Okeechobee County commissioners adopt land‑use code changes, approve grants and contracts, and authorize new ambulance purchase

The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners on March 13 approved multiple ordinances, grants, contracts and purchases, including amendments to the county land‑development regulations and code, a year‑one economic development grant payment to Brightmark Energy, a new county attorney contract, an extension of existing outside counsel during a transition, a raise for the regional medical examiner, and the purchase of a 2025 ambulance funded through a regional behavioral‑health grant.

Why it matters: The board’s actions adjust how development near the county landfill and around the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park will be regulated, shift review authority for large development plans to the county commission, authorize capital spending and grant payments tied to job creation and public safety, and set the county’s legal team and medical‑examiner pay levels for the coming year.

Most significant actions

• Land‑use code changes — The board adopted three ordinance changes after public hearings. The measures: (1) add an explicit exemption for rotor‑wing and vertical‑takeoff aircraft from landfill distance limits; (2) expand the definition of “major development” (lowering the unit threshold) and change review procedures so major development plans come to the Board of County Commissioners for final action after a planning‑board recommendation; and (3) create a dark‑sky buffer area around the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park with exterior‑lighting standards for new development and replaced fixtures in the buffer area. Planning staff and the county attorney said the measures reflect state and FAA rules and local planning concerns. The dark‑sky ordinance was amended at the board’s request to include a recognition of Mayor Watford and a park ranger who had worked on the preserve’s designation. All three ordinances passed unanimously.

• Brightmark Energy grant amendment and…