County approves rezoning of roughly 1,100-acre SR‑70 West tract to heavy industrial

The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 14 to rezone roughly 1,100 acres on State Road 70 West from agriculture to heavy industrial.

County planning staff told the board the property lies in the county's industrial overlay district, which limits industrial development to 10 percent of the overlay parcel. The applicant said it intends a mixed‑use outcome — industrial, commercial and residential — and sought the heavy‑industrial zoning ahead of a planned comprehensive‑plan amendment that would create a formal mixed‑use designation.

The action prepares the site for recruitment of employers, Kaylee King, president of the Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation, told the commission. "The corporation is assisting this client move through the entitlement process to become what we call, in the economic development world, shovel ready," King said during public comment.

Opponents raised environmental concerns. "I just am not happy with the going to Popash and, taking that land out of agriculture," said resident Linda Crane, who cited wetlands and long‑standing water‑quality issues in the area.

Planning staff said the rezoning request is consistent with the county's land‑use rules and comprehensive plan. The county's planning board earlier failed to approve the change on a 2‑4 vote; staff maintained its recommendation for approval and the commission granted the rezoning after discussion of traffic, environmental review and the limits of the overlay district.

Commissioners emphasized that any actual industrial development will still require site‑specific permitting and state agency review. "Just because this is passed today doesn't mean it's going to be built tomorrow," one commissioner told the public, noting multiple environmental and permitting steps remain.

The motion to grant the request (petition R20250773) was made by Commissioner Goodbread and seconded by Commissioner Burrows; it carried unanimously.

Why it matters: rezoning the parcel makes a large area available for future industrial recruitment and infrastructure planning, but county leaders and public commenters also flagged potential impacts on wetlands and downstream water quality that will have to be addressed in later permitting steps.

What’s next: future development proposals on the site will be reviewed under county land‑development rules and by state agencies, including the South Florida Water Management District.