Celebrating Our Centennial! Vol. 105 No. 110 Friday, September 12, 2014 50¢ plus tax Vandals cut À ber optic lines on Plans for tower ... Page 5 OHS Brahmans area music face Martin Co. Tigers ... Page 7 festival Corps to adjust lake releases on track ... Page 9 By Katrina Elsken BHR cell tower Okeechobee News Plans are on track for a music festival at the plans approved Sundance Trails property March 6-8, 2015. The Okeechobee County Board of Coun- ... Page 12 ty Commissioners Thursday approved the Okeechobee County Planning Board’s recom- Lake Levels mendation to authorize issuance of temporary Okeechobee News/Eric Kopp use permits for Okeechobee Music and Funfest 14.49 feet Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Offi ce K-9 Kiki sits down as an alert to her han- events at the 800-acre property on the north side dler, Deputy Bart Potter (right), that she has located drugs behind the cab of this of Northeast 120th Street. Last Year: 15.46 feet pickup truck. Deputy Potter and Kiki were taking part in some training exercises Festival traffi c can use State Road 70 to Ber- Thursday, Sept. 11, at the sheriff’s offi ce. man Road, or U.S. 441 to N.E. 144th Street to get 6SRQVRUHG%\ to Northeast 120th Street. The festival will be on the 848-acre site of a failed subdivision and an adjoining parcel also K-9 fi nds hidden drugs owned by Clifford Rosen. The area already has 3RJH\·V)DPLO\5HVWDXUDQW paved roads, but due to the drop in the Real Es- 63DUURWW$YH By Eric Kopp a wealth of experience and knowledge, he tate market no houses have been built since the Okeechobee News added. property was subdivided. Source: South Florida Water “We’re very proud of our K-9 unit. I could A 14,000 square foot lodge and a few out- Area narcotics K-9s were put through their Management District. Depth given not imagine this department without those buildings are the only structures on the prop- paces in training Thursday, and were also put in feet above sea level dogs,” said Sheriff May, who has always been erty. to work locating drugs hidden in a wooded a proponent of K-9s. Deputy county administrator Jim Threewits area in a local subdivision. Taking part in the training were OCSO De- said only one festival permit will be issued at a Detective Sergeant Jimmy Mills, of the tective Kristin Gray and 5-year-old K-9 Remi time, and meetings held after each event can go Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Offi ce (OCSO), and OCSO Deputy Bart Potter and his 3-year- over any problems they fi nd and address those said K-9s from that agency along with Semi- old K-9 Kiki. Also taking part in the training problems at future events. nole Police Department (SPD) K-9s spent were SPD Offi cer Jody Certain and her K-9 “As with Mudfest, after each event we would See page 4 for information about have a debriefi ng and discuss what went wrong their morning training in controlled situa- Bara along with Offi cer Jack Morgan with his how to contact this newspaper. tions. He said they worked with their dogs and so forth,” he said. K-9 Cali. “Anything signifi cant like this is only going to on fi nding dope in vehicles, as well as both Detective Gray said Remi’s been on the indoor and outdoor ‘hides.’ work if it is sincerely, carefully coordinated with road for three years, while Deputy Potter said the county to ensure the event is not just an eco- Sheriff Paul May said his K-9 handlers and Kiki has been a working K-9 for the past two nomic benefi t but a benefi t culturally and physi- their dogs frequently train with other agen- years. cally for Okeechobee,” said Mr. Rosen. “We are cies. Training with such large agencies as After lunch, the dogs took to the fi eld taking somewhat of a white elephant — a failed those from St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach and were put to work in the Douglas Park counties provides his deputies with access to See DOGS — Page 2 See MUSIC— Page 2 2 Okeechobee News September 12, 2014 nomenon,” he said. MUSIC He said the county will not pay any ex- penses for any extra services that are re- Continued From Page 1 quired, such as EMT or sheriff’s deputies. These expenses will be paid by the event land development — and making it work. organizers. “The team that we have assembled is Mr. Rosen said Okeechobee County is one of the best in the country,” he said. “We well located for such an event. will have top musicians in the country out “There are 15 million people in a 150- here.” mile radius,” he said. “When you put up the That team includes Steve Sybesma, a 30- names of these big stars, we are going to at- year veteran in the music business with Jim tract a lot of people here.” Tobin Enterprises to oversee event and site He said events are planned for the “dry” operations. Mr. Tobin has served as opera- season, but added that the property itself is tional director for well-known music events high and dry. such as Cochella Valley Music and Arts Festi- They will have multiple entrance points val in California, the Hangout Music Festival to control traffi c. They will also use shuttle in Alabama, the Governor’s Ball Music Fes- buses. tival in New York and Bonnaroo Music and He said security will search every car that Arts Festival in Tennessee. comes in, to limit the amount of alcohol that “The people we have brought in have comes in and keep out illegal drugs. successfully worked with stars like Paul Mc- The fi rst festival is expected to draw Cartney, Elton John,” Mr. Rosen said. “They 10,000 to 20,000 people, he said. have the contacts and abilities.” The list of entertainers will be released He said they hope to make Okeechobee about 90 days before the event, he said. County the home of America’s great destina- Okeechobee News/Eric Kopp In addition to the music festivals, he said tion festival. they are coordinating with a theatre group Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Offi ce Detective Kristin Gray (right) encourages “My children have been traveling to go to from New York for a camping theatrical her K-9, Remi, as she searched for drugs hidden behind the cab of this pickup the big music festivals across the country,” event. during a training session Thursday, Sept. 11. Remi was successful in locating he said. “There will be some new things happen- the drugs. The majority of people who attend these ing that will put us on the map,” he said. festivals are age 21-35. “I think this is going to be great,” said The dealer would then go into the wood “It became clear that these things are where he has his dope hidden and retrieve much, much, more than some wild event. County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper. DOGS the desired amount. The dealer would then They are social gatherings,” he said. Commission Chairman Frank Irby asked Continued From Page 1 go back to the street and wait for the buyer “These other places have no infrastruc- about the noise levels. to return. ture. People are slogging through the mud “Probably the biggest potential complaint Subdivision. The suspected cocaine was fi eld tested and they are successful,” he continued. “We you will have is noise late at night,” he said. “We went into that part of the communi- and indicated a positive result for the pres- have this beautiful property with roads and Mr. Rosen replied that they did a noise ty where dope is sold, and we searched the ence of cocaine. the club house.” attenuation study. On the north side of area where drugs are hidden when they’re After fi nding the coke, Sgt. Mills said, The plan calls for two big festivals in the property, there is nobody there, he ex- being sold,” said Sgt. Mills, a long-time K-9 “Someone’s not going to be feeling too good March and two in November, with smaller plained. this weekend.” handler and trainer. “We confi scated any- festivals at other times of the year. “It is clear nearly up to Highway 68. Any- When told of the fi nd, Sheriff May said thing we found, then we’ll see if we can pro- “This isn’t just music,” he said. “It’s art, thing we do late will be aimed up in that he could not be more proud of his narcot- cess that evidence for a possible suspect.” music and theatre — a whole cultural phe- direction. We are very conscious of not dis- Sgt. Mills said Offi cer Certain and her K-9 ics unit. turbing our neighbors,” he said. Bara found 17 grams of suspected crack co- “These are drugs that were taken off the caine in a soft drink cup hidden in a wooded street and won’t be sold to our children,” he DUI checkpoint slated for Sept. 19 on S.R. 70 area in the 600 block of N.E. 13th Avenue. said. “To the drug dealers: Don’t go to sleep — we’re not.” The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Offi ce (OCSO) has announced a DUI/driver’s li- He estimated the street value of the cocaine cense checkpoint will be held Friday, Sept.