Members are thinking, NASA is part of the federal government and he or she is just a County
Commissioner. He asked even if what he is saying is true, what can the Board do; he stated
not only is this happening in Brevard County, but as public officials he or she has the platform
and the ability to make a statement or hold a press conference alerting the public, State, and
federal authorities to investigate further; the Board has the power to start the conversation;
video evidence of everything he described today will be emailed to the Board, and he hopes it
can get to the bottom of this; and he looks forward to the day that a $3 billion annual budget is
put towards the veterans, homeless, and maybe some of that mental health stuff the young
lady just spoke about, and the revitalization of Brevard County.
Robert Burns stated he apologizes for his attire, as he was not planning to be there; he tried to
get there to catch the Sheriff since this applies to him as well; he was in the middle of drafting
an email; for some reason people think he is an attorney or holds some kind of office, and he
does not do either; he often gets sent a lot of information that if he does not have the answer
to, he tries to pass it to the Board; and this is in regard to the new permitless carry Bill that was
passed. He went on to say he has gotten a lot of questions that he does not have the answers
to; and he will read his rough-draft email to make sure he does not miss anything. He read,
“With the new law that has passed allowing citizens to carry concealed without a permit, the
number of those exercising their right to carry will likely increase significantly. As a result, there
will be many of those carrying who may not be adequately trained in firearm safety laws, et
cetera.” He continued by saying that is one of the downfalls he saw of the Bill, that it removes
that requirement to at least have some basic training on education of gun laws and gun safety.
He read, “I think it is important that our local gun law enforcement conduct information
campaigns informing citizens of how to safely exercise their rights, reinforcing where they can
and cannot carry, and maybe most importantly how they interact with law enforcement when
they are carrying. In order to ensure the safety of the officers and the citizens, it should be very
clear of what is required, as well as what to not do when encountering law enforcement while
armed. For example, when approached by a law enforcement, do not just pull out your weapon
to show them that you are armed, which could be interpreted as a threat. A citizen may
honestly think it is best to show the officer the weapon thinking they are informing them, but it
could be interpreted as a threat at the same time. What is the expectation? That needs to be
clear. We do not want someone getting shot just because they were confused, misinformed, or
frankly, just stupid. We also want officers getting home safely as well. Other questions from the
public come along the lines of can a business prohibit from carrying my concealed weapon?
For example, can Publix post a sign on their door saying, ‘no concealed weapons allowed’? Is
that enforceable, is that a crime to not comply with that, et cetera? I think we will see many
businesses that take that approach and may cause confusion and confrontation. The public
should be informed of what they can and cannot do in privately owned businesses. I can
certainly see these policies being challenged by someone saying their rights are being infringed
upon by this private business, not allowing them to carry their gun. Also, from the business
owners’ point of view, what are their options? Can they establish these policies, how do these
policies have to be advertised, do we need a county or city ordinance for these types of things,
should law enforcement or municipalities establish a consistent sticker or a banner to place on
the door, et cetera?” He stated he is kind of out of time, but that is some of the concerns being
brought to him today; and he thinks it should be gotten to before the law goes into effect.
H.1. Petition to Vacate, Re: Public Utility & Drainage Easement- 1710 Misty Way -
“Whispering Woods Phase I” Plat Book 37, Page 4 - Titusville - Michael A. & Dana
D. St. Jean - District 1
Chair Pritchett called for a public hearing to consider a petition to vacate a public utility and
drainage easement on 1710 Misty Way, Whispering Woods Phase I, Plat Book 37, Page 4, in
Titusville, as petitioned by Michael A. and Dana D. St. Jean.
Marc Bernath, Public Works Director, stated this Item is a petition to vacate a public utility and