Vol. 101 No. 26 Sunday, February 28, 2010 75¢ Plus tax To the rescue... Judge Members of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Offi ce (OCSO) Special Response Team use the cover of dense green smoke to storm a home and rescue a female hostage during a training exercise held Friday morning, Feb. 26. For more on the story, see page 20. throws OHS Tennis teams beat Fort Pierce out FSB ... Page 14 Index lawsuit Boys reportedly were Classifi eds ..................................17-19 Community Events ............................6 abused at Florida Crossword ....................................... 19 Obituaries .......................................... 6 School for Boys in the Opinion .............................................. 5 1940s, ’50s and ’60s Speak Out ......................................... 4 Sports ...................................13, 15-16 By Eric Kopp Weather ............................................. 5 Okeechobee News “When I came home from Viet- Lake Levels nam I felt my country had betrayed County Historic trail me, and now the justice system has done the same thing.” 13.52 feet Bryant Middleton, who was one Last Year: 12.86 feet of the many boys beaten and sod- omized at the Florida School for 6SRQVRUHG%\ budget Boys in Marianna and Okeechobee, was speaking about a class action lawsuit against the State of Florida 3RJH\·V)DPLO\5HVWDXUDQW that was dismissed Tuesday, Feb. looking 23, in a Tallahassee courtroom. 63DUURWW$YH Circuit Judge James Shelfer’s dismissal was based on the prem- Source: South Florida Water ise “... that while there are consti- Management District. Depth given tutional rights violations, you can- bleak not recover monetary damages for in feet above sea level By Pete Gawda those violations,” explained Greg See page 4 for information about Okeechobee news Hoag, a St. Petersburg attorney how to contact this newspaper. who was one of the lawyers repre- From comments made at senting the men who were brutal- the last meeting of Okeechobee ized in the schools. newszap.com County Commissioners, it looks “I feel betrayed by the courts,” Free Speech Free Ads like the budget battle for the said Mr. Middleton, from his Fort coming fi scal year is about to Walton Beach home Friday. “I feel begin. betrayed by the judges and I feel Up until a few years ago, bud- betrayed by the state of Florida— See BUDGET — Page 2 See FSB — Page 8 Call for an Appointment Use it or LOSE it! Interest FREE FREE Financing (863) 623-3070 Ignoring the WARNING Signs! HEARING SCREENING Get a free hearing FREE In-Office www.beltone.com • You HEAR, but DON’T Understand screening at Beltone to Betty Vucelich 3268 US Hwy. 441 S. • Okeechobee All Major Credit Cards Accepted Licensed Hearing • People seem to mumble. pinpoint your hearing loss. Trial Aid Specialist (Inside Winn Dixie Plaza) • You ask others to repeat themselves Offer Expires 2/26/10 Expires 2/26/10 2 Okeechobee News February 28, 2010 half. BUDGET The proposed millage rate was 7.6530. Commissioners voted to lower the millage Continued From Page 1 rate to 7.5030. That rate, taking into consid- eration decreased property values, was cal- get hearings were dull and boring with no culated to bring in the same amount of taxes public interest or participation. The last few as collected the previous year. years they have gotten increasingly interest- While these moves looked good to tax- ing as the economy gets tougher. payers at the time, they had their conse- At the last commission meeting on Feb. quences. The budget, as originally prepared, 25, deputy county administrator Robbie had expenditures based on the income from Chartier reported that as of Jan. 31, reve- the original EMS assessment rate and the nues exceeded expenditures by 17 percent original millage rate. Without a reduction in as compared to the budget. However, that expenditures or locating another sources of trend is not expected to continue through revenue, the difference was made up from the year. At the beginning of the year the vast the county’s dwindling reserves which are majority of ad valorum taxes are received. now dangerously close to the $8 million As the year continues the county’s income fl oor set by commissioners. is expected to decrease while expenditures The motion to exempt non profi ts was increase. made by Commissioner Noel Chandler who County administrator Lyndon Bonner suggested a one cent sales tax be imposed predicted a shortfall of $2.8 to $4.2 million in the following year to help offset EMS costs. the fi scal year 2010-2011 budget. In order to place that item on the Oct. 4 Part of that shortfall is caused by a last general election ballot commissioners must minute move by county commissioners act by about Aug. 24. If the additional tax is in the preparation of the current budget. A approved in the general election it would move was made which looked good to vot- not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2011. The bud- ers at the time. However, they may not have get would have to be approved by Sept. 30 realized the long range consequences. without knowing if the sales tax would go The emergency medical services (EMS) into effect. Unlike an assessment, which is a assessment, new with this year’s budget, fi xed rate, the amount of money from a sales brought a storm of controversy. The con- tax would be uncertain and fl uctuating. sultants who prepared the assessment rates More than likely there would be no cost took the entire cost of the EMS program and to the county to put this item on the ballot, apportioned it among residential, commer- according to Gwen Chandler, supervisor of cial and industrial properties. elections. If the sales tax issue fi ts on the ex- Voters fl ocked to public hearings to isting ballot, there would be no charge. In protest the proposed EMS assessment. In the unlikely event that the addition of that response to these protests, commissioners one item would cause the ballot to have voted to exempt churches and other non- to be printed on larger paper or go to two profi ts from the assessment. At the same pages then the county would have to pay the time they cut everyone else’s assessment in nominal cost of the additional paper. Magistrate imposes fi ne By Pete Gawda compliance date was set at March 11. Okeechobee News Penny Chaisson was given until May 13 to either obtain a construction permit or de- In hearings held Tuesday, Feb. 16, molish with the proper permit an unpermit- Okeechobee County Code Enforcement ted concrete block addition to her N.W. 18th Special Magistrate Lois Nichols imposed a Street dwelling. fi ne in one case and set compliance dates in Robeldan Acosta was given until March eight other cases. 11 to mow and trim the overgrowth on his Kellie Chapman had been cited for build- N.W. 98th Street property. ing a wall and installing a door on a garage Code enforcement offi cer Albert stated on S.E. 42nd Street without the proper per- that Phillip McCallister has removed most mits. At the hearing, Code Enforcement Of- of the debris from his S.E. 37th Way lot. She fi cer Beth Albert stated that as of the compli- said he still had to obtain a demolition per- ance date, Feb. 15, the proper permits had mit and demolish the mobile home on the not been obtained. Therefore the property property. He was given until March 11 to do owner was fi ned $50 a day for every day of so. noncompliance beginning Feb. 17. John Holt had also made considerable Larry Glen Shrader asked for an exten- progress toward removing the derelict build- sion of time to build a pole barn to house ing on his S.E. 60th Drive property. Mrs. Albert the material he was cited for storing outside. said that the only thing left was to remove He was given until April 15 to come into a concrete slab. Therefore, his compliance compliance. date was moved from Feb. 16 to March 11. Howard Richards was also cited for con- Gloria Jean Vonderau requested an exten- struction without a permit. Since he had sion of time to come into compliance. She contacted a contractor to draw up plans in had cleared the overgrowth and removed preparation for applying for a permit he was the unlicensed vehicles from her N.E. 103rd given until April 15 to come into compli- Avenue property. She was given until March ance. 11 to either demolish or repair the derelict Mrs. Albert noted that foreclosure and structure on her property. bankruptcy proceedings were pending The property of Eduardo and Maylin De against the N.W. 38th Avenue property of Vega was found to be in compliance and Arthur Steinberg. She stated that the mort- that case was not heard. The case of John- gage holder had boarded up the abandoned nie Mays was not heard because of lack of building on the property and had done some proper notifi cation. That case as well as the mowing. She said that hopefully the property fi ne reduction request of Lakeshore Restau- would be in compliance by next month. The rant will be heard in March. February 28, 2010 Okeechobee News 3 Man accused of hitting pregnant girlfriend Assisted Living By Eric Kopp reportedly took the child upstairs and when Deputy Jackson’s report goes on to state 24 Hour Care by Okeechobee News the baby’s mother entered the upstairs bed- that he contacted the Florida Abuse Hotline room she saw Aranda allegedly hitting the Susan Stegkemper, An Okeechobee man has been arrested about the situation. and charged with hitting his 17-year-old baby about the buttocks and yelling at him Registered Nurse pregnant girlfriend about to stop crying.