A lone Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy was stationed outside the entrance in case potential participants in the massive Boots on the Ground Line Dancing Competition, which was canceled on Friday, showed up, but the Flagler County Fairgrounds were empty early today afternoon. Nobody did.
On the advice of the county’s legal department, Deputy County Administrator Jorge Salinas issued an order to revoke the permission. According to the email Salinas wrote General Services Director Mike Dixon prior to 11 a.m., he canceled the event because the event organizer had been repeatedly misrepresenting it and contradicting it with his social media advertising.
Just twenty-four hours before it was scheduled to begin, Salinas told county commissioners that he had ordered the permission to be rescinded.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly had by that point expressed serious concerns in a four-page letter to County Commission Chair Andy Dance, which he copied to County Administrator Heidi Peito and Bunnell’s top executives. He wasn’t requesting that it be canceled. However, his message seemed like a warning.
The fact that this event is taking place in Flagler County raises serious issues for me.
procedure that gave it approval, he wrote. I see a great deal of liability and the potential for a serious catastrophe to occur, but I see absolutely NO value to Flagler County’s citizens and taxpayers. If the ordinance had been followed from the start, this issue could have been prevented, thus I’m hoping and praying that no Deputy Sheriff or customer is hurt.
The celebration was still going on when Staly completed the letter at 1 a.m. on Friday. The organizer’s announcement on social media that there would be no metal detectors at the event but that three off-duty deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office would provide security was not the least of his worries. The sheriff wrote, italicizing his annoyance, “You would only declare no metal detectors on site IF you know or believe that it is very likely your attendees will be carrying weapons, specifically firearms.”
At one point, the county suggested that if there were any problems at the event, it could be stopped and everyone would be sent home, which shocked the sheriff as well. In an interview this afternoon, the sheriff claimed that was a foolish reaction since it would have sparked a riot. There is no way that anyone can leave safely if there are 1,600 people there and you revoke the permit and expect me to get them all out.
At first, Staly had not been concerned about the event in general. Three weeks earlier, when the county submitted the permit (64 days after getting it), his agency had approved it and found no problems. However, since then, concerns have been raised by the discrepancy between the permit and the social media event advertisement.
Troy Reddin, whose stage name is Fat Ass, is the Boots on the Ground competition organizer. The Palm Coast resident, who is now out on $5,000 bond on a probation violation, has a lengthy but minor history with local law enforcement, primarily related to recreational drug offenses. Several years ago, he filmed rap videos in South Bunnell that attracted sizable crowds and encouraged the city to amend an ordinance that prohibited such gatherings.
803Fresh’s song “Boots on the Ground” sparked the line dancing craze with its endearingly captivating music video and universal appeal, which led to competitions and events throughout Black communities and beyond. The competition at the Fairgrounds was characterized as such in Reddin’s permit. It would be held between midday and nine o’clock, attract five hundred individuals, and be alcohol-free.
All of that seemed to alter when social media announcements caused the anticipated audience to increase by two or three times. An ATV, UTV, and golf cart event with a trail was promoted, along with a dozen additional vendors including a mobile alcohol dealer.
In his letter, Staly noted that rides and the removal of the 9 p.m. termination time were both in violation of the permit. According to him, St. Johns, Volusia, and Putnam counties were marketing the for-profit event.
According to the sheriff’s letter, Reddin changed his permit on July 23 to allow the sale of alcohol and informed county officials that the cars would only be used for display. However, he later contradicted himself on social media, asking participants to use the cars as long as they didn’t damage anything.
The revocation resulted from the worries validating doubts the county had reportedly been having as well (Salinas used the phrase in one of his letters). The agency issued a thorough timeline and expressed concerns about the event and the county’s handling of the permit after at least one news outlet falsely stated that Staly had canceled the event.
In an interview this afternoon, Staly stated, “We’re not trying to kill any event for people to enjoy in this community.” Our only goal is to ensure that everyone has a problem-free, enjoyable, and safe event. We wouldn’t be here today, regrettably, if the organizer had fully and accurately disclosed in the application. This would have allowed the county to make a more informed conclusion regarding the permit. That being said, we wouldn’t be here today if they had complied with their own legislation, as they would have rejected the request right away.
At least ninety days prior to the event, the permit had to be submitted. No, it wasn’t. Although none were mentioned in the permission, each vendor was required to get an itinerant license.
Staly lacks the power to issue permits or to cancel existing ones. Dennis Bobik of the county, however, was alerting him to announcements and conversations on social media that deviated from allowed activities, and the county was content to allow it to occur nevertheless.
Staly’s letter to Dance was not intended to halt the event; rather, it expressed dissatisfaction with the county’s handling of the permission and suggested that any further permits be halted until the procedure was tightened and reviewed.
According to Staly, gatherings on county land are neither governed or permitted by the sheriff’s office. This is a function of the county. Although the county has authority over the permission process and access to and usage of its property, I am aware that it cannot control how an event is advertised. After voicing concerns to county staff, the sheriff’s office was told that they were unable or unwilling to revoke the permit. The first statement was that no county official will be present to oversee the event on-site as required under the ordinance.
However, the sheriff’s opinion matters and probably influenced the county’s ultimate decision to call off the event. Reddin said that Dixon informed him that the sheriff had revoked your permit, according to what Staly had heard. Since the sheriff is the county’s most powerful elected official, we must fulfill his requests effectively. Although the assertion is not incorrect in its fundamental sense, Dixon did not reply to an email requesting confirmation, nor did Salinas or Petito, who is on vacation, provide further information. Staly is the county’s most influential elected official, and it is rare for other governments to abide by his requests, suggestions, or recommendations.
The county’s event-permitting procedure will therefore probably be rethought, if not an ordinance is rewritten or at least its enforcement mechanisms are reevaluated, as a result of the permit handling, the event cancellation, and the sheriff’s letter.
