BigDog is right......public record.......
The County Planning Board met in the Health Department Auditorium on Tuesday
evening; Alternate Member Mitchell Hancock voted in the absence of Jeff
Sumner. Also present were County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper and
Undersheriff Noel Stephen. There was not a Board Attorney or a member of the
press present for the meeting.
Minutes were unanimously approved. There were no public comments.
After fairly lengthy discussion, by a vote of 5:2 (Ted Kelchner and Carl
Ferraro opposed) the Board followed Staff's recommendation that they
recommend to the County Commission that the BOCC authorize the Planning &
Development Department to issue Temporary Use Permits for 3 Okeechobee
MudFest events in February 2011, August 2011, and February 2012, subject to
5 conditions, the main one being to schedule a de-briefing meeting after
each event for assessment and feedback. The recommendation includes that an
officer be stationed at the entrance to the Crooked Creek subdivision at the
discretion of the Sheriff's Department. The main area for concern by the
dissenting voters was that 2012 was a long way out and they suggested the
permits should be issued one at a time instead of all 3 at once. One of the
applicants, Debbie Sales, asked that they be approved together so they can
advertise for upcoming events at the first event. She added these would
likely be the final 3 events since their 270-acre property will soon be
about 27 acres smaller due to land acquisitions for FDOT's project to 4-lane
SR 70. Applicant Carla Hales was also present. Noel Stephen gave his opinion
that as long as the applicants continue to cooperate with the County, the
events should be okay. Bryant Culpepper started to address the Board but was
asked to hold his comments for the BOCC meeting on December 16th at 9:00am.
When asked, Sales reviewed event pricing: 2 events ago in 2008 their rates
were $15/day and $30/weekend resulting in approximately 12,000 participants,
their last event rates were $50/day and $100/weekend with about 5,000
participants, rates for their next event will be $20/day and $40/weekend.
Economic impacts to Okeechobee were vaguely discussed though no formal study
has been completed. When asked, County Planning Director Bill Royce said it
would take a major event failure for his office to not issue permits for the
2nd or 3rd event. Hoot Worley said he was okay with it as long as County
Staff and the Sheriff's Department were okay with it and no one from Crooked
Creek was upset about it. Royce said traffic is the biggest concern and
signs will be posted 1 week prior to the events warning travelers to expect
delays. Stephen added that the tremendous back-ups are caused since the
event is held on a main thoroughfare and that traffic isn't as bad when
these type of events are held off the beaten path. Kelchner noted that these
have never come before the Planning Board before; Royce responded that they
should have once the event traffic became so heavy.
The County Planning Board met in the Health Department Auditorium on Tuesday
evening; Alternate Member Mitchell Hancock voted in the absence of Jeff
Sumner. Also present were County Commissioner Bryant Culpepper and
Undersheriff Noel Stephen. There was not a Board Attorney or a member of the
press present for the meeting.
Minutes were unanimously approved. There were no public comments.
After fairly lengthy discussion, by a vote of 5:2 (Ted Kelchner and Carl
Ferraro opposed) the Board followed Staff's recommendation that they
recommend to the County Commission that the BOCC authorize the Planning &
Development Department to issue Temporary Use Permits for 3 Okeechobee
MudFest events in February 2011, August 2011, and February 2012, subject to
5 conditions, the main one being to schedule a de-briefing meeting after
each event for assessment and feedback. The recommendation includes that an
officer be stationed at the entrance to the Crooked Creek subdivision at the
discretion of the Sheriff's Department. The main area for concern by the
dissenting voters was that 2012 was a long way out and they suggested the
permits should be issued one at a time instead of all 3 at once. One of the
applicants, Debbie Sales, asked that they be approved together so they can
advertise for upcoming events at the first event. She added these would
likely be the final 3 events since their 270-acre property will soon be
about 27 acres smaller due to land acquisitions for FDOT's project to 4-lane
SR 70. Applicant Carla Hales was also present. Noel Stephen gave his opinion
that as long as the applicants continue to cooperate with the County, the
events should be okay. Bryant Culpepper started to address the Board but was
asked to hold his comments for the BOCC meeting on December 16th at 9:00am.
When asked, Sales reviewed event pricing: 2 events ago in 2008 their rates
were $15/day and $30/weekend resulting in approximately 12,000 participants,
their last event rates were $50/day and $100/weekend with about 5,000
participants, rates for their next event will be $20/day and $40/weekend.
Economic impacts to Okeechobee were vaguely discussed though no formal study
has been completed. When asked, County Planning Director Bill Royce said it
would take a major event failure for his office to not issue permits for the
2nd or 3rd event. Hoot Worley said he was okay with it as long as County
Staff and the Sheriff's Department were okay with it and no one from Crooked
Creek was upset about it. Royce said traffic is the biggest concern and
signs will be posted 1 week prior to the events warning travelers to expect
delays. Stephen added that the tremendous back-ups are caused since the
event is held on a main thoroughfare and that traffic isn't as bad when
these type of events are held off the beaten path. Kelchner noted that these
have never come before the Planning Board before; Royce responded that they
should have once the event traffic became so heavy.
