2016 Spring newsletter

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GLADES COUNTY

Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

Glades County is nestled in the southern part of Florida. Glades was

founded on April 23, 1921. This county was named for the Florida Ever-

glades. The county seat for Glades is Moore Haven which is also the

largest city in the county and named for the founder James A. Moore.

The county has a total area of 987 square miles of which 774 is land and

213 is water.

Glades is a rural county and agricultural land uses consist of citrus, sugar

cane and other crop production.

Glades County is a Sportsman’s Paradise. Boasting unique history from

the early settlers and the local Seminole tribe. Glades offers many activities for an out-

doorsman – fishing, alligator hunting or just paddling down a 52 mile creek through natural

Florida beauty. Glades is home to Lake Okeechobee which is known to have some of the

best bass fishing in the world. Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the state of

Florida with an average depth of only 9 feet. While Lake Okeechobee covers 730 square

miles, it is divided between a total of 5 counties which meet somewhere in the center of the

lake. Being on this beautiful lake also draws in many bird watchers, and Eco-tourism is evi-

dent around Glades.

Glades County has one of oldest continuous festivals dating back to 1948. If you are travel-

ing around the first weekend of March, this is the place to be. The Chalo Nitka (Seminole for

“Big Bass”) festival originated to celebrate the paving of then Main Street in Moore Haven.

They held a week long fishing contest for residents around the lake. Whoever brought in the

biggest bass was crowned King or Queen of the Bass. The festival has since evolved, but still

stays true to what it was intended – showcasing the local friendship with the Seminole Tribe

and true southern hospitality.

For those non outdoors people, Northeast Glades County is the home of the Brighton Semi-

nole Indian Reservation (one of six reservations held in trust by the federal government). The

Seminole Tribe operates the Brighton Seminole Casino here with 375 slot and gaming ma-

chines, a 7 table poker room and high stakes bingo. The reservation is also home to the 12th

largest cattle operation in the country.

2015 Preliminary Tax Roll At-A-Glance

Real Property Parcels

11,211

Tangible Accounts

1,655

Just (Market) Value

$3,234,261,272

Taxable Value

$561,010,487

Employees:

Hon. Lorie Ward, CFA | first elected in 2012| Web:

Hon. Lorie Ward, CFA