OKEECHOBEE – Okeechobee County Commissioners plan to ask the state for funding for improvements to the sheriff’s office building and drainage improvements in the Lazy 7 area.

At their July 22 meeting, commissioners set their top priorities for 2026 State Legislative Priorities, Appropriations and Grant Requests.

As the top two priorities, they chose:

• Expansion and hardening of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s administration building; and,
• Improvements to drainage and flood control for the Lazy 7 area.

Commissioners will ask the state for $4.25 million for the drainage and flood control project, including $250,000 for design and $4 for construction.

A memo from County Engineer Stefan K. Matthes explains:

“Okeechobee County is requesting financial assistance to improve the drainage and flood protection for the residential area known as Lazy 7. The 1,200-acre area does not have an officially permitted outfall for a portion of the subdivision and the community experiences flooding during significant rain events.

“The combination of the county’s vulnerable location and changes in climate conditions have made mitigating the threat of flooding for the 1,000 residents a priority. The determination of appropriate stormwater detention and conveyance to move water out of the residential area and to the existing outfalls at both L-62 and Lemkin Creek with ultimate outfall to Lake Okeechobee. The new infrastructure will further the county’s efforts at improving resiliency.

“The Lazy 7 subdivision has two primary drainage basins. North of L-62 canal and south of the L-62 canal. The northern drainage basin has existing outfall to the L-62 canal via a direct culvert connection for the western portion and outfall to Turkey Slough for eastern portion which also discharges into the L-62 canal.

“The southern drainage discharges through a series of farm and roadside ditches to Lemkin Creek. Many of these outfall ditches are located on private property without verified drainage easements.

“The majority of improvements required to meet the project objective are located within the southern drainage basin. These improvements comprise cleaning of existing drainage outfall system, improving the outfall culvert system, and adding stormwater retention ponds to provide the water quality aspects required for grant application compliance.:

“We have to do something to help these people,” said County Commissioner Terry Burroughs.