Commissioners order immediate repairs on 700A, direct staff to explore utility construction bonds

The Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners authorized the county engineer and road superintendent to require Irby Construction to repair damage to County Road 700A at the contractor’s expense and voted unanimously to take immediate action to mitigate the safety hazard.

The chairman described multiple complaints and field observations showing the road shoulder and edge were “out in the travel lane” and called the condition “certainly a hazard.” The board moved and passed a motion authorizing the road superintendent and county engineer to work with Irby Construction and to require repairs at Irby’s expense.

Commissioners also discussed broader patterns of road damage caused by utility projects and heavy equipment. Several commissioners described seeing contractor equipment and poles placed in suboptimal locations and said some contractors leave shoulders and ditches in poor condition. The board directed staff to investigate policy options that would better protect county roads, including requiring maintenance bonds or permit conditions for utility providers and their contractors.

County staff said they would coordinate with the county attorney to draft regulatory options requiring utility contractors to post a maintenance bond or similar financial assurance and to require contractors — not the utility entity alone — to pull permits so the county can enforce permit conditions. The board emphasized the change was aimed at sub‑contractors and construction teams that damage shoulders, curbs and pavement during linear projects.

The board’s immediate motion was recorded as carried unanimously.