Military training facility could be approved in rural Highlands County listen

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Tags: Eagle Center, Highlands County

Tomorrow morning the Highlands County Commission will hold a public hearing on a controversial proposal to build a private military training facility near Venus, Florida, about sixty miles southeast of Tampa.

A private company called The Eagle National Security Training Center wants to build a 6,000 foot long runway; 100,000 square feet of classrooms and offices; 40,000 square feet of military style “shoot houses” and housing for more than 1200 people.

Eagle says the private military facility will create 250 jobs conducting training education and exercises for the US military, civilians and foreign nationals.

But local residents have organized to resist the building of the military facility. One of those is rancher Dick Karlson who raises beef cattle near Venus.

The Highlands County Commission will hold a hearing on the proposed facility tomorrow morning at 9.