Goodbread running for re-election

Posted 7/26/24

Brad Goodbread (REP) is running for re-election to the Okeechobee County Commission District 3 seat.

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Goodbread running for re-election

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OKEECHOBEE — Brad Goodbread (REP) is running for re-election to the Okeechobee County Commission District 3 seat.

“I come from a six generation Florida farming and ranching Family and have been in Okeechobee since I was 5 years old,” Goodbread said. :I went to school from first grade through high school graduation in Okeechobee. I was a member of the FFA for five years and President of our local FFA chapter my senior year as well as competed in several Livestock Judging Teams and the Parliamentary Procedure Team. I continued my education at Texas A&M University where I received a Bachelor of Agriculture Economics and a Masters in Land Economics & Real Estate. Presently, I am involved in Family Businesses including Cattle Ranching, Real Estate and Self Storage. I am a Licensed Private Pilot and have held Real Estate Sales and Insurance Sale Licenses.”

He said, in his opinion, “the most important problem facing Okeechobee County today is that our Local Economy needs to be more diversified with more higher paying jobs/careers for our residents. To help resolve this problem, the BOCC formed and funded the Okeechobee Economic Development Corporation in conjunction with several private businesses to attract and court new businesses and manufacturers to invest in our local economy and bring more opportunities to our county.”

Goodbread said he believes he is the most qualified candidate “because of my experience in business, my education in Economics, the fact that I grew up here and have a deep love for our county and my track record on the BOCC. I believe in sustainable growth in our county and looking towards the future, but we need to keep in touch with our rich heritage as a leader in farming, ranching and production agriculture in our state and our rural small town values and never lose sight of our history.”

He pointed to some of the accomplishments by the current board of county commissioners:

* The restructuring and improving of our airport,

* Our new splash pad (paid for by grants),

* The formation of the Okeechobee Economic Development Corporation,

* Investing in and strengthening Code Enforcement to clean up our neighborhoods,

* Keeping the property tax rate level for the past 7 years,

* Rehabilitation of the Skate Park,

* New Driver's License & Property Appraisers Building,

* Drainage Project in Douglas Park,

* Proclaimed Okeechobee County as a Second Amendment County,

* The new traffic signal at Cemetery Road and US 441 North,

* Our increased use of Federal & State Grant dollars for our Improvements,

* Our aggressive projects in converting properties which are near the Lake on Septic Tanks to Sewer System to help clean up Lake Okeechobee, and

* The future Bass Pro Resort project.

How would he address the lack of affordable rental housing?

“With the recent rise in property values across the nation, rent has risen to alarming rates,” he said. “Although this is a function of the free market economy and supply and demand, everyone can agree that something needs to be done to help with affordable workforce housing. Last year, a board was formed called the Treasure Coast Affordable Housing Committee which is made up of government officials from Okeechobee, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties to try to come up with solutions to this problem.”

How does he respond to complaints “there is nothing to do” for the kids?

“We all hear that there is nothing to do for the kids in our county. It's a shame that the bowling alley, movie theatre and skating rink has gone out of business, but these were private businesses that closed due to no fault of the county government and due more to a change in the way people entertain themselves and their families in our modern time,” he explained. “With the advent of the internet and streaming services, there are more entertainment choices in our homes, unlike my childhood when we got three channels on TV ( four if we were lucky) and they signed off the air every night. The county has several entertainment opportunities such as fishing from the county pier, several boat ramps for fishing/boating, fields for baseball, softball, football, soccer, tennis courts, pickle ball, swimming pool, new splash pad, parks, Agri-Civic Center for equine events and livestock shows, etc, not to mention classes offered in the private sector such as karate and cheerleading, but these all take parental involvement. I hope that there is a dog park in our future as well. We are a small rural county and our tax base does not generate the revenue that our coastal neighboring counties do, so we are at a financial disadvantage when compared to them.”

How would he address food insecurity?

“Food insecurity is a nationwide problem, and our county is no exception. The Treasure Coast Food Bank and Our Village go above and beyond to help combat food insecurity in Okeechobee, however the county does its' part through the funding of the Meals on Wheels Program that deliver nutritious hot meals daily to the elderly in our County as well as funding our County Senior Services (Young at Heart Center),” he stated.

Brad Goodbread, candidate, county commissioner, election, vote

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