OKEECHOBEE – A shortage of county employees could mean fewer local events at the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center.

At the Feb. 23 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission, Gwen Kinney spoke on behalf of the Fast and Furious Barrel Race. The group holds monthly events at the Agri-Civic Center, attracting about 100 riders.

She said they were recently informed the local barrel races were no longer in the Agri-Civic Center budget. The monthly recreational riding time is also being canceled.

“I was told the problem was lack of labor,” Kinney said. County staff are overextended, and they have been unsuccessful in attempts to hire additional workers.

She said she was also told the larger barrel races, which draw people from out-of-town, are prioritized because of the economic impact of these events, which bring people into Okeechobee to stay at local hotels, eat at local restaurants, etc.

She argued the residents of Okeechobee County who participate in the local barrel races also have an economic impact. They buy feed for their horses in Okeechobee, use local veterinarians and farriers and pay taxes here.

Kinney said if the problem is not having anyone available to drive the tractor to smooth out the arena, there are plenty of volunteers in her group who know how to drive a tractor. She said they also have people who would be willing to be on-call county employees and just work the one or two days a month for the events for local riders.

She said they do collect fees and have paid the county $800 for the monthly four-hour event. If that is not enough, they could charge a few dollars more per rider, she added.

If the Fast and Furious Barrel Races have to stop or to move to another venue, it will impact the Okeechobee County residents, she said. This is a family event with participants of all ages. “Last year we had 32 pee-wees with moms, dads and grandpas leading the horses around the barrels,” she explained.

“We don’t want to lose our only local barrel races,” she said.

Kinney said the recreational riding hours are being cancelled because they need someone to collect the money. “I could do that,” she added. “Apparently it’s not a possibility.”

Commissioner Kelly Owens said the problem is the county does not have enough staff to accommodate the events. The county has job openings they have not been able to fill.

Kinney suggested the county do a better job of advertising the open positions. She said the signs that indicate job openings are too general. Those who see the signs may think they refer to office jobs rather than driving a tractor.

Commissioner David Hazellief asked County Administrator Deborah Manzo to work with the Agri-Civic Center Director Matt Dorriety to determine the staff costs involved in the barrel races.