OKEECHOBEE COUNTY − A long-time process server and former chairman of the St Lucie County Republican Executive Committee was arrested after officials said he gave paperwork containing cell phones chargers and drugs to an inmate at Okeechobee Correctional Institution was arrested April 25 in Okeechobee County on felony charges related to possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and introduction of contraband into a detention facility Lucie County Republican Executive Committee chair and one term as vice chair for a total of eight years According to statements in arrest documents from the Okeechobee County Clerk of Courts a colonel with the state Department of Corrections at the prison reported a process server arrived at the prison to serve inmate Alan Strattan with paperwork serving a life sentence following murder charges out of Columbia County A sergeant noted the documents were “extra heavy.” they reported finding 15 Motorola cell phones three whole Alprazolam pills and five “small pieces” of Alprazolam Alprazolam is frequently prescribed to manage panic and anxiety disorders and has also been misused for recreational purposes because of its disinhibition and euphoric effects according to the National Institutes of Health Nail told investigators he got the documents April 22 from “Amanda,” who lives in Winter Park Nail said he opened the package the documents were mailed in and $100 was inside ($50 per document served) and paper indicating who to serve and said it’s the fifth or sixth time he’s served paperwork at the prison for “Amanda.” Nail said he’s been involved in process serving for 31 years and said he didn’t recognize anything unusual about the documents “I just assumed that the reason why it was a little bit heavier was because the documents were thick," he said “I've never been through something like this before.” Records show the documents “had only the top few pages loose and the rest of them were glued together with the middle cut out of the paperwork.” “Once I moved the loose papers I observed a cut-out with cellphones cellphone charge(r)s and drugs inside,” records state Nail told TCPalm that at the prison in Okeechobee he handed paperwork to an inmate through a “sally gate.” When he arrives the inmate typically is waiting at the gate a security guard usually will come out of there and they would just watch the process,” he said Nail said he followed the same procedure he typically followed and experienced over the years “This September will be 15 years that I have been serving process in the 19th Circuit and going to that same prison to serve and it's always been that way there,” he said Convicted: Couple guilty of murdering 1-year-old son by starvation, a St. Lucie County jury decides 39 years later: St. Lucie County 1986 cold case homicide victim identified Nail said the experience has changed the way he looks at things go ahead and take work from anybody else other than … from an actual company that I physically will go to get work and walk out of the office,” Nail said I would still thumb my fingers through everything before I actually handed it to somebody.” Nail was released April 26 from Okeechobee County Jail on $12,500 bond Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com — A standoff situation created a heavy law enforcement presence Wednesday evening at the Quail Acres Area of NE 115th Drive and NE 3rd Circle in Okeechobee County After deputies made contact with the subject and underwent negotiations the subject surrendered without further incident The latest chapter in a saga that’s become more drama for the former football star.  Sapp’s legal battle stems from a February 2024 arrest during a charity convoy from Miami, which he joined to support local causes high-end cars were clocked speeding over 100 mph Sapp allegedly refused to identify himself when questioned resulting in a chaotic arrest captured on body cam but the fallout only deepened with Sapp hedging a multi-million dollar lawsuit.  Courtroom Firestorm: “You Are the Definition of Abuse of Power” In his first public appearance in Florida since the arrest Sapp showed zero restraint in addressing Okeechobee officials directly you are the definition of abuse of power as you sit there in that chair,” he said targeting Commission Chair David Hazellief "You want to kick out citizens who just want to speak about their county?” Sapp and 10 others were forcibly removed by deputies for what was deemed disruptive behavior Sapp has filed a $20 million "notice of claim" against the county and sheriff’s office The Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund responded with a $3,500 settlement offer — an amount Sapp’s attorney dismissed as “insulting.”  It’s a coach standing his ground against a system he believes is broken Sapp’s clash with Okeechobee County is defiant campaign against what he sees as systemic abuse one thing’s clear that he’s not backing down anytime soon (CBS12) — An Okeechobee County inmate was pronounced dead with initial reports suggesting her death may have resulted from self-inflicted harm The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) said that on April 20 corrections deputies were alerted that an inmate deputies started giving life-saving measures to Boswell which included CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator Paramedics arrived and tended to Boswell at the scene where she was shortly later pronounced dead the initial findings have led OCSO to believe Boswell's death was due to self-inflicted harm The investigation into this case is ongoing Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video Florida’s Lake Okeechobee faces increasing harmful cyanobacteria blooms particularly from the toxin-producing species Microcystis aeruginosa plays a vital role in the state’s ecosystem and water management Spanning 730 square miles with an average depth of just 9 feet it serves as a crucial water source for agriculture and flood control Connected to the Everglades through canals it’s also a popular destination for fishing the lake faces increasing harmful cyanobacteria blooms nutrient-rich waters and can form harmful algal blooms Known for their diel (daily) vertical migration cyanobacteria move up and down the water column daily to access light and nutrients making them more resilient in turbid waters like Lake Okeechobee While diel vertical migration is well-documented its impact on bloom development and water quality remains unclear Understanding this movement is crucial for managing the risks associated with harmful algal blooms the team focused on how the daily movement of cyanobacteria interacts with lake currents and vertical mixing – processes that cause water to move up and down in lakes and oceans This mixing is crucial for distributing nutrients and oxygen between the surface and deeper waters Factors such as wind and temperature differences drive this mixing Results from this new model, published in March in the journal Ecological Modelling, and in April, Ecological Modelling reveal how cyanobacteria in the center of Lake Okeechobee move toward the surface in the morning to access more sunlight which boosts their growth and increases their densities winds – mainly from the south or southeast – push these surface-dwelling cells toward the northern and northwestern parts of the lake cooler temperatures and wind-driven mixing stir the water redistributing the cells more evenly throughout the water column While wind influences the movement of blooms around the lake and vertical mixing have a more significant overall impact surface concentrations of cyanobacteria tend to peak late in the morning to midday wind-driven movement occurs almost daily during late spring and summer often resulting in visible algae streaks – narrow bands less than 2 kilometers wide – along the northern shores The study also found that the seasonal pattern of blooms is largely driven by temperature and wind changes where higher temperature leads to stronger blooms and stronger winds tend to reduce blooms This improved understanding of bloom behavior could enhance monitoring forecasting and management of these harmful events “Our study shows that the daily rise and fall of cyanobacteria, driven by vertical mixing and migration, along with their rapid growth near the surface, are the main forces behind bloom formation in Lake Okeechobee’s central basin,” said Mingshun Jiang senior author and an associate research professor “High temperature and calm winds favor algae growth but strong winds can mix the cells below surface limiting their access to light While horizontal movement does play a role over time it’s the vertical processes that set the stage each day Understanding this helps us better predict when and where blooms will intensify.” To validate the cyanobacteria’s vertical movement researchers gathered data through multiple methods They collected water samples from both the surface and bottom at various locations used a sensor to monitor cyanobacteria levels throughout the day in the central part of the lake and analyzed satellite images taken several hours apart These combined observations confirmed the daily migration patterns of cyanobacteria “Our model results were in good agreement with field data including cyanobacteria biovolume and radiometer measurements taken in the lake,” said Jiang “Both the model and satellite imagery revealed two primary bloom zones around midday: a widespread bloom across the central basin and narrow intense bands along the northern and northwestern shores Temperature and wind were found to be key drivers of when and where blooms form and intensify.” Although cyanobacteria are one of the most studied groups of phytoplankton this modeling effort offers new insights into how physical and biological processes interact to shape blooms in Lake Okeechobee “Further research is necessary to better understand key biological factors such as colony formation and senescence of Microcystis “Additional field data will be essential to confirm vertical migration patterns and to refine details such as migration speed Lake Okeechobee’s watershed receives inflows from the Kissimmee River and surrounding areas Water then flows out through various discharge points the lake also discharges water into the St blooms in the lake may significantly affect water quality and phytoplankton blooms in these estuaries This complex water system makes Lake Okeechobee a key component of the region’s hydrological balance a previous postdoctoral researcher at FAU Harbor Branch; Jennifer Cannizzaro a scientific researcher and project manager University of South Florida College of Marine Science; Malcolm McFarland a research associate professor; Timothy Moore a research associate professor; and Rachel Brewton all with FAU Harbor Branch; and Chuanmin Hu This research was supported by a Florida Department of Environmental Protection Technology Innovative grant awarded to Beckler Moore and McFarland; and a NASA Water Resources Program grant awarded to Hu Lapointe and McFarland; with partial support from an EPA South Florida Program awarded to Jiang and Beckler A satellite view of Lake Okeechobee on June 12 showing algae blooms covering about 380 square miles of the lake Photo credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang Tags: science | research | harbor branch | faculty and staff If you are experiencing difficulty accessing information on the Florida Atlantic University website due to a disability, visit the website accessibility page. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page FORT PIERCE − A 23-year-old motorcycle rider died following a May 1 multi-vehicle crash on Okeechobee Road in the 5000 block of Okeechobee Road east of Interstate 95 Police on May 2 identified the deceased as Alejandro Godoy Police stated a preliminary review determined a silver sport utility vehicle traveled east on Okeechobee Road and started to change lanes Gunfire heard: Police hear shooting and recover handgun, magazines following search in Fort Pierce 'Like the OK Corral': Deadly shooting in St. Lucie County “The force of the impact caused the motorcycle to continue forward and collide with a silver Toyota,” police stated Godoy was taken to a local hospital where he died Police reported the investigation is ongoing and asked those with information to contact police at 772-467-6800 The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting in the Quail Acres subdivision Wednesday night Deputies had responded to a standoff situation in which a man barricaded himself in his residence but was later taken into custody after hours of negotiation The victim has not yet been identified but the sheriff's office says they were transported to HCA Raulerson Hospital and later pronounced dead Daugherty is currently in Okeechobee County Jail and is being held without bond until a first appearance OCSO is still investigating this case and asks anyone with information to call Detective Brady Rogers (863)763-3117 Ext 5111 or Detective Skylar Casian (863)763-3117 Ext Lucie area and see ash falling from the sky it's more than likely due to the prescribed burn on Lake Okeechobee Lucie News and Community group shows residents posting photos and videos of hazy skies with ash falling coming from the sky and dozes of community members inquiring on what's happening (CBS12) — If you live on the Treasure Coast and see ash falling from the sky Lucie News and Community group shows residents posting photos and videos of hazy skies with ash falling from the sky and dozens of community members inquiring about what's happening Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) also noted that it was receiving calls from concerned citizens in reference to the burn The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District announced on Thursday they were conducting a prescribed burn in the Moore Haven Marsh which is located on the west side of Lake Okeechobee FWC says the burn area will be up to 28,000 acres and will include 700 acres of cattail that was managed with herbicide in October of 2024 FWC said it would conduct the prescribed burn under wind and weather conditions to minimize smoke impacts to nearby towns and roads Expect the access to trails through the marsh and canals to be limited temporarily during the burn for safety reasons MCFR advises its residents that if they have respiratory issues to limit outdoor activities A prescribed burn is a safe way to apply natural processes For more information, email Aquatichabitat@myfwc.com — The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) will close several navigation locks on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee due to low water levels are expected to impact boaters and fishermen who frequent those parts of the lake Water levels in the lake currently sit at 12.03 feet The SFWMD cited current dry weather conditions and safety concerns as the reason for the decision WATCH: How are Lake Okeechobee water levels impacting locals The closures will impact northern boat locks at J&S Fish Camp Local fisherman Terry Turveville expressed concern for others in the area “That affects a lot of people like living at Taylor Creek and different places," Turveville said "They can’t get out in the lake unless they go to the Kissimmee River.” said he won’t be directly impacted but is worried about the potential for continued dry conditions “My concern is that if we don’t have a rainy season then we’re going to get too dry,” Turveville said The SFWMD also said that if lake levels reach 12 feet the Taylor Creek lock will only operate on Saturdays and Sundays from 5:30 a.m While some anglers won’t be immediately affected others say the closures will limit access to popular fishing spots “Some of these deeper waters that people like to target those fish are behind the locks that are now closing so they won’t be able to access it,” Ragyn Mohney Mohney said the announcement didn’t come as a surprise it can get very dangerous out there (because of) the rocks,” Mohney said The timeline for reopening the locks remains uncertain SFWMD officials say it will depend on how much rainfall the region receives and where that rain falls They were only children when they were sent to reform school by the state of Florida to learn from their misdeeds the state of Florida is preparing to compensate the men who endured horrific abuse at the hands of state employees at the Arthur G Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee WATCH: WPTV gives a voice to survivors of brutal abuse at Florida reform schools The compensation and the formal apology that preceded it came more than a century after Florida established its reform school program which led to the deaths of dozens of children and left scores of boys traumatized for life WPTV interviewed men who attended both reform schools in the 1960s spoke with investigators who looked for human remains on the campuses during the 21st century and reviewed historical and legal records to better understand how long the state knew about the abuse that persisted inside its reform schools for decades All eight survivors who spoke to WPTV said the population at the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee and the Dozier School overwhelmingly came from vulnerable communities and fractured families My father left when I was about nine years old,” said James Anderson “Then I had a stepfather [who] came along — ex-military said he rebelled and developed a habit of drinking beer and stealing cars Michael Anderson also “chose stealing,” in his words but they knew each other during their time at Okeechobee in the 1960s  “We were very poor,” Michael Anderson said “I went to Okeechobee for stealing a $3 shirt.” James Harkcom said he wanted to go to Okeechobee to answer for his theft habit as a 15-year-old in 1967 He said he was fed up with his mother’s abusive boyfriends “I didn’t want to go back to that house,” Harkcom said Willie Brown grew up in a large family in the Orlando area Brown couldn’t remember why he was sent to Okeechobee for the first time but he remembers having a “real bad attitude.” He was sent to the school a second time for violating probation after his first stint “I think it was because I got in a fight with a guy,” Brown said The men recall a well-maintained campus in rural Okeechobee The men who endured a stay at The Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee describe brutal beatings that took place as punishment for breaking school rules “’[Going] down’ is when you go to the to the room — a designated room where they beat you,” Michael Anderson said the four survivors of Okeechobee similarly described the disciplinary protocol “I can remember it like it was yesterday,” said Harkcom WATCH: Michael Anderson recounts 'excruciating pain' of beatings leather paddle with a solid reinforcement in the middle before they were told to lay face-down on the cot turn their head toward the wall and remain silent while they were beaten across their backside about 20 times they were told the count to 20 “licks” would start over Some of the men likened the sound of the beatings to that of a shotgun and the aftermath left the skin on their buttocks blackened and hardened Harkcom and Brown both said their families were not allowed to visit them until their wounds and bruises had healed “It was excruciating pain and went right up — right up into your solar plexus,” Michael Anderson said “It feels like your soul is being beat out of you.” other than continue to stay here and take these whoopings,’” Brown said Brown recalls scaling a fence and running when no one was looking Brown said he was walking down a highway when a state trooper found him and brought him back to campus He believes the trooper’s intervention saved his life he had knowledge that I did escape,” Brown said then an investigation would have started to find out what happened And I think that's the only thing that saved me from actually being disappeared.” Harkcom’s escape was also thwarted by law enforcement Harkcom said he was with other boys when they climbed the fence and ran toward downtown Okeechobee “It seemed like every other car had the keys in it So we just got in and took off,” Harkcom said Harkcom said he and his peers stole clothing food and multiple cars as they got as far as they could from Okeechobee They made it as far as Tennessee before they were caught and returned to Okeechobee where Harkcom said he spent 72 days in solitary confinement To understand where things went so wrong at the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee it’s important to understand how it all started Florida’s first reform school opened in 1900 in Marianna a small town roughly an hour west of Tallahassee The Florida School for Boys would later in the 20th century be named the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, where a team of forensic anthropologists would unearth the remains of 55 children in 2012 Erin Kimmerle’s report on the team’s findings painted a grim picture of life at the school “The town of Marianna competed to get this institution built there,” said Kimmerle the University of South Florida professor who led the team and investigated the deaths ‘Why would it be so important to get a reform school in your town?’” Kimmerle and her team learned the answer to her question: profits the school also got $50 per child from the county that sentenced them there “Having so few inmates makes the crop come in slow; I fear we will not finish gathering the corn by January,” wrote the school’s superintendent to the board of managers in 1906 Historical records show school leaders successfully lobbied state lawmakers for changes and the reasons behind them were more vague Kimmerle uncovered records of kids as young as age six sentenced indefinitely for things like “delinquency.” removing a financial barrier for the county courts Historical records show the state investigated the reform school between 1903 and 1913 Florida lawmakers found out about the school’s convict leasing program which by 1913 had generated $3 million in revenue and had children as young as 10 years old laboring with adult convicts in cotton fields and phosphate mines The 1913 investigation also documented the poor health and safety conditions at the school Kimmerle said many children died within months of arriving at the school often from a chronic infection or malnutrition The superintendent of the reform school resigned in the wake of the 1913 investigation and the legislature provided more funding The money was used for improvements to the white side of the racially-segregated campus The campus eventually became its own industrial compound making bricks and operating a printing press which at one point provided printed materials at the state house Kimmerle learned that if a child’s sentence at the school ended and basically have to work for your room and board,” Kimmerle said They've actually been paroled out as houseboys." the houseboys were mostly African American Some of them died while in the custody of the family they worked for and were brought back to the school for burial We don't know what caused that injury,” Kimmerle said The Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee opened in 1959 after the Dozier school became too crowded The people who ran Dozier went there and set it up They had all the same policies,” Kimmerle said no graves have ever been found on the grounds of the Okeechobee campus is you do see a shift in burial practices and kind of professionalization with undertakers,” Kimmerle explained “So it's not that there weren't necessarily deaths occurring In 2015, the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office used cadaver dogs and other resources to search the grounds of the school which at the time was operating under the control of a private company contracted by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice we did not find any… bodies that were buried on that property,” said Okeechobee County Sheriff Noel Stephen who was second in command at the agency at the time of the search Erin Kimmerle on the 'unanswered questions' many families faced Stephen said the investigation on the Okeechobee campus lasted roughly six months “The investigator was very confident that he had everybody identified,” Stephen said “We could not find any missing boys from Okeechobee Everybody that we could pretty much find on that ledger we had obituaries for So we had a completely different situation here than what had been found and discovered in Marianna.” Attempts to improve safety at the Dozier and Okeechobee reform schools have been ongoing for decades “People aren't supposed to be treated that way,” Stephen said “That's definitely wrong by every standard and imagination.” a class action lawsuit against the Dozier School was filed by former students alleging that children were being “hogtied shackled and often held in solitary [confinement].” which established safety and educational standards at both Dozier and Okeechobee which at that time was called the Eckerd Youth Development Center The decree also instituted stricter criteria for sentencing minors to these institutions and improved access to legal assistance a judge withdrew Dozier from the decree in 1995 ruling that the school had complied with the established standards The same ruling was made for Okeechobee the following year “[Okeechobee] went through several years of private entities running it We in law enforcement and those private entities struggled due to wrongly classed inmates that was in their facility that were creating problems So we were constantly having calls for service to the school.” shortly after a merger was announced with a nearby maximum-risk youth detention center The state cited financial reasons for the shutdown Department of Justice released an investigative report stating that staff continued to use solitary confinement and “force as a first resort” — sometimes unprovoked — as recently as 2010 “Florida’s oversight system failed to detect and sufficiently address the problems we found at Dozier,” the report said The Okeechobee campus closed its doors on December 31 The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice announced it would not renew its contract with the private company operating the school although the state did not publicly disclose the reasons behind its decision The closure of the reform schools would not close the book on the dark chapter in Florida’s history survivors of abuse at the Dozier School began writing about their experiences and sharing those accounts online the men formed a group called “The White House Boys,” named for the building on campus where boys were taken for beatings a survivor and the group’s Sergeant at Arms “They’d turn on a big ol’ attic fan that was mounted in the wall Because you couldn’t hardly breathe when you go in there They had one light bulb hanging in the ceiling “There was probably urine in the mattresses that you had to lay on,” said Charles Fudge “The pillow that they made you lay your head on — was probably moisture out of children's mouths that would be crying and spitting and fearful of what was taking place.” The stories of the Dozier boys echoed those of the Okeechobee boys the boxer shorts that we wore would be stuck into the blood on our backside from where they had [sic] drawed actual blood,” Fudge said “It was also told that if this was ever told to parents or anything the penalties that we would pay would be 10 times more harsh than a beating.”  The fear and trauma kept many survivors silent for decades “I was scareder there than I was when I was in Vietnam,” said Daniel Gainer a 77-year-old Army veteran who was sent to Dozier at age 13 who said he was sentenced to Dozier for stealing a car did not talk about his experience there until 2024 I wouldn’t share it with nobody,” Gainer said Gainer said he found the strength to speak up through his faith and through the support of fellow White House Boys In 2024, Florida lawmakers unanimously passed a bill to create a $20 million victim compensation fund for the survivors of the reform schools in Marianna and Okeechobee It was a watershed moment for the White House Boys many of whom had spent 16 years fighting for justice in Tallahassee and I'm sure everybody that was part of what had happened and taken place there at Marianna and Okeechobee,” Fudge said The White House Boys have complicated feelings about the victim compensation bill While it was the culmination of years of hard work claimants would have to prove they attended Okeechobee or Dozier between 1945 and 1975 According to the Florida Attorney General’s office The AG’s office is currently processing the claims The money will be divided evenly among those whose claims are approved WATCH: The White House Boys discuss their feelings about compensation bill that’s $20,000 apiece — in today’s money,” Conerly said $10,000 — whatever?” said White House Boy Paul Elgin Several survivors who spoke with WPTV said they struggled financially due to the setbacks stemming from their childhood trauma James Anderson battled with addiction and spent time in prison before earning a trade certificate and settling into a career He said the money might help him make some needed improvements to his home Willie Brown spent years in prison shortly after he left Okeechobee for an armed robbery He said he still struggles to find a steady job housing Michael Anderson eventually moved to Berkeley where he said he grapples with the high cost of living “I could pay off my credit cards,” he said were we looking for reparations?” Fudge said What's 65 years of a person’s life worth?” “We wish we could just give them all the time back that they lost — and everything in their lives — every opportunity that they weren't able to have because of the experiences that they went through and the trauma that they were having to recover from or live with,” said Florida Rep who introduced the victim compensation bill WATCH: Florida passes compensation bill for victims of reform school abuse Salzman explained that she arrived at the $20 million sum for the compensation fund by examining Florida’s standards for compensating those who were wrongfully incarcerated $50,000 per year of wrongful incarceration,” Salzman said acknowledging that she and others who helped craft the bill were unaware of how many people could qualify for compensation we also would have given them a lot more money we recognize that that amount was very small “We had no real data on how many people were alive how many people were going to file a claim,” she said and it gave a figure of 350 or something people.” Asked why only those who attended the reform schools between 1945 and 1975 were eligible pointing to previous attempts to compensate the victims “That was the way the bill was written in the past,” Salzman said “We tried really hard — we reached out to a lot of people to try to find out where those numbers came from and because we could not find any reasonable response as to what those were.. So our concern was that there was a real reason why it was written that way So we did not want to mess with the way that the time frame was chosen originally.”  Salzman said she originally attempted to find a way to penalize the families of the state employees who beat the boys everybody who is responsible is no longer alive.” WPTV found obituaries for the people the men identified as the ones who beat them as children “It would be nice to have an amount that would give us some sort of justice to where we may have a joyful ending of the years that we have left,” Fudge said Salzman tried to find other ways for the boys to achieve some form of justice She said the bill will allow the boys who never graduated from high school to receive a GED noting that she hopes to host a graduation ceremony for them in Tallahassee in the near future “We really wanted it to be something that could be replicated in other states so that other people can get that same closure and validation that they deserve,” Salzman said look — it was actually codified in statute that this happened It will forever be a part of Florida's history.” there’s only so many people in politics that can do so much.” The Okeechobee campus now belongs to Indian River State College, which plans to build a data center there Tim Moore said the college spent roughly a year surveying the land and did not encounter any human remains He told WPTV he plans to include tributes to the boys who suffered on the campus WATCH: Indian River State College shares future plans for site with WPTV “We're looking right now at certain select buildings on that property to preserve in perpetuity or repurpose and then placard to make sure that people understood what went on there as they come through We're proud to have this stewardship,” Moore said The survivors responded favorably to IRSC’s plan The Dozier campus is now under the control of Jackson County and the county plans to convert turn the dining hall into a museum dedicated to local history Other buildings on the campus remain standing Ivy has wound its way around many of the structures rusted cots can still be seen through the exposed doorways in some of the residential buildings The White House stands in contrast; fully preserved “The White House is protected as a monument They're supposed to be taking care of it,” Conerly said to let everybody know what the hell happened.” A memorial has also been installed next to the White House Visitors have left small toys and tributes at the feet of statues of children The memorial includes a recreation of the soiled cot where children laid during beatings and the large industrial fan that survivors said would drown out the sound of screams A plaque beside one of the front windows of the White House reads: “In memory of the children who passed these doors we acknowledge their tribulations and offer our hope that they have found some measure of peace May this building stand as a reminder of the need to remain vigilant in protecting our children as we help them seek a brighter future we offer the reassurance that we are dedicated to serving and protecting the youth who enter this campus 2008; before Kimmerle and her team uncovered the mass burials Department of Justice investigation would allege abuse was still occurring on the campus In a quiet clearing on the opposite side of campus sits a monument with eight identical markers Each one for a boy whose remains were found The White House Boys wonder if more human remains are still undiscovered at Dozier “I knew boys that ran away and they were never seen anymore,” Gainer said that checked in but never checked out,” Conerly said Kimmerle believes there are no more undiscovered remains “There’s no way of us getting away from what happened to us as children And all we can do is pray and hope that people see what took place for us as children that it never happens to any children at institutions ever again,” Fudge said — Video WPTV obtained shows former Okeechobee County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper led out of the Okeechobee Historic Courthouse in handcuffs after he was arrested for battery during a commission meeting last Thursday The altercation occurred after a group of protestors protested the county sheriff’s office arrest of Warren Sapp in February 2024 Board commissioners held a special meeting Thursday to review ordinances on the public’s participation in public meetings like public comments “This chairmen is not going to sit here and take the abuse and I said this last time,” said Board Chairman David Hazellief during the April 3rd meeting “We’re not going to sit here and take this abuse.” WATCH: Former Okeechobee County Commissioner arrested on assault charge videos show protestors started coming to board commission meetings Video shows George Nathansen is one of those protestors The footage from the county showed him walking around the chamber with cameras and a “thin blue line” flag attached to his belt WATCH BELOW: Confrontation between Nathansen said he was at the meeting last Thursday for a different issue because he was dragging and stepping on the flag because what they were doing and the besmirching of our most important people in this county and that’s law enforcement Culpepper said he made contact with Nathansen because he was scared he would have been physically harmed He said he plans to fight the misdemeanor charges in court “Why do you think they passed a law called Stand Your Ground ask that,” he told WPTV’s Ethan Stein in a phone interview WATCH: Why is Warren Sapp asking Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office for $20 million WPTV reached out to Nathansen who explained via email his reason for walking around the chamber with a “thin blue line” flag attached to his belt the blue-line flag is the dog for the government," he said "The police are there to enforce the government’s policy He also said he left like he was being targeted during the meeting because as soon as I walked into the meeting I went to the wall where the police officer was then I saw the 'Back the Blue' sign," Nathansen said I feel it was part of the conspiracy to stop me from exercising my free speech on dragging the blue-line flag on the ground the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival (OMF) announced Tuesday that the event will return from March 19-22 The festival was founded in 2016 with Kendrick Lamar Mumford & Sons and Skrillex amongst the headliners The event is held at Sunshine Grove that spans 830 acres of grasslands lakes and palmetto jungles north of Lake Okeechobee "It’s a privilege to be curating OMF’s 10-year reunion since our first festival in March 2016," Okeechobee Festival Founder Rechulski said in a press release "OMF has always been about more than just music—it’s a celebration of creative expression in all its forms providing a safe space for the freaks that we all are." Event organizers shared they are getting back to their roots for their 10th anniversary by featuring artists across many genres our focus is on bringing back the magic of those early years—with a diverse multi-genre lineup and unforgettable moments and experiences that tap into the roots of what made Okeechobee so special from the very beginning," Ben Baruch with the festival's booking team said For Okeechobee Festival "alumni," tickets will go on sale Wednesday and the general presale will begin April 17 at noon the sheriff's office said the primary targets of the investigation were Corey Hardey and Melissa Carnley who were reportedly selling large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs from their residence (CBS12) — Four convicted felons were arrested in a major drug bust in Okeechobee The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said on March 6 and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a drug bust at a home on 804 NW 12th Street The coordinated operation was the culmination of an extensive investigation into drug distribution in the area along with multiple firearms and ammunition Corey Hardey — a convicted felon with 26 prior felony convictions — was arrested and faces multiple counts Melissa Carnley — another convicted felon with five prior felony convictions — faces similar counts Linda Carnley and Calina Kimla — both with two prior felony convictions — were charged with possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon and resisting arrest without violence Stephen highlighted the importance of the operation "The presence of Fentanyl and firearms in our community is a serious threat and we will continue to pursue those who choose to endanger lives by engaging in drug trafficking We are committed to keeping Okeechobee safe and holding criminals accountable." The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office encourages residents to report any suspected drug activity to local authorities emphasizing that community involvement is crucial in the fight against illegal drugs and crime Those with information about crime in their community can call the sheriff's office at 863-763-3117 (CBS12) — A new burn ban in Okeechobee County went into effect Thursday as recent dry weather has increased the risk of wildfires "This burn ban is a proactive measure aimed at preventing possible wildfires and protecting our residents businesses and properties," Fire Chief Earl Wooten explained The prohibition will remain in effect until further notice Among the items included in the burn ban are: the use of fireworks is barred unless an individual first obtains permission from Fire Rescue "While we understand the importance of outdoor activities we must follow these guidelines to keep our community safe," he continued Read more: Treasure Coast judge accused of DUI; passengers booked for cocaine the food must be cooked in equipment designed to keep the fire from spreading violators could face penalties that include a fine of up to $500 as well as 60-day sentence in the county jail Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) said Kassie Delone on Sunday in the northeast section behind Bill's Mini Mart A search is underway on Monday for three missing kids in Okeechobee The sheriff's office listed the missing children as missing/runaways and provided photos and Isiac Gonzalez is wearing the white shirt See also: HOMETOWN HERO: Local 5th grader crowned world champion at international Jewish competition OCSO urges anyone with information on their whereabouts to contact Detective Skylar Casian by calling 863-632-1972 — What was once the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee The 205-acre campus off of US-441 in rural Okeechobee County has sat vacant since the Eckerd Youth Development Center closed at the end of 2020 when the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice did not renew its contract with the private company running the facility Indian River State College (IRSC) took over the land “We were involved with the Economic Development Council in Okeechobee and they talked about this property and how they wanted to bring either Amazon or some distribution or potentially even just plant it and grow crops,” said Dr the executive vice president of strategic initiatives at IRSC he noticed markers for buried fiberoptic cables running along 441 “That's a gold mine in the ground that literally went right by the property,” Hageloh said That’s how he got the idea to build a data center Thanks to a $1.5 million rural infrastructure grant just approved by Gov IRSC President Tim Moore said the college can begin making that data center a reality “We think this is both an opportunity for us an opportunity for economics,” Moore told WPTV Wednesday “Our economy has exploded online since the pandemic in its population explosion and its business-to-business explosion And we're offering a new approach to that." But there’s another reality tied to that 205 acres The Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee was run by the state from the time it opened in 1959 until it became privately operated in the early 1980s Boys were sent there as punishment for breaking the law, and brutally beaten by employees. It left survivors traumatized to this day WATCH RELATED COVERAGE: Survivors of abuse at Okeechobee's Florida School for Boys "In my head—I've always denied—it doesn't affect me.. And for some reason it does," said James Anderson who was sent to the school as a teen and is now in his seventies That sound when leather hits you— leather hits the flesh.” “I have trust issues,” said Michael Anderson (no relation to James As authorities launched investigations in the 2010s along with a similar reform school in the panhandle town of Marianna the state apologized to the survivors of both schools and is in the process of compensating them for their suffering Part of the Marianna campus, once known as the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys is now protected as a monument to honoring the victims Moore said he will do something similar to honor the boys who endured abuse at Okeechobee “Society that forgets its history is doomed to repeat it we as citizens have to be very full and forthright in our recognition of what happened before us,” Moore said and then placard to make sure that people understood what went on there as they come through.” While a team of forensic anthropologists from the University of South Florida uncovered dozens of unmarked graves at the Dozier school in 2012 a 2015 search conducted by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office of the local campus did not lead to human remains Moore said IRSC spent roughly a year surveying the land once again to make sure no one was buried there the initial phase of this data center project will cost about $10 million He hopes to get most of that funding from private entities that want to do business on the campus Moore expects it to initially create about 200 jobs Dozier School attendees share their stories with WPTV “I think the community has evolved," Moore said "I think that the use of this property-- the best use of this property-- and kind of the legacy which it stands on is to turn a page and go do something different.” who was sent to the Dozier school as a child is part of a group of survivors called The White House Boys The group spent years in Tallahassee fighting for the memorial in Marianna which lawmakers approved unanimously last year when asked his opinion on the data center plan Three other White House Boys who were with him nodded in agreement WPTV has spent the past year digging into the dark past of Florida’s reform schools for boys You can catch our special report on "The Okeechobee Boys" on Wednesday You may not think Lake Okeechobee would affect water quality in the Tampa Bay region But when that freshwater is released to prevent flooding it can make red tide blooms worse off the coast of Sarasota That's according to a peer-reviewed study in The Florida Scientist It looked at the impact of nitrogen-rich water that flows west — from the lake down the Caloosahatchee River and into Estero Bay and Charlotte Harbor "The tons of nitrogen that you're putting in 30 days before and 30 days after a red tide bloom starts correlates with how long the red tide bloom lasts It's a really strong correlation," said Steve Suau a water engineer and co-author of the study "What we're basically saying is humans aren't causing red tides but we can cause them to be worse," said lead author Dave Tomasko director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program He said reducing the amount of water released from Lake Okeechobee could shorten red tide outbreaks on the southwest coast "To fix this problem you have to go after the flows There is not a magic wastewater treatment plant upgrade or stormwater retrofit that is going to fix this" Tomasko said in the lake and below the lake to reduce the flows enough to get this under control." Water from Lake Okeechobee and surrounding areas is heavy in nitrogen due to industrial activity And so what's out there 30 days before it starts is like just a bank of food," said Suau READ MORE: Army Corps to lower Lake Okeechobee by 4 feet; algae blooms could follow The study looked at five river basins: Joshua Creek The statistically significant relationship was only present in the Caloosahatchee suggesting a direct link over the past 16 years to the amount of water sent from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River that flows toward the Gulf of Mexico You can explain the red tide duration almost as well just looking at water flow as looking at nutrient loads," said Tomasko The more nitrogen-heavy water released toward Sarasota "There's nothing natural about our watershed and the nutrient loads coming off of Tampa Bay Charlotte Harbor; they're like two to four times what they used to be," said Tomasko and if red tide organisms can use nitrogen from all sources And we've known that for a couple years now," he added The latest findings show that "77 percent of the variability and the duration of red tides is explained by variation in the nitrogen load that comes out in that first 60-day period," added Tomasko The research could be used to help water managers assess whether the impact of a project to reduce pollution would do enough to shorten red tide outbreaks it might not make much of a difference," said Tomasko that'll shave a couple of weeks off the next red tide Tomasko said he's optimistic that a number of projects already underway to improve Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades will help reduce red tide outbreaks Suau said the study stopped short of issuing recommendations "because everybody has their own opinion." "My opinion is the state buys out Big Sugar and restores the Everglades (and) lets Lake Okeechobee flow back into the Everglades," said Suau collects samples from the Caloosahatchee River Estuary during a Microcystis bloom at North Shore Park in North Fort Myers in July 2018 Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida and the second largest in the Southeastern United States blooms of blue-green algae (Microcystis) have emerged in the lake and have been flushed into nearby urban estuaries causing serious environmental and public health issues agriculture and urban development – particularly nitrogen and phosphorus – are well-known causes of harmful algal blooms worldwide Lake Okeechobee has only been considered to be impaired for phosphorus leading to targeted efforts aimed at reducing phosphorus runoff from agricultural sources in the watershed Now, new research marks a groundbreaking step in understanding and preserving this crucial ecosystem. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have conducted the first comprehensive sampling across the Lake Okeechobee Waterway in South Florida Lucie Estuary on the east coast to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary on the west coast To determine what’s causing recent cyanobacterial blooms researchers conducted two research cruises across the Lake Okeechobee Waterway and three sampling events of these blooms They measured nitrogen isotopes in phytoplankton to see if human waste or fertilizers were involved Results of the study, published in the journal Harmful Algae reveal that combatting harmful algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee requires managing both phosphorus and nitrogen and that human waste played a role in influencing these Microcystis blooms Findings also underscore the importance of rainfall and extreme rainfall events in driving these big blooms Inorganic nitrogen levels were elevated in urbanized estuaries and the Kissimmee River which extends north through the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes to the greater Orlando area the expanding urbanization in Orlando was identified as a contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of these blooms in Lake Okeechobee “Based on our study findings, strategies focused only on reducing phosphorus aren’t sufficient,” said Brian Lapointe senior author and a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch we need to cut back on both nitrogen and phosphorus Managing both nutrients is crucial because of their combined impact which often lead to more severe and persistent harmful algal blooms human waste is a major source of these nutrients.” Findings show key changes in Lake Okeechobee’s algal conditions over the years and Microcystis cell counts in the lake are now higher than in previous decades Phosphorus levels increased from 50 micrograms per liter in the mid-1970s to more than 100 micrograms per liter by the late 1990s This rise in phosphorus supported the growth of harmful cyanobacteria like Dolichospermum Sampling occurred from 2018 to 2021 and the cruises took place in 2019 and 2020 unified snapshot of conditions throughout the entire waterway at a single point in time or over a defined period which led to significant losses in aquatic plants and fish toxic Microcystis became more dominant in the lake during the warm Because the research cruises took place in 2019 and 2020 researchers did not observe any major Microcystis blooms in the St “It is during these rainfall events when major nitrogen loading occurs “Big blooms appeared in the lake and estuaries following these extreme rain events.” Findings also show that the higher nutrients in the urbanized Caloosahatchee River Estuary and St Lucie Estuary enhanced bloom formations in those locations nitrate and phosphate – are highly reactive which is why the researchers observed thick “scum” on the water’s surface in those estuaries “When water and Microcystis is released from Lake Okeechobee into the estuaries the growth response is like ‘Miracle Grow,’” said Lapointe “We found the highest concentrations of ammonium These nutrients are commonly associated with human waste we observed elevated nitrogen isotope levels indicating that human waste is a significant source of this nitrogen.”   Researchers also found significant variation in water conditions across different locations affecting the spread and intensity of algal blooms The biggest blooms were observed in the Pahokee Marina and Cape Coral which were strongly affected by human waste “Evidence from the Florida Keys shows similar trends of nitrogen enrichment and our research indicates that such changes may be happening throughout the entire watershed,” said Lapointe water from the Lake Okeechobee watershed naturally flowed southward through the Everglades changes to the water management system led to the creation of the Lake Okeechobee Waterway Lucie Estuary via the C-44 canal and westward into the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary through the C-43 canal “Microcystis blooms and their toxicity in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie Estuary are influenced by nitrogen levels, and our study shows that nitrogen enrichment is increasing. It’s crucial to reduce nitrogen to control harmful algal blooms along the lake’s waterway and in the estuaries downstream,” said Rachel Brewton co-author and an assistant research professor at FAU Harbor Branch “Given the high nitrogen load from the Upper Kissimmee River cutting these inputs should be a top priority Although Lake Okeechobee doesn’t have a Total Maximum Daily Load established for nitrogen as it does for phosphorus and recent plans for the lake’s tributaries aim to address nitrogen reductions.” The impact of these blooms varies based on the size of the watersheds and the specific conditions of the receiving waters “In the lab, we measured chlorophyll a, microcystins, and amounts of Microcystis and other phytoplankton by analyzing their cell concentrations and pigments in water samples,” said Malcolm McFarland co-author and an associate research professor at FAU Harbor Branch “We used flow cytometry on water samples on board the research vessels to allow for analysis of live algal cells and avoid losses caused by preservation and storage.” estuaries and coastal areas are increasingly affected by these blooms raising concerns that the growing frequency of harmful algal blooms and their associated toxins could further threaten drinking water supplies “These blooms don’t only impact Florida’s vital water resources but also have national implications for public health environmental quality and economic well-being,” said Lapointe “Understanding these changes helps us address the challenges of safeguarding our waters and ensures clean safe water for communities across the country.” This research supports the need for improved wastewater treatment and water storage north of Lake Okeechobee including the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project and the Lake Okeechobee Component A Reservoir project spearheaded by the South Florida Water Management District a former research engineer at FAU Harbor Branch National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Water Resources Program (80NSSC19K1200) Additional support for this research was provided by the Florida Center for Coastal and Human Health which was developed with a grant from and funded by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation Tags: research | science | harbor branch | faculty and staff — Freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee into the St Lucie Estuary will stop this weekend for the first time in over three months The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday at a Rivers Coalition meeting at Stuart City Hall that the releases will be temporarily halted beginning Saturday WATCH BELOW: What environmentalists are saying about discharges ending The discharges have been ongoing since Dec. 7 as the Army Corps works to reduce the lake levels ahead of the summer rainy season Lake Okeechobee's water level was 15.61 feet in early December When the water releases were announced last November the Army Corps had said the discharges may last as long as May 1 Brandon Bowman said that there will be no releases for the foreseeable future unless there's a hurricane or high water event Bowman said he expects they'll avoid releases for the rest of the year The release of water from Lake Okeechobee into the estuary is a controversial practice that environmentalists condemn due to the negative impacts on the waterways reducing water quality and harming oyster beds the news on Thursday was positive but not the ultimate goal just stopping them and then going back in another year or two years," Carter said After five years of debate and discussion, the Army Corps of Engineers announced last August the implementation of their new Lake Okeechobee water release schedule which it said would reduce harmful discharges into the estuary by at least 40% the spillway in Moore Haven that allows water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River has been wide open to lower lake levels before the rainy season The water gushes out at billions of gallons a day who is in charge of the Army Corps of Engineers operations in Florida He said the main reason to lower the lake level was to give aquatic plants the right amount “Lowering water levels allows light to penetrate to the bottom and allows submerged aquatic vegetation to regerminate and regrow during the spring and summer,” Bowman said in a press release That is “key to the health of the lake fisheries and improved water quality within the lake benefits the estuaries if significant releases are necessary in the coming seasons (and) years.” That spillway in Moore Haven has been wide open since early December the federal agency that manages Florida’s liquid heart decided the lake level needs to be lowered by four feet before this year’s hurricane season The Army Corps has also been releasing water to the east down the Saint Lucie River Bowman said the Army Corps will reopen the spillway if there is a wet start to the rainy season That is not looking likely as drought is gripping Southwest Florida as wildfire season has burned nearly 44,000 acres in over 900 blazes so far this year and meteorologists do not see substantial rains in the forecast for the foreseeable future a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions Get Pollstar News and more delivered right to your inbox with Pollstar Daily Pulse By signing up, you agree to Pollstar’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use After first launching at southern Florida’s Sunshine Grove 10 years ago Okeechobee (located in Okeechobee County) is celebrating its 10th anniversary March 19-22 Okeechobee’s organizers promise it will incorporate a mix of electronic lakes and waterways for a unique landscape It’s a privilege to be curating OMF’s 10-year reunion since our first festival in March 2016,” Okeechobee Founder and Soundslinger Chairman “OMF Has always been about more than just music – it’s a celebration of creative expression in all its forms providing a safe space for the freaks that we all are OMF is an event where art for all senses occurs We are beyond excited to be working with the world-renowned 1960s authentic festival poster artist and I wish I could tell you more but some things are better kept a surprise!” Talent bookers Ben Baruch and Dave Niedbalski added “It’s a true honor to return to Okeechobee after helping lay its foundation This festival has always been a place where music art and community come together in the most powerful and inspiring ways our focus is on bringing back the magic of those early years – with a diverse collaborations and experiences that tap into the roots of what made Okeechobee so special from the very beginning.” The festival’s last edition took place in 2023 “We are incredibly proud to once again bring together tens of thousands of music fans from across Florida and beyond offering an unparalleled camping and music experience that reconnects us with nature,” OMF Executive Producer for the festival in 2026 we’re creating and maximizing ‘only at Okeechobee’ experiences – from unforgettable music performances to immersive experiences and exciting surprises By combining fan favorites from past years with innovative new concepts we’re crafting an event that we believe will be truly unforgettable.” In addition to announcing their return after a two-year hiatus the festival unveiled a new campground for returning fans it’s essential to authentically connect with fans and ensure their voices are heard,” Marketing Director Grace Judy said in a statement “To foster these ongoing conversations we recently launched the OMF Discord channel – our community’s new ‘home away from home.’ In celebration of our 10-year reunion to Sunshine Grove we’ve also created a new campground in close proximity to the venue called the ‘Okee OG Campgrounds,’ dedicated to our returning fans who want to camp in the center of the action.” For fans who have attended the festival’s previous editions, a loyalty presale begins on April 16 at 10 a.m. ET. Priority presale begins April 17 at 10 a.m. ET, with a general presael at 12 p.m. ET. Presale concludes at 11:59 p.m. on April 19. Fans can get more information for presale at: www.okeechobeefest.com each morning and weigh-ins start at 3:00 p.m bass fishing expo on the weekend in conjunction with Bass Bash The event will be headquartered from the C.Scott Driver Boat Ramp in Okeechobee Florida on the north end of Lake Okeechobee FL Weather ForecastRelatively stable conditions are predicted for the tournament days toward the end of the week / Google WeatherLake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Conditions & Expert PredictionsLake Okeechobee is Florida’s largest lake and the 10th largest in the United States but it has a reputation as fishing fairly small The fish tend to group up in areas where the aquatic vegetation is at its best but that means the anglers get grouped up too I spoke with Clewiston local and longtime, pro tournament angler Brandon McMillan who told me the water level has been dropping slowly “That’s going to have the fish positioned more on the outside of cover But it’s tricky because we’ve lost so much of the grass and hardline over the past several years from high water and hurricanes that a lot of the well-known old school spots are just gone.” So while there will be a lot of bed fishing Scoping in perspective mode will be the deal.” McMillan emphasized that the places with the right combination of cover depth and water quality are few and far between the small number of places that do hold concentrations of fish are going to hold a lot of fishermen “The lake is fishing small like usual, but the fishing’s been really good,” Martin said. “I believe that we’ve had a good spawn around the lake due to light winds and warm temperatures for the last three weeks.” “Any time in Florida, you’re going to have to have fish coming to you,” Cook said. “Whenever you find that area where they’re coming to you, you’re going to succeed.  He added, “If there are any offshore grasslines, they should be absolutely stacked with staging fish.” “It’s not going to be a home-run-type spawn, but it will still be good; I think it will take 85 pounds to win,” Cook said. “I think you’ll need about 17 a day to make the Top 10.” Greg DiPalma leads Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee with 29-12. / B.A.S.S. | Andy CrawfordDiPalma, Davis Jr., and Palaniuk battle for the lead after all uncovering the same overlooked bass hotspot...FULL STORY HERE. Brandon Palaniuk surges to the lead at Lake Okeechobee with a historic 34-10 bag, proving patience pays off in the Bassmaster Elite Series. / B.A.S.S. | Shane DurranceMonster bass, patience, and game-changing decisions define Day 2 as the leaderboard shifts dramatically...FULL STORY HERE. Brandon Palaniuk put together another 20-plus pound limit giving him an 18 pound cushion over 2nd heading into Championship Sunday. / B.A.S.S. | Dalton TumblinAfter a historic 34-10 bag on Day 2, Palaniuk holds a commanding lead heading into Championship Saunday. Can anyone catch him?...FULL STORY HERE. Palaniuk holds on to the lead at lake Okeechobee for his seventh Bassmaster Elite victory. / B.A.S.S. | Shane DurranceA dominant performance, a historic bag, and a crankbait to the face—Palaniuk claims his sixth Elite trophy...FULL STORY HERE. The year’s competition comes with some interesting new rules for 2025 including limited electronics and zero entry fees so everyone is eager to see how this will play out The tournament playing field includes Lake Okeechobee and all rivers creeks and canals connecting to Lake Okeechobee Lucie River) and the Moore Haven Lock (Caloosahatchee Canal).The daily limit is 5 bass with a 12 inch minimum The full field will start competition on Days 1 and 2 On Day 3 the field will be cut to the top 50 Only the Top 10 after Day 3 will qualify to fish on the fourth and final day Boats are restricted to no more than 55 inches of screen size Inches are measured per the (diagonal) display screen size listed on each manufacturer's website rounded to the nearest inch Each competitor’s boat is limited to one (1) live transducer and this transducer must be mounted on the trolling motor shaft at the bow area of the boat All electronics must be mounted in a way not to obstruct the competitor’s line of sight while piloting the boat on plane It is recommended that console electronics be mounted in a manner where the tops of graphs are no higher than 26 inches from the steering column where it exits the console and bow electronics be mounted in a manner where the tops of graphs are no higher than 18 inches from the front deck The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER — Former NFL player and Super Bowl XXXVII champion Warren Sapp is asking Okeechobee County for $20 million in damages according to documents WPTV obtained from public records requests to Okeechobee County and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) The “notice of a claim” document Sapp’s attorney filed with the county claims deputies violated his civil rights after he was “maliciously and falsely arrested and illegally detained” by the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Department this stems from Sapp being arrested in the county on Feb WATCH: Warren Sapp claims Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office violated his civil rights Sapp’s attorney said his client was arrested and removed from a charitable event in which he had been a participant for 12 years He also said in the letter his client was a bystander/participant in a convoy from Miami throughout Florida to raise money for charity According to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office Computer Assisted Dispatch the agency received calls about multiple “high-end” and “luxury” vehicles driving at "over 100 mph" almost creating crashes in the county a deputy pulled one car over after she said her radar caught him driving at around 65 mph where the speed limit was 35 mph body camera footage WPTV received from the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office shows a crowd forming around the gas station after the deputy couldn’t print the citation on her ticket NFL Hall of Fame Defensive Lineman Sapp was a part of the crowd and started talking with the deputy before being detained WATCH: Body camera footage of Warren Sapp being detained the deputy told Sapp he was being detained for interfering with an investigation after he didn’t tell deputies his name According to the investigation narrative WPTV received from the OCSO the deputy said he tried to put the man in a patrol car after the crowd started chanting “set him free,” but he continued to “tense up and plant his feet to the ground” before placing Sapp under arrest WATCH: Crowd chants 'set him free' after Sapp detained Sapp was transported to the Okeechobee County Jail WPTV obtained body camera footage video of a supervisor talking with Sapp SAPP: I was wondering you were outside the gas station when they drove away SAPP: How come we didn’t have a conversation there DEPUTY: You were already in the back of a patrol car and we needed to get you out there as quickly as possible According to a memo from the State Attorney’s Office that WPTV received from a public records request Assistant State Attorney Ashley Albright said the law wouldn’t support a conviction in the case “While [Sapp’s] intentional actions and statements were no doubt frustrating and annoying to the point of distracting the deputies the strict requirements of the law will not support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt,” Albright wrote Sapp’s attorney said Sapp was unable to sleep and his son’s birthday was negatively affected by the February incident from last year in the “notice of a claim” filed in December 2024 Sapp’s attorney also said the Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund an organization created and owned by Florida sheriffs claiming to provide offices customized and affordable liability policies offered him $3,500 related to the incident who didn’t answer questions about the case The Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office didn’t return our calls and emails about questions related to the case attended the Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners meeting last week but attendees traveled from across the state to tell members their opinions about a potential lawsuit Warren Sapp is a stark reminder that the fight against racism and tyranny is far from over,” said one attendee are you going to apologize to the taxpayers?” asked another attendee “That’s what the sheriff’s office did to Mr stomped on his rights,” said another attendee it feels appropriate to take a look at what's happening on legendary Lake Okeechobee at Okeechobee headed into March typically means the spawn is on for largemouth bass in southern Florida All of the bass will be relatively shallow and some already in post-spawn and recovering but a majority of the tournament anglers’ fishing strategies will be focused on beds an angler will have to have a good understanding of bass in all three phases so they can make adjustments as weather changes As winter gives way to spring and water temperature push past that magic 60-degree mark largemouth bass know it’s time for spawning biological fail safe that ensures survival if a cold snap or freak storm rolls through it won’t wipe out an entire generation of bass in one unfortunate stroke hard cover are the perfect combination when looking for spawning bass a break from the north winds and surprise spring cold fronts North shorelines are the first places to check especially when they’ve got the right mix of depth and bottom composition Focus on areas with hard bottom composition like sand flats And a mixture of hard cover like submerged logs and docks can make an area even more appealing to spawning bass The last time the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Lake Okeechobee was almost exactly two years ago in mid-February of 2023 Catchable bass were available in all three phases of the spawning cycle Most people assumed the expansive weedy flats of the big lake were the highest percentage areas likely to produce the winning bag of fish Tyler Rivet found fish the rest of the field had missed expected him to stumble upon an unlikely pattern catching pre-spawn bass from hard-bottom spots off the bank in the Kissimmee River I went sac-a-lait (crappie) fishing for dinner in the Kissimmee River and I caught a couple of bass on small jerkbaits,” said Rivet “The first one I caught was a 5 1/2- to 6-pounder Rivet recognized this as similar to the canals he fishes back home he decided to go all-in for the tournament “It’s hard to find something that’s un-pressured like that in Okeechobee so I was lucky to find that one pattern,” he added “I would never have thought to catch them like that That was just a prespawn deal and they were sitting up on a little ledge and eating whatever came by.” "That was just a prespawn deal and they were sitting up on a little ledge and eating whatever came by.” Brandon Cobb and three other Top 10 finishers utilized a bladed jig / B.A.S.S.The number one and two baits are a tie Four of the top 10 finishers credited a bladed jig for their above average catches Steve Kennedy says he caught all of his keeper fish on a frog the frog tied with the bladed jig for most used lures among the top 10 Steve Kennedy said he caught all of his keepers all week on a SPRO Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 65—one of only two anglers to name just one bait A wacky-rigged soft plastic stick bait is always a good choice in Florida / B.A.S.S.Three competitors included soft plastic stick baits in their plan—two wacky-rigged weightless and one Texas-rigged This is the other lure that was an exclusive for one of the anglers Brandon Card said a weightless Yamamoto Senko was his key bait alternating between Watermelon Red and Bama Bug colors all three were punching some form of compact craw/creature-shaped bait with a 3/4 to 1-1/2 ounce tungsten bullet weight said they caught some of their keepers on swimjigs Cook used a Big Bite Baits Ram Trail trailer while Jocumsen opted for an X-Zone Swammer When you think about how different his spot and pattern were compared to the rest of the field As we look ahead to the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Event on Lake Okeechobee recognizing how the current conditions affect the bass and utilizing proven bait choices can give anglers a competitive edge But 2023’s Elite results have likely inspired more adventurous anglers to look for those less obvious overlooked patterns that could really pay off Anglers should make sure their tackle includes lots of options so they can make successful changes on the fly But I don’t suppose most anglers need much encouraging to have more tackle with them than they need But do make sure you’re prepared to throw bladed jigs Competitors and recreational anglers alike can capitalize on this prime fishing season with proper preparation and an understanding of Lake Okeechobee understanding how fish react to current conditions while utilizing proven baits and tactics will give you the best chance at a big Florida largemouth bass Keep checking back in to Fishing On SI for updates as the tournament progresses — Over the past several years Fox 4 reported on high water levels in Lake Okeechobee leading to high volume releases down the Caloosahatchee a healthier lake and now the concern is for too little fresh water being released Fox 4 Meteorologist Andrew Shipley spoke with SCCF about the concern and what it means for the Caloosahatchee Estuary Army Corps of Engineers has been trying to get Lake Okeechobee water levels into much healthier situation compared to recent years “Everything I that have seen is sub aquatic vegetation is growing,” said SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis And with the Lake now under 12 feet for the first time in several years the Army Corps on Friday announced that they are reducing the flows down the river from the lake to 650 cfs When recovery operations started in December releases were more than 3x that (2,100 cfs) especially after years of devastating releases the Caloosahatchee still needs beneficial flow of fresh water “The (South Florida) Water Management District’s modeling shows that we can handle that but we would be very nervous to go any lower than that,” said DePaolis DePaolis says the concern comes from the fragile balance of salt and fresh water needed for our oysters to reproduce “Adult oysters are more tolerant of changing conditions as they can kind of close up and hunker down but the spat really needs a specific set of conditions to have success,” said DePaolis “And if the oyster spawn is impacted that could be generations of oysters that in turn impacted by that change.” our vulnerable tape grass further upriver cannot And we already have minimal amounts of tape grass in the Caloosahatchee Estuary based on past releases While the current models do show the estuary can handle flows at this level DePaolis says this is the floor and they should not be reduced any further “If model starts to deviate from the real-world conditions we are seeing on the ground we really hope that South Florida Water Management District and the Army Corps are going to be responsive to that to protect the estuary.” The Army Corps told Fox 4 via email Friday that even lower releases may be made and that South Florida Water Management District will be incorporated in those decisions as they have the legal responsibility under the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manuel (LOSOM).