AI IE 28 July 6, 2022 1 Lake Okeechobee News I SouthCentralFloridaLife.com Send news and photographs www.facebook.com/ GOVERNMENTto okeenewsCiiniusa.org ® lakeokeechobeenews I Twitter: (-LakeONews SHOULD GROWTH PAY? Hendry County Commission to contract out for impact fee study By C. M. Schmidlkofer LAKE 01aM HOEEE news CLEWISTON — During the Hendry County Board of County Commission- ers meeting in Clewiston on June 14, the commis- sion approved a resolu- tion allowing staff to reach out to a contractor to con- duct a developer impact fee study. A study will help the commission determine fees to proposed build- ers in the county, with those fees going to support roads, utilities, schools, law enforcement and emergen- cy medical services to han- dle the expected growth in the county that such devel- opments bring. "We have so many folks coming into the area," Vice Chairman Mitchell Wills said. "... the fact is we're so behind as a county now, starting to impose these now is going to help us catch up eventually' Two contractors re- sponded to Requests for Proposals (RFP) by the countyls ranking commit- tee in April. Commissioners decided to move forward with Ben- esch, a professional ser- vices firm headquartered in Chicago. It has offices nationwide. For a $157,525 fee, Ben- esch offered services for eight service areas includ- ing public buildings, emer- gency medical services, law enforcement, trans- portation, educational and library facilities and a growth analysis followed by meetings and presen tations. Commissioners voted to move forward with a contract to Benesch, with the removal of the public buildings category, elim- inating $20,795 from the overall cost, after Coun- ty Administrator Jenni- fer Davis pointed out the county has been using allo- cated covid relief funding for public buildings. "We're going to negoti- ate the cost for each ser- vice area and each ser- vice that they've laid out," said County Planning and Community Development Director, Margaret Em- blidge. She added that it should take about a month to re- turn to the commission with a contract. She antici- pated a completed propos- al in seven months from there. "That's too long" Com- missioner Darrell Harris said. "They can do it faster than that." Emblidge said she would bring that to the negotiat- ing table with Benesch. Harris asked if impact fees can be used for roads. County Public Works Di- rector, Shane Parker, said money can be used for a new road, for widening of OFFICERS NEEDED roads and right-of-way ac- quisition. "You can use it for a new road like Wheeler Stage, you can use it for widening of Helms Road, you can use it for maintenance" he said, adding that as long as roadwork does not in- crease capacity, funds can be used for road projects. In other business, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the Hendry Coun- ty School District's request to place a referendum ap- proving the school capital outlay surtax on the No- vember general election ballot. The school board wants to levy a half -cent discre- tionary sales surtax in the county to build a new K-0 school and make repairs to other schools within the district. The resolution was on the consent agenda of the June 14 regular commis- sion meeting in Clewistor4 Okeechobee City Council hears annual updates from department heads By Richard Marion LASE DEEeCHORM NEWS OKEECHOBEE — Okeechobee City Council Members received annual reports from various city departments during their June 21 meeting. Police chiefDonald Ha- gan gave an update on the Okeechobee Police Depart- ment over the last year. Chief Hagan reported that the Okeechobee Police De- partment has issued 3,305 traffic citations and warn- ings over the last year: "We've had 225 acci- dents in the city," said Chief Hagan. "That's actu prettygood consider- ing the traffic congestion we've had." Chief Hagan said his de- partment is still down two positions, with no current applicants. "I've spoken to several of my cohorts in the area and they're having the same is- sue," relayed Hagan. "This is really a nationwide ep- idemic that I m seeing in law enforcement. Alaskan State Troopers were actu- ally here in Florida recruit- ing for the Alaskan State Police. So, you can tell places are hurting when they're coming to Florida' Patty Burnette, gener- al services coordinator for the city's building depart- ment, reported that the city has issued 161 permits during the calender year. "There are several proj- ects around town that you've probably seen that look like they're slowing down a little bit," said Bur- nette. "Mainly our conver- sations from contractors is they're having trouble gem supplies and ma- terials. Our new Racetrac, they're trying to figure out how to get their 5,000 yards of concrete. The en- tire area over there will be concrete so that's quite a few trucks." "We had one person that spoke to our building ofir- chd about a new house he's building" continued Bur- nette. "He can't get his trusses till next May. So don't think things won't be built, it's just going to take a little time." India Riedel, city finance director, told council mem- bers that Okeechobee has had 64 new and trans- ferred businesses year-to- date. "Current year balance sheets reflects an increase of revenues year-to-date of a little over $200,000 over last year," said Riedel "And we have a decrease in ex See Council on page 30 Z022 - O Co -,Z 1 Cc rr�� ELECTIONS Holcomb, Jahner win school board seats with no opposition OIMCHOBEE- Two Okeechobee County School Board seats have been filled now that the deadline to register to seek office has passed. Melisa Jahner will con- tinue to represent district 3 on the Okeechobee Coun- ty School Board, and Jill Holcomb will contin ue to rep - Me" Jd9w resent dis- trict 5. Jahner was the only can- didate to qualify for the dis- trict 3 seat. And Holcomb was the only to qualify for the district 5 seat. Jahner was first elected in 2018, while Hol- comb was first elected in 14, then re elected in 2018. The two Okeechobee Jill Holcomb School Board races are part of four county seats that faced no opposition this year. Frank DeCarlo was the only candidate to qualify for the district 2 seat on the Okeechobee Board of Coun- ty Commissioners (left va- cant after Bryant Culpep- per resigned in 2021), and Commissioner Terry Bur- roughs will continue to rep- resent district 4 after far ing no challenger this year as well. NEW LAW New laws require BMPs for golf courses, school board term limits and more By Katrina Elsken LAID; OKEWHOEEE NEWS TAi LAHASSEE — A ban on abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, the addition of best manage- ment practices (BMPs) to control the use of fertiliz- er on golf courses, term lim- its for school board mem- bers and the designation of a new official state dessert were among the 145 new laws passed by the Florida Legislature which went into effect on July 1. House Bill (HB) prohlb- its physicians from offering abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions only for fa- tal fetal abnormalities. This law already faces legal chal- lenges in state court. HB 967 requires golf courses to use Best Man- agement Practices (BMPs) to limit nutrient levels in runoff The bill directs the turf - grass science program at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agri- cultural Science (IIF/IFAS), in coordination with the De- partment of Environmental Protection (DPP), to admin- ister a golf course best man- agement practices certifica- tion to ensure compliance with fertilizer best manage- ment practices. For years farmers and ranchers have been re- quired to participate in BMP programs or FDFP water testing to prove there is no fertilizer in runoli HB 5leeI.awonpage30