OKEECHOBEE – At their Jan. 11 meeting, Okeechobee County Commissioners honored employees who reached milestones of employment.

OKEECHOBEE -- At their Jan. 11 meeting Okeechobee County Commission honored employees for their years of service. Left to right are Commissioner …

• Abraham Barrera, Road Maintenance Technician with Road & Bridge Department was honored for 5 years service. Barrera came to Okeechobee in 1989. Prior to coming to work for Okeechobee County in 2018, he worked in the construction trade. Barrera plays a vital role in the Road & Bridge Department as he works hard at the tasks given to him and does an excellent job in service to the residents of our community.

• Roy Griffin, Code Enforcement Officer III with Code Enforcement Office, was honored for 5 years service. Griffin moved to Okeechobee in 2017. Prior to moving to Okeechobee County, Griffin worked for the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Department. He is certified in the three levels of Code Enforcement: Fundamentals of Code Enforcement, Administrative Aspects of Code Enforcement and Legal Issues in Code Enforcement. His passion is barbecue! He is a member of the Kansas City Bar B Que Society, The Florida Bar B Que Association, and the National Bar B Que Association. He is a Master Judge and Bar B Que Administrator for a sanctioned contest. With his professional and calm demeanor, he is able to communicate well with our citizens.

• Patrick Hogue, Horticulture Program Assistant Extension Office, was honored for 5 years service. Hogue previously retired from Okeechobee County as the Extension Director in 2016 after being with the county for 15 years. Since then, he has returned to serve the residents of Okeechobee County as a part-time Horticulture Program Assistant in 2018. His knowledge and experience is an asset to the Extension Office and to our community.

• Diana Molina-Crespo, Lead Custodian with Facilities Maintenance. was honored for 5 years service. Molina-Crespo moved to Stuart, Florida and lived there for 10 years, working for the City of Stuart during that time. She and her family moved to Okeechobee where she began employment with Okeechobee County BOCC in 2018. She was hired as a Custodian and is now a Lead Custodian in charge of four buildings and 12 parks. Ms. Molina-Crespo has a passion for healthy lifestyle coaching, ministry, fishing and playing basketball.

10 years
• David Triplett, Park Maintenance Technician Agri-Civic Center, was honored for 10 years service. Triplett came to Okeechobee in 2008. He graduated from Palm Beach State College with a technical certificate in plumbing and worked in the plumbing trade before coming to work for Okeechobee County. Triplett was hired as a Park Maintenance Technician for the Facilities Maintenance department in October 2013 where he worked in the Cemetery Services Division and has since transferred to the Agri-Civic Center as a Park Maintenance Technician.