Home Care In Okeechobee, FL

OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Clean energy has become a new way of life for many companies, including here in South Florida and the Treasure Coast.

Florida Power & Light is four months away from leading the way once a new facility goes online.

The project, currently under construction in the heart of Okeechobee County, will produce green hydrogen to help offset natural gas and power up homes.

Called the Cavendish Nextgen Hydrogen Hub, the FPL plant is revolutionizing the industry, and there's nothing like it in Florida.

"The chemical engineer in me loves this because I come in here, and I kind of light up," Stevany Cole, who has been working with FPL for seven years, said. "I'm like, 'Oh, valves and pipes.'"

Cole is FPL's director of development, and this is one of her biggest projects.

"Seeing something that I'm familiar with and knowing that it's just bettering the world for the future, and the environment for the future, really seals the deal for me," Cole said.

The facility broke ground last October, equipment arrived earlier this summer and it's set to begin producing green hydrogen for the first time in December. It will be powered by an incredible array of solar fields nearby.

"This is kind of the beginning to understanding the innovative technology coming out to help us understand our plan to transition to a cleaner decarbonized national grid," Cole said.

America's dependence on foreign oil shifted in the early 2000s to natural gas and now there is an industry-wide transition to carbon-free fuels.

The guts of the system in Okeechobee County generate hydrogen immediately.

It is a massive undertaking that will separate out hydrogen and send it a few hundred yards away to the Okeechobee Clean Energy Center, which came online in 2019 and powers 350,000 homes here in Florida.

Hydrogen produced will be blended into the natural gas at the center, creating a path for our future and generating the next wave of clean energy across the country beginning right here in our backyard.

"As a mom of three kids, I love it because I feel like I'm setting up a future for them, that they're going to have a better world, better economy, better environment and a cleaner environment," Cole said.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

OKEECHOBEE – The holiday season is underway in Okeechobee!

Santa at City Hall

Santa will be at Okeechobee City Hall, 55 S.E. Third Avenue from 6 to 8 p.m. on the following dates: December 5, 6, and 7.

Trot for Toys is Dec. 10

The 2023 Trot for Toys event is planned for Sunday, Dec. 10, at 10 a.m. at Grassy Island, 1701 N.W. 50th Drive. The event includes a trail ride, lunch and hay and tack raffles. While most participants ride horses, the event is also open to bicyclists. Bike trails are separate from the horse trails at Grassy Island. Entry is a $20 donation (which includes lunch) along with an unwrapped toy. Members of the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office Mounted Patrol will lead the group out on the trail. Lunch will be catered by Blue Moon BBQ, along with homemade Swamp Cabbage cooked by Elton Boney. For more information, call 863-610-1943.

Big Lake Mission Outreach sponsors Toy Drive

OKEECHOBEE — Big Lake Mission Outreach, is currently sponsoring their 29th Annual Toy Drive for their clients underprivileged children in our county. Big Lake Mission screens their families and the unwrapped gifts are to be wrapped by the parents and placed under the tree Christmas morning. The mission is in need of gifts from 1-day-old to 17-years-old. Gift may be in the form of gifts, gift cards or checks made out to Big Lake Mission and they will do the shopping for you. Pick-up and receipts available upon request. Individuals or groups may also adopt a family (early request please). The absolute last day to sign-up to receive toys is Dec. 10. For information, call 863-763-5725.

Free Outdoor Movie Night

The Okeechobee High School Class of 2025 will host a Free Outdoor Movie Night featuring, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," on Monday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the OHS Brahman Football Field. Concessions will be available. Bring a chair and/or a blanket. Food trucks will be on site from 5 to 9 p.m. Santa and the Grinch will make a guest appearance at 6 p.m. All donations will benefit the OHS prom.

Santa to tour county

Okeechobee County Fire Rescue will help Santa tour the county this year. On Dec. 11, Santa will tour the northwest section. On Dec. 12, Santa will tour the southwest section. On Dec. 13, Santa will tour the southeast section. On Dec. 14, Santa will tour the northeast section.

Santa to tour city

The City of Okeechobee will continue the tradition for Santa to tour the town in the weeks before Christmas. When the city had a fire department, Santa rode around town on a fire truck. The visitor from the North Pole will make the rounds on the City Hall Christmas Float this year. On Dec. 12, he will tour the Northwest and Northeast sections of within the city limits. On Dec. 13, he will tour the Southeast section of the city. On Dec. 14, he will tour the Southwest section of the city. For more information, see the City of Okeechobee's page on Facebook.

Santa at Lake and Trail

Lake and Trail USA, 1253 State Road 78, will host photos with Santa on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Toys for Tots

The Marine Corps Toys for Tots Okeechobee distribution will be at the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center on Saturday, Dec. 16. Gates open at 9 a.m. Proof of Okeechobee residency is required and children must be present.

Christmas maket is Dec. 16

The Cattlemen’s Christmas Market is planned for Saturday, Dec. 16, 3:30 to 8 p.m. at the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center, 4601 SR 710. The event will include art and craft vendors, food trucks, a bounce house, a petting zoo and more. For more information, see the Cattlemen’s Christmas Market event page on Facebook.

Holiday boat parade is Dec. 16

VFW Post #10539 will host the annual Christmas Boat Parade on Dec. 16. Boats will meet at Burger King on State Road 70 in Okeechobee, and travel down Taylor Creek to VFW Post #10539, 3912 U.S. Highway 441 S.E. There will be prizes for the best decorated boat, as well as raffles, food and entertainment. Bring your favorite pot of chili to share at the post. For more information, contact Jim Helm at 863-532-5910.

Kiwanis Club hosts Santa visits

Okeechobee Kiwanis Club will host Santa visits Dec. 18-23 in the gazebo in Flalger Park 4 (across from the Cattleman’s park with bronze cow statues).

Is your club, organization, school or church planning a holiday event that is open to the community? Add it to this list! Email information to [email protected].

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (January 12, 2020) – For the first time in league history, the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast will travel to Okeechobee, Florida, holding one of the first events of the 2021 season’s initial outdoor swing at the Agri-Civic Center with the PBR Okeechobee Invitational January 30-31.

The PBR Okeechobee Invitational, featuring the Top 30 bull riders in the world taking on the rankest bulls, will mark the third event of 2021. The Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition – early-season events at outdoor rodeo arenas across the south – is scheduled to first stop in Ocala, Florida on Jan. 16-17, and Arcadia, Florida on Jan. 23-24.

The PBR Okeechobee Invitational will follow all local and state health protocols. PBR, along with the Agri-Civic Center, is instituting a series of fan safety protocols, including:

Prior to the PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition event in late January, the iconic southern Florida agricultural venue will have welcomed numerous fan-attended events, including the National Barrel Horse Association FL03 & 05 Co-Sanctioned Show, 2020 South East Florida Barrel Racers Tour of Champions, and the Yeehaw Music Fest.

PBR’s 2021 debut in Okeechobee comes on the heels of a trailblazing season in which PBR was the first major professional sport in North America to return to competition in late April following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) related shutdown, and the first to host fans in-arena in mid-July with new safety protocols in place.

Throughout the landmark season, fans witnessed one of the greatest PBR athlete performances of all time.

During a seemingly unstoppable season, which included winning a league-leading seven elite tour events and 16 rounds, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) went a torrid 44-for-65 covering a head-turning 67.69% of the planet’s rankest bovine athletes en route to the 2020 PBR World Championship.

During 2020, fans were also introduced to rising young gun Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas). After riding at five regular-season premier series stops, Campbell delivered a near-perfect 4-for-5 showing at the 2020 PBR World Finals inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas to win the sport’s most prestigious event, surge from No. 33 to No. 3 in the world, and capture the 2020 PBR Rookie of the Year honor.

The bull riding action for the PBR Okeechobee Invitational begins at 2:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 30, and Sunday, January 31. Nightly, the Top 30 bull riders in the world will attempt one bull each in Round 1, followed by the Top 12 advancing to the championship round.

Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now.

General admission tickets are priced at $50, with kids tickets (ages 5-12) available for $15. Children under the age of 5 will gain entry to the event for free. Eventgoers are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, with the cost of all admission levels increasing by $5-$10 on event day. They can be purchased online through PBRTIX.com or by calling (800) 732-1727.

For an enhanced PBR experience in a socially-distanced environment, fans can now purchase the add-on PBR Elite Experience on both Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 in Okeechobee for $60.

The Elite Experience will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, merchandise voucher, limited edition poster and commemorative lanyard.

For more information on the PBR Elite Experience and other PBR Premium Experience offerings, visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.

The location of a proposed stormwater treatment area in Okeechobee County, Florida, is raising alarms from AOPA, the FAA, and local pilots, as the project design will likely attract avian species that will create hazards for pilots flying at three surrounding airports.

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) intends to turn several thousands of acres of land north of Lake Okeechobee in the lower Kissimmee River Basin into a constructed wetland area.

The plan is to pump water away from the Kissimmee River, releasing the water into cells containing human-made wetlands and marsh habitat. By naturally filtering stormwater and absorbing nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen through plants, pollution to Lake Okeechobee can be further curbed.

The project’s mission has strong support, but the location of the project is concerning for local businesses, county officials, and pilots.

For the aviation community, bird strikes are the main concern. The Lakeside Ranch Stormwater Treatment Area—a similar project near Lake Okeechobee completed by the SFWMD in 2021—has become an oasis for birds of all kinds. Local and transient pilots flying in and out of Okeechobee County Airport, River Oak, and Sunset Strip Airpark, and residents who live near the airports will all face greater safety threats if the proposed stormwater treatment area is approved and inevitably invites similar avian species to the area.

A majority of bird strikes occur at relatively low altitudes during the most demanding operations of flight—when a pilot is on approach or departure from an airport. Because of its proximity to the three airports, the proposed location of the stormwater treatment area will have a high volume of low-altitude aircraft. The departure and landing paths for the River Oak and Sunset Strip airports are only 1,500 feet away from the property line of the proposed project. Additionally, the location of the project in relation to the Okeechobee County Airport—the only federally obligated airport of the three—does not meet federal compliance standards detailed in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-33C, related to “Hazardous Wildlife Attractants on or near Airports.”

AOPA Airport Support Network volunteers have attended public meetings to express their concerns and a December 1 letter to Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Shawn Hamilton and Board Chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Chauncey Goss from AOPA Southern Regional Manager Stacey Heaton detailed AOPA’s specific grievances with the location of the project.

“It is unlikely that the proposed project can be engineered, and maintained, as to not potentiallyincrease the risk of wildlife mixing with aircraft operations and therefore should not move forward in its proposed location,” said Heaton. “Regardless that previous projects were inappropriately allowed to occur too close to an airport, no additional hazardous projects should move forward that are inconsistent with the FAA’s standards for the safety of civil aviation.”

In addition to aviation risks, the community and commissioners are worried about property values and insurance rates should the stormwater treatment area proceed in the suggested location. Okeechobee County Commissioner and Chairman David Hazellief has openly expressed his concerns with the project proposal and disappointment with SFWMD’s reluctance to open meetings to county involvement.

AOPA strongly supports the environmental mission of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the SFWMD but will continue to urge the relocation of the project.

On December 14, the SFWMD Governing Board will meet to discuss the issue. Those who wish to share concerns and politely express opposition to the location of the stormwater treatment area are encouraged to contact FDEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystems Restoration Adam Blalock and SFWMD Executive Director Drew Bartlett before the meeting.

Lillian Geil

Communications Specialist

Communications Specialist Lillian Geil is a student pilot and a graduate of Columbia University who joined AOPA in 2021.

Concern is mounting for smaller, more rural areas across South Florida in wake of the Aldi supermarket chain's takeover of Winn-Dixie grocery stores, including Okeechobee and Belle Glade.

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — Concern is mounting for smaller, more rural areas across South Florida in wake of the Aldi supermarket chain's takeover of Winn-Dixie grocery stories.

On Wednesday, ALDI announced it was buying 400 Winn-Dixies in an effort to expand across the Southeast, but in some communities, like Okeechobee and Belle Glade, the well-known red and white chain is one of few options, and a major employer.

In Okeechobee, for example, there are four major grocery store chains to choose from, as opposed to the average 70 the U.S. Department of Agriculture said are often an option in more urban areas.

As of right now, Aldi is already an option for Okeechobee County residents. By creating two Aldis, Okeechobee Mayor Dowling Watford said the choices dwindle.

"If we lose Winn-Dixie, that's just one less choice we have," Watford said.

The bigger concern for him is employment. According to both companies' websites, ALDI typically employs about 8-10 people per store. It's part of the reason they are able to keep prices so affordable for families.

On the flip side, Winn-Dixie averages dozens more per store, prompting Watford to wonder: What happens to those extra employees if the store transitions to an Aldi?

“Fifty or 60 jobs in a community like Okeechobee is a huge deal where we fight to get companies to come in that have 10-12 jobs," Watford said.

Not everyone was opposed, however. Some residents, like James Grueber, were thrilled to have another ALDI coming in.

"I love Aldis!" Grueber said, citing low prices and fresh produce.

Anthony Infante, however, disagreed.

"I've been coming here since my parents came here," Infante said. [The store is] somebody I grew up with, actually, you know what I mean? It's where I've been shopping all my life."

Infante added he trusts Winn-Dixie, and fears the lack of options he'd have if it was replaced by an ALDI.

"I like this stuff, I know where this stuff comes from," said Infante.

"It's kind of like you're about to lose an old friend," Watford added.

WPTV reached out to Aldi and Southeast Grocers, the company that owns Winn-Dixie.

ALDI released this statement to us on behalf of its CEO, Jason Hart, reading in full,:

"ALDI will operate Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores with the same level of care and focus on quality and service, as we also evaluate which locations will convert to the ALDI format to better support the neighborhoods we’ll now have the privilege of serving. For those stores we do not convert, our intention is that these continue to operate as Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores.”

An ALDI spokesperson also released the following:

"This acquisition is an opportunity to continue the growth we already had planned for the region as part of our strategic and deliberate national expansion. ALDI has been committed to continued growth in Winn-Dixie’s headquarters state of Florida. With 209 ALDI stores and 8 more slated to open by the end of 2023 in Florida, we have invested more than $1.5B in the state and created more than 3,900 jobs to date. With food prices still on the rise and the need for access to affordable groceries more important than ever before, ALDI has a significant opportunity to help residents in the Southeast save up to 40% on their grocery bills."

Aldi did not, however, answer our questions regarding the employment of Winn-Dixie workers, despite us asking multiple times.

Meredith Hurley, senior director of communications and community at Southeastern Grocers, released this statement to us, reading in full:

"While we cannot comment or speculate on any forward-looking strategies or another company’s plans, we can confirm that nothing changes today. We understand that ALDI does not intend to convert all of our stores. ALDI’s current plan [prnewswire.com] is to continue operating Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores with the same level of care and focus on quality and service as they also evaluate which locations will convert to the ALDI format to better support the neighborhoods they will now serve."

"I hope we keep both," Watford said.

For more information on the history of Winn-Dixie, click here.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.