Launching a Career in Public Service

David Martin: This is the good government show.

Terry Burroughs: It gives him opportunity. So I would say to you and to the mayors and the county commissioners of other counties. Come see us. Come talk to us. We’ll be able to share this program with you. I think the hardest challenge is finding the right people in your community that have the desire to put this together. And that’s the true factor of being able to have good government.

If you can’t resolve the problem yourself. Find somebody else that can resolve the problem for the constituent. My focus was to bringing opportunity back into our community. I like for people to understand that government is complicated. It’s slow. It didn’t have to be slow, but we’ve made it slow. It’s proven fact that you can make government more efficient by having the right people in there and having the right mindset.

David Martin: Across the nation. There’s a problem. Hiring police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers. The reasons are as different as the city’s doing the hiring. The starting pay can be low and the demands of the job are high. What’s just as hard is keeping these first responders on the job. One county in Florida is working on it. That’s today’s episode.

Welcome to the Good Government show. I’m Dave Martin. First, a show the message of good government by liking us and showing us where we are on social media. And make sure to reviews too. On this episode, I talk with Okeechobee County Commissioner Terry Burroughs. His county won a National Association of Counties Achievement Award. These are given counties making real strides in fixing a problem.

Okeechobee is in central Florida. It’s a fairly rural county, and it’s west of West Palm Beach. They won for a program that essentially launches recent high school graduates into careers in policing, firefighting and emergency services. What I like is they provide a pathway for recent graduates to start a career in public service, in public safety, and the other challenge getting them to stay.

As you’ll hear, it’s working and they’re expanding. So coming up, my conversation with Okeechobee County Commissioner Terry Burroughs and the High School to Heroes program.

The Good Government Show is sponsored by our that’s ou are for our community. Get involved. We hear that all the time from government leaders. Our co-branded with your governments name and logo. Your staff and the people you serve are connected and part of your community. From any device, your members provide reliable data and meaningful feedback. Ask a question like do we want more parkland or better homeless services?

More engage conversations come through the our app. Visit our co that’s ou rco.com and book a demonstration.

Once you wrap up this episode of the Good Government Show, give a listen to our friends over at Good News for lefties. This daily podcast highlights news stories that show there’s more good news out there. Other people in government are really trying to do the right thing. That’s good news for lefties. Listen where you’re listening now. Welcome to the Good Government show.

I’m happy to have with me Terry Burroughs, a county commissioner from Okeechobee County, Florida. Welcome to the Good Government show. Nice to have you.

Terry Burroughs: Well, thank you for having me, I appreciate it.

David Martin: Well, we’re here because we’re at the National Association of Counties Conference, and you this weekend are winning an award and achievement award for something called a High School Heroes to Public Safety careers program. Right.

Terry Burroughs: Absolutely.

David Martin: So let’s just talk about the program. Just briefly explain to me what this is, because I love this idea.

Terry Burroughs: Well, basically it starts with the fact that we were losing our young people going out of town. They had graduate from high school. Move on to something different. But as as a small community, you need to try to enrich your people to stay there in that community. So we started pulling together from the from the Educational foundation, an organization, an opportunity for people to go into the fire program or into the deputy program.

A sheriff’s deputy program. It was really three programs, I believe they were called the dispatch 911 dispatch Cty program, Fire Code Academy program. And then it was public safety program, which gives you a real world simulation experiences in those particular areas.

David Martin: So these are all local kids, high school graduates at this point. I guess saying.

Terry Burroughs: Right, whether or not we started this in high school, okay. Right. So that when they graduated we would have the opportunity we’d have first. First. Yeah. Our first grade. So I’m going to hold on to the chair right.

David Martin: Right.

Terry Burroughs: Okay. So so the first time it was like they.

David Martin: Didn’t want to stick around rural Okeechobee Florida. Yes.

Terry Burroughs: No it some cases did. Some kids did, some didn’t. But at the end of the day we need as many to stay there because we’re a county that is associated closely with, a large rural county are urban counties. Urban counties pay more money for deputies and fire and fire rescue folks. So they were always more exciting.

David Martin: There’s more stuff to do.

Terry Burroughs: Exciting. Yeah. So more.

David Martin: Advancement.

Terry Burroughs: All that was more advancement. So we were looking at it being just a place where we would create people, create opportunities, and then they move on to the next opportunity, which would be into a into a larger county. Right now, this program doesn’t say that they’re going to stay there for the rest of their life, but they are going to stay there for a small period of time in order to for us to gain some, I’ll say, respectability out of it.

So, I believe the program has been doing very well. In fact, I believe we graduated, one of the young people graduate the other day, our EMT class you hired as a fireman. So that’s a great opportunity for these local, kids. I went to just a demonstration with them, a couple by a couple months ago.

They had all their parents there, and they were cheering them on. They were sure they were, rescuing people out of our firehouse and things of that sort. And it’s it was demonstrated that this program was very, very good. And so that we needed to be able to expand it and continue it. So I think this is this this award is, is is a an example.

And the, the opportunities that we have provided to our kids, but it demonstrates to all the counties around Naco that these saves can be very beneficial for you as a small rural county.

David Martin: Well, we like to share good ideas.

Terry Burroughs: You like to share good ideas?

David Martin: Yes. Now, I would imagine that this is solving two problems. Are you having problems and are do you have a manpower shortage in the fire department? In the EMS department, in the police department? Do you have those shortages?

Terry Burroughs: Absolutely. Every. Every day?

David Martin: Yeah.

Terry Burroughs: I listen to our fire chief and our sheriff talk about. In fact, we just had a conversation day before yesterday that we have people who are leaving to go over to Martin County or Saint Lucie County for $20,000 more a year.

David Martin: Okay.

Terry Burroughs: All right. Do you blame.

David Martin: Them? No, no.

Terry Burroughs: I can’t blame them. So we have to.

David Martin: They do have nice beaches there too. Yeah.

Terry Burroughs: That’s true. They have nice beaches, right. But in the same instance, what we need to be able to do. And I’ve told the sheriff and the fire chief, I said we, we’re just a breeding ground for, for our individuals. Some are going to stay here in Okeechobee County, some are going to move on. That’s reality. But what we want to try to do is try to keep them the most of them there for maybe 1 or 2 years, get that maximum opportunity from and then continue to see reseed that program every, every year by people getting into the high school graduation program and and being there for 1 or 2 years.

David Martin: So you’re doing two things that are both beneficial. One is you are filling a manpower shortage, but the other is you’re providing opportunities, real work experience and real work opportunities for your local students when they graduate to go right to work.

Terry Burroughs: Absolutely. And I think those are two important issues that people need to recognize when we’re doing these type of programs. If you’re losing your young people out of your community, this is an opportunity for you to at least keep them in there for 1 or 2 years. And guess what? They may get married. They may have to settle down because quite frankly, some people like that rural setting to be able to raise their children.

David Martin: Sure. So how do you find the kids? How do you get the kids into the program? How do they find the program?

Terry Burroughs: Well, it’s in the, high school as it is today. It’s a it’s a curriculum they get and they have to go through a process of being evaluated to see whether or not, you know, they they really will fit into that program or not have to.

David Martin: Apply for it.

Terry Burroughs: You have to apply for it. They get in there. I think we’ve had like probably about 40 students in this last year.

David Martin: 40 okay.

Terry Burroughs: I think is 40 is that is if I remember serves me correct. And I got an old memory so I but I think is 40.

David Martin: Well let’s, let’s let’s stay with 40.

Terry Burroughs: Yeah I think.

David Martin: That’s just, that’s a, that’s a that’s two classes almost.

Terry Burroughs: Yes it is two classes. And, and we’ve had a number of memories starting to graduate this year. And I just pointed out the one that’s been hired as an EMT. We have others is going on to post-secondary schools in order to to continue their education. So I think in my estimation is that when they’re in their high school, it that’s the prime time to get them in those classes, whether it’s a junior class or a senior class or whatever it may be, start getting them into those classes to learn that there’s something out here outside for them when they graduate.

David Martin: And you know, this is this goes to, you know, part of the national conversation is, sure, a four year college degree is important and it’s a good thing to have. But there are other alternatives that there’s other things to look at beyond just, you know, go to Florida State, get a degree, go to work, to pick a university.

But, how what’s the what’s the reaction to the kids who are in the program? You know, how is how is the is there a buzz in your school, I guess is my question or.

Terry Burroughs: I think there’s tremendous excitement in the school. I mean, just go back to the point where I made is that we went out to and watched them perform one afternoon with their parents. They’re just seeing the their, their facial expressions, being able to put on their fire gear and, and the, the tanks on their back and, and crawl through the firehouse to, to rescue people and come out and to see that they have achieved something by on their own and that they can do this.

It is really very rewarding for Commissioner and myself, even though the county never had to fund this. This was given I got I got it through a grant through our educational foundation, an organization.

David Martin: Even better.

Terry Burroughs: You didn’t have to pay for it. I didn’t have to pay for it. But at the end of the day, to me, as a county commissioner, it was great to see how these children were enthusiastic in order to do what they were taught to do.

David Martin: What are you going to do the first time you get pulled over by an officer who went through your program and said, I remember you from graduation.

Terry Burroughs: How about my badge?

David Martin: Yeah. You think that’ll work? No. Better not.

Terry Burroughs: No, it will work. No, no, we have, we. Well, first of all, we want to give out our badge. That’s number one right there. You never do that.

David Martin: All right, so how long has this program been in effect?

Terry Burroughs: I believe they told me they started back in 2023. Okay. And so it’s been in effect for a couple of years now.

David Martin: And how many kids have gone through the program and actually gone to work for the for the county.

Terry Burroughs: Right now, I believe we’ve had 1 or 2 that’s actually come out of the graduated out of the program. That went door for the county. I think we have 3 or 4 that’s graduated and went on to post-secondary school. So I’m just doing that.

David Martin: That’s okay. That’ll come back, you know, got to go get their their four year degree in criminal justice and come work for the county.

Terry Burroughs: Well, we hope they come back and work for the county.

David Martin: All right.

Terry Burroughs: But I think that is it a success? Yeah. It’s success. You know, I think here’s the here’s a key that I always looked at is that not everybody wants to go to college.

David Martin: Right?

Terry Burroughs: I run, I manage a economic development organization. And, outside of my commission job, you know, that’s part of it. Six counties, four cities in the south central area, which is around the Lake Okeechobee, Glades County, and a number of the counties here. What we tried to take a look at is how do we keep our young people there?

David Martin: All right. And let’s, let’s, let’s talk about where these are. These are very rural central Florida counties. Absolutely. Some of them are, a lot of migrant workers, a lot of sugarcane, a lot of produce.

Terry Burroughs: They’re agricultural.

David Martin: Agricultural based, okay.

Terry Burroughs: Agricultural based cattle, food, whatever it may be. Right.

David Martin: And this is not the big city. This is not Miami. This is not Tampa.

Terry Burroughs: No, it’s not a big city. Right. And what we really want to try to encourage the young people to do is take a look, is that we have started various CTE programs to for construction for diesel mechanics, car mechanics as a whole, various of welding things of that could give you a good opportunity in life that brings in X amount of dollars without going to college and maybe getting a four year degree if you want to go.

If, if not. But you can get you can get these certifications and go to work right now and make significant amounts of money for you and your family. So I think this program just augments what we’ve started already to help our young people stay in our community, or at least give them the basis for a good occupation without being saddled with, quote unquote, a lot of dollars, on an unpaid loan for school.

David Martin: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Terry Burroughs: Yeah, right.

David Martin: So you’re we’re here at the Naco conference, and you’re winning the award for launching high school heroes into public safety careers. That’s what you’re one in the, criminal justice and public safety category for Okeechobee County. What advice would you give other mayors and cities and other county commissioners around the nation if they wanted to do a similar program?

Terry Burroughs: If they want to do a similar program, contact us. We’ll give you the baseline of what it does, how to how to set it up.

David Martin: They are welcome to steal from.

Terry Burroughs: They’re welcome to steal this this this is an opportunity for the young people that don’t want to go to college, or may not have any desire or want to go to college. So if they want to, or.

David Martin: Really want a career in law enforcement, or I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter.

Terry Burroughs: Right, or a firefighter or whatever, 900 operator, whatever the whatever, it gives them opportunity. So I would say to you and to the mayors and county commissioners of other counties, come see us, come talk to us. We’ll be able to share this program with.

David Martin: You is an easy program to set up.

Terry Burroughs: I think it takes time, right? It takes time and resources.

David Martin: Take a piece of cake to say.

Terry Burroughs: I think we invested. I think the educational foundation got a $500,000 grant and that bought all the equipment and everything else for it. So when you invest $500,000 into your own community, the greater the return on your investment is going to be good.

David Martin: And do you bring the police chiefs, the fire chief, the, EMT chiefs, you know, did the chief of detectives do you bring all these people into the classrooms of the kids, get to meet.

Terry Burroughs: Up so they get to meet those, but they also get to meet the people who are really actually doing the work.

David Martin: All right, all right.

Terry Burroughs: So that’s a that’s a critical.

David Martin: Because so the street, the firefighters, the guys. Absolutely. Do they get it. Do they do ride alongs with the police or is that a whole insurance thing.

Terry Burroughs: That’s I think that’s probably just an insurance. I can’t really answer the question on that. I don’t know if that, but I would believe it’s probably an insurance issue.

David Martin: All right. But they do get they do get out into the field and they do get to see the guys doing some of the work at some level. All right. And and just what was the hardest challenge that you had in setting this up that you can pass on to other, cities and counties so that they don’t have to do what you do?

Terry Burroughs: I think the hardest challenge is finding the right people in your community that have the desire to put this together. Okay. We have an educational foundation that, is this this young lady is executive director. She is passionate about young people. Our fire chief, her is passionate. And, And our sheriff is passionate. So when you get three people that are extremely passionate about young people and wanting to make sure that they have an opportunity to stay in their community and be an effective into our community, it will work.

So you have to find people who have really wanted to do that. That’s the hardest.

David Martin: Part. Okay. You mentioned before we talked about this, just one of the program I want to hit on. You said you’re working on bringing more, internet access to rural parts of your county. How’s that going?

Terry Burroughs: It is going very well. As I talked this morning there AT&T committee Comcast has been selected as our, vendor of choice. As of today, we’ve, we had to identify the unserved areas. And as of today, we have passed, over a thousand homes with fiber to the home, providing the homes, one gigabit of service.

David Martin: Oh, that that makes a difference.

Terry Burroughs: Makes a big difference for a lot of people, because it’s not only from an economic development standpoint. It’s also from a telehealth standpoint. Yep. From, from, young people doing their school work. Yep. People who want to work at home, but probably more importantly, people, the young kids who want to have, do gaming. So, I mean, we’ll put it all in perspective.

That’s the way it really works.

David Martin: Let’s not lose sight of what’s really important playing video games.

Terry Burroughs: That’s true. But just don’t ever lose sight of it. Even though I know I don’t care for them. But it’s still one of the things that happens.

David Martin: All right, well, that was the easy part. We’re going to get to the hard part in a minute, okay. That was the easy part. The hard part is coming up. It was called The War to End All Wars. But it didn’t. Three royal cousins, all kings, one from England, one from Germany and one from Russia blundered their way into a war, a completely avoidable war that left millions dead in the trenches across Europe.

Good government show executive producer Jim Ludlow details the blunders, mistakes and bluster that started World War One that didn’t end all wars. The book The Royal Cousins details the events and creates an alternative history. Imagine if World War One never happened. It didn’t have to just read it yourself. Download the book today on Amazon. It’s just $0.99 and a timely look at history.

After you get done with this episode, hear more good government stories with our friends at How to Really Run a City for Mayors Kasim Reed of Atlanta and Michael Nutter of Seattle. Delphia and their co-host, journalist and author Larry Platt talk with guests and other mayors about how to really get stuff done in cities around the nation. Check them out where you’re listening now or through their nonprofit news site, The Philadelphia Citizen.

Dot org slash podcasts. So I’m going to ask you a few questions. If we’re going to get to the heart of your philosophy on government. So this is this is time for you to put on your sacred cap. All right. All right. How long have you been a county commissioner?

Terry Burroughs: This will be my, approaching my 12th year.

David Martin: Your 12th year? Yes. 12 years in.

Terry Burroughs: 12 years in defined.

David Martin: Good government.

Terry Burroughs: Government that listens to the people. If you don’t listen, you will be voted out.

David Martin: Are you a good listener?

Terry Burroughs: I am an excellent listener.

David Martin: Whatever would you say that.

Terry Burroughs: I think I think most people will be.

David Martin: Strike.

Terry Burroughs: Folks. No, I think most people will sit and tell you is that the one thing I will do is will listen to you. I may we may agree to disagree. Okay. But that’s just human nature. But I will listen to you because I think you’re the constituent, is the individual that you’re serving on a day in and day out basis.

So you need to listen.

David Martin: If people are frustrated and they don’t think you’re listening, or they or they think that you listened and didn’t, hear them, what should they do?

Terry Burroughs: Well, I think at the end of the day is that they need to reiterate exactly what they want. They need to sit down and say, listen, you’re not listening to what I ask you to listen to. The first time. Come back in or you do it for me as one commissioner, I don’t have that problem because I will try to do exactly what you’ve asked me.

If I can do it right. Okay. We may find a point that there are some things I can’t do because it may be outside of the realm of my responsibility. However, if it is, I will find an opportunity for you to be able to go to that place so another individual who may resolve that problem. And that’s the true factor of being able to have good government.

If you can’t resolve the problem yourself, find somebody else that can resolve the problem for the constituent.

David Martin: So we are the good government show we are the voice of public service. What drew you to public service?

Terry Burroughs: What drew to me is that I retired as an executive from the telecommunication business in 2003, after about 30 some odd years. When I come home, I saw that my county had not changed very much since the time I left in 1968. So I said to every county commissioner meeting in two from 2003 to 2010, they.

David Martin: Must have loved you.

Terry Burroughs: Oh, they love me.

David Martin: I.

Terry Burroughs: Did to understand why I ran first time in 2010 for the office. I lost by 300 votes. Upset me beyond a shadow of a doubt. I reran in 2014 and I beat the same gentleman by 1800 votes.

David Martin: So those four years, the rest of that, a lot of fun to be around.

Terry Burroughs: You, for years was a learning to remember. You have to listen. You have to listen to people tell you why you lost. So, my focus was bringing opportunity back into our community. Opportunities, economic development, industrial manufacturing, commercial residential. Because we I look at it from beyond the politician. Is it industrial manufacturing opportunities or revenue generators? When you bring in houses and things of that sort, those are an expense that goes on the expense side of the, Nelson.

So in order to do these things correctly, you want to keep your people here in the community, right? You got to give them good jobs. Yep. They got good jobs. They won’t they won’t drive 60 miles one day at round trip every day to go to a job that pays them good money. So the objective was to bring opportunity back into our community.

Has it been difficult? Yes, it’s been very difficult. But now in the last 3 to 4 years, we start to see we’re seeing more and more opportunities come into our community and more of our people getting opportunities to stay in our community and work.

David Martin: Who inspires you?

Terry Burroughs: I think if you really get down to it, I inspire myself. Pretty much.

David Martin: You do.

Terry Burroughs: Yes. Because at the end of the.

David Martin: Day, that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that.

Terry Burroughs: Yeah. You have to inspire yourself in order to be good.

David Martin: Okay?

Terry Burroughs: And to be efficient. And, I think myself is that I always look at, myself to say, okay, you did you do something wrong today? And how do you correct it tomorrow? And you have to you have to really have that attitude about yourself.

David Martin: Did you always see yourself running for office?

Terry Burroughs: No, no, no, I, I mean, when I first come home, I, you know, I, we, I had to work to create a very mainstreet organization. Open Marie opened the chamber of Commerce. We created a county fair association, and I ran, you know, I did. I was a treasurer for these opportunities, and I was creating opportunities. And, you know, for for people to have fun in our communities and people to be supporting me.

And then all of a sudden you decided, you know, there’s a set needs commission. I mean, he’s decided, okay, now I see why we’re not progressing, right?

David Martin: All right. As an elected official, 16 years in, what would you like people to know about government?

Terry Burroughs: I like for people to understand that government is complicated. It’s slow. It didn’t have to be slow. But we’ve made it slow, right?

David Martin: I tell you, speed that up, Mr. Commissioner.

Terry Burroughs: Yeah, we’ve we speed things up quite, quite rapidly. In fact, we have a new county administrator, and he’s been here for like 2 or 3 years now. And she’s dynamic. Grass doesn’t grow on our feet. Okay. We move things quite rapidly. We’ve changed the staff. We changed the, not only do you change the staff, but you change the thought process of the staff of how they deal with constituents.

And so I think it can be done. It’s proven fact that you can make government more efficient by having the right people in there and having the right mindset.

David Martin: What’s the best thing about being in Okeechobee County Commission?

Terry Burroughs: Best thing is, as far as my perspective is, is, is having the opportunity to serve the people of that community where we’re by the people in our community helped me out quite a bit. My mother was, she was taken down with Alzheimer’s disease. She had a business in that community. And while my previous job had me traveling all over the world, I had people help me in that community.

So when I come back, I wanted to make sure I give something back to those people who helped me.

David Martin: Okay.

Terry Burroughs: And so that’s the objective that I had is to give back to that community more so than what they helped me.

David Martin: What’s your biggest concern in Okeechobee?

Terry Burroughs: My biggest concern is how we continue to grow without damaging our rural view of life. That’s a major.

David Martin: Battle, especially in Florida. I mean, what is it like 3000 people a day moving to Florida?

Terry Burroughs: I think it’s a roughly calling about a thousand people a day. Okay. But people don’t want to talk about the number of people who are leaving Florida. I also do, because I know I talked to one of the, all my fellow commissioners, I think he told me the other day is like, on an average is 872 people come.

And now that meant that that that calculation was associated with the number of people coming in versus once leaving. So it’s about 877 people on it.

David Martin: I do have a growth issue that you’re dealing with. Is that a is a growth management a big part of the job or.

Terry Burroughs: Yes, government.

David Martin: Perspective.

Terry Burroughs: Yeah. So so for example, we got opportunities right now of potentially 3000 homes being built in our community, 3000 homes, if you take the average, there’s 2.6 people per home. That’s another about 6000, 7000 people.

David Martin: Right?

Terry Burroughs: Every home has like 3 or 4 more cars. So that’s about 9000 cars. So yeah. Infrastructure is roads, water, sewer, electric, whatever it may be.

David Martin: Another elementary school, you know, things like that.

Terry Burroughs: The schools, another fire station, all of those things are complicated life.

David Martin: All right. So it’s been a while since I’ve been to Okeechobee. I’ve certainly passed through, many times. If if I’m coming to town, and we’re going out. Where are we going? What do we have? What’s the what’s the cuisine of Okeechobee?

Terry Burroughs: Well, the cuisine in Okeechobee is, catfish barbecue. They’ve got a little bit of everything but catfish. All right. Yeah. You got to have catfish. Now, I will say this is that, there’s one there’s one restaurant, that has a kind of a potpourri of things. They serve turtle, they serve catfish, they serve, various other types of exotics.

Yep. So,

David Martin: And, you know, do you try it all?

Terry Burroughs: I’ve always tried it all. You always have to try it. Sure. So if you come. Yeah, you have to call me. All right. And we’ll we’ll go out. We’ll we’ll take you out to, one of our local cuisines to see what you, what’s your thoughts?

David Martin: Well, I’ve had I’ve had turtle soup, Joe. Out of the keys, but not in Okeechobee.

Terry Burroughs: Come on.

David Martin: Well, it’s. What do you do for fun?

Terry Burroughs: What do I do for fun?

David Martin: Yeah.

Terry Burroughs: I used to, play golf a lot.

David Martin: And.

Terry Burroughs: Now, in my job, I’m, I’m stretched, as you see, I’m, I’m still the treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce. I have the, the chairman of the six county regional economic development. I’m. I’m just a past, past president of the Association of Counties. Okay. And, I go down to the keys and see my girlfriend, who is the current, president of the Association of Counties down to the keys.

Yeah. So she’s she’s my, she’s my fun.

David Martin: I, you know what? Have it. A girlfriend of the keys is is a pretty good way to go. There you go. So this is a good government show. I know we talked a lot about the program, about the, launching high school heroes into public safety careers. But tell me about another project that that is true. Good government.

David Martin: That you’re proud of.

Terry Burroughs: Another project? You put me on a spot on that. I did, I did that was pretty good.

David Martin: I told you, this is hard for you.

Terry Burroughs: That was pretty good on your part. Thank you. Another project? Well, there is a, a major project we’ve been working on for a number of years. We have a area down on the lake, that opens up where the Kissimmee River comes into the Lake Okeechobee. We have a place called Oak. Attorney Johnny Moore.

So the bass pro has got a contract with us to develop a resort on that piece of property.

David Martin: Oh.

Terry Burroughs: And we’ve been working with, you have to go through the Army Corps of Engineers, South Florida water management, the division of lands in the state. So we’ve been doing this for the last 5 or 6 years, trying to put this all together and get everybody’s approval. So we are finally up to a point. We’re pretty close to finalizing that right now that in my, in my estimation, is a wonderful, beautiful project for this community because it brings in.

David Martin: It’s going to be a huge fishing resort.

Terry Burroughs: Huge fishing, use it, and people come in and experience the lake about what the really the lake has now. Now Johnny told me one day he says, do you know the difference between a fishing lake and a resort or a recreational lake? I said, not really. He said, well, you have a, you have a fishing lake as well.

I know there’s bass capital. The world is nice as in a recreation like you don’t have alligators, he said. Especially you have alligators and you have alligators.

David Martin: All.

Terry Burroughs: Right. So that was his, moniker, too.

David Martin: Terry Burroughs, you are here at the National Association of Counties Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to receive an achievement award from Naco for launching high school heroes in the Public safety careers, a great program. Thanks for sharing it with me. And thanks for coming on the show.

Terry Burroughs: I appreciate the time and thank you very much.

David Martin: Thank you. And the city of Fate, Texas, they don’t leave good government up to, well, fate. Join me in for another show I host. As fate would have it, my co-host is David Billings, the former mayor of state who shares his opinions and thoughts on what good government is and fate. As you’ll hear, they don’t leave it up to fate.

So listen right here we are listening now to. As fate would have it.

The High School to Heroes program in Okeechobee County, Florida. It’s just one of the programs the county is offering for young people to start a career. It’s off to a good start and already expanding, says Commissioner Terry Burroughs. Another example of good government in action. The county is filling two needs creating a pathway for young students to start a new career in public service and keeping them on the job.

So if you’re listening and a county commissioner or a city mayor, call Terry Burroughs. He’ll help you set something up like that in your city. If you can’t find Terry, call me. I’ll connect you. And hopefully Okeechobee County Commissioner Terry Burroughs won’t have to take out his badge. Drive safely. Everyone. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share this with your friends and review us right here where you’re listing and check out our website.

Good government show.com for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere. Join us again for another episode right here. I’m Dave Martin and this is the Good Government show.

The Good Government show is a Valley Park production. Jim Ludlow, Dave Martin, that’s me and David Snyder are the executive producers. Our show is edited and produced by Jason Stershic. Please subscribe, then share and like us and review us. That’s the best way to make sure we’re able to keep telling these stories of our government working for all of us.

Then listen to the next episode of The Good Government Show.

Narrator: This podcast is part of the democracy Group.

**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.