Public comment on mask mandate and in-person meetings
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Mar 23, 2021
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Mar 23, 2021
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 24m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 79% of 86 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Yeah. Thank you, sir. Now is the time for public comment. Citizens are given the opportunity to comment on any Item coming before the board during this section. The board takes public comment on items. to be placed on future board agenda and other business under their preview. Due to COVID nineteen operations and to safeguard the well being and safety of our citizens and staff. Today's public comment will be handled
as follows. First, We will take public comment from those Who have pre-registered for a WebEx link. and are currently on queue. After We will read into the record uh public comments, documents, PowerPoints or videos. That have been identified by members of the public to be read Um out loud. Played the played at the meeting or received and filed. Finally, we
will take public comment. from those currently signed up at the kihawks. Comments are are not to exceed three minutes per person.
This new format does Waived the request that does not waive the request that you address the board comments not not to be directed personally against a commissioner or team member. but rather directed at the issues. This provides Mutual Um respect between the board members and the public. for WebEx and Kiox participants after start stating your name and address
for the clerk. The timer will begin, start with a countdown. After two minutes, one beat was sound, Uh Letting you know that you have one minute remaining.
is uh two two beeps will sound L directing the three minutes indicating the three minutes are up and should close your comments. WebEx participants will be Disconnected when their time is up and the kiosk occupants um Participants were asked to step away from the kiosks. Madam Clerk, do we have anyone Pre-registered speak on WebEx.
Uh Chairman, we do have someone that was pre-registered, Brian Paras, um, but he has now um come in person and is at the kiosk to speak to us.
So there's no one
no one else signed up on WebEx, but I do have emails.
Okay. So let's let's go to the emails.
Okay. Um I have a total of five emails requested to be read into the record, three additional that were asked for file only. So if you'd like I can go ahead and read the ones to the record. Okay.
Email is from Linda Connolly. Address is [address removed]. Subject is mask mandate. Dear Commissioners, I'm writing this email to formally request that the Board of County Commissioners rescind the mask mandate in Pasco County or open or openly have a discussion as to why it should remain in place. This mandate was put in place for a couple of week uh for a couple of weeks to contain a virus And here we are a year later, still under
a mask mandate for a disease that, as of Thursday, March 18, 2020, has killed two people in the state of Florida. Pasco County has an average of 297 deaths per 100,000 residents per year for heart disease, with Pasco having a population of around 583,661 residents, just over one. 1,600 people have died from heart disease in the past year, from heart disease where 680 residents have
died from COVID. This number does not reflect any errors in a hospital's judgment in what actually caused the resident to die. Based on these numbers, should we put a fast food mandate in place? Do we need to tag those with heart disease and put health monitors in place at the grocery stores to make sure that they are not eating anything that could kill them? Why are elected officials playing God and determining which deaths are allowed and which are not? In the past few months, I have entered many
unnamed restaurants: Wendy's, Lowe's, Walmart, And Sam's Club unmasked with no issue, and yet the county continues to maintain a mandate that even some of the local corporate businesses have enough sense to know is useless for those that are not sick. What I will not do is spend more my money at a business that will force me to wear a mask, and I am not the only one. I'm delighted that at the money I am saving, but I'm I would rather be spending it to help local small businesses
no matter what party affiliation they may have. Your group as county commissioners are sitting in chairs paid but paid for by the people that elected you and you are being paid to work jobs that you received from being elected by those same voters. Your group is upholding a mask mandate that the governor of the state of Florida has rescinded. The state currently does not allow for any penalties for someone who does not wear a mask yet. Your group sees the need to continue to disrupt the lives of the citizens that elected you while submitting our police
officers and sheriff's deputies to the daunting task of defending this totally unnecessary mandate. The time has come to stop the The mask wars between our patrons and businesses that have enough sense to realize the health of the people does not rest in the hands of the corporations, the government, nor the elected Board of County Commissioners. Thank you.
The next email is from Joanne Oops, sorry.
Let me get back to the original one. Okay, so the next email is from Judy and I'm gonna spell the last name F L O R C Z Y K. Residence is [address removed]. To who it may may concern, shortly after my husband and I retired and relocated to Lutz, Florida, we purchased our retirement home in Meadowbrook September thirtieth, twenty twenty. We learned about
her That those I believe are all for the afternoon public hearing. They're they all have P they're referencing P forty nine.
Yeah.
On the agenda item forty-nine.
Okay.
Sorry it's very tiny font. I did not see it. Even with my glasses. Right. You get to
read them in the afternoon.
Okay, I get to read them in the afternoon then. Um no other emails to be read into record for the morning. Thank you, Mr. Steinsnyder.
Is there anyone at the kiocks to speak this morning?
Name and address for the record.
Good morning. Yes, my name is uh Joseph Pasanese. I reside at [address removed]. You, the commissioners of Pasco County government, have violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Your law prevents citizens from speaking in front of the board to address their grievances. It is unconstitutional for two reasons. You are abridging the freedom of speech of Pasco petitioners,
and you are denying the peaceful assembly of Pasco citizens to share their thoughts in this boardroom. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified by the state of Florida, stipulates that no law shall be made abridging the freedom of speech. or the right of the people to assemble to petition the government for a redress of their grievances. The First Amendment violation of the Constitution occurred when you required Pasco
petitioners to redress their grievances by speaking into a camera in the hallway outside the boardroom. Verbal freedom of expression is abridged when the petitioner cannot look into the eyes of each member of the board to determine if the petition is being received. Communication to the board through digital transmission does not fully capture the passion, sound, and emotion of the live presentations of the petitioners. Your
law only permits digital transmission of Pascoal petitioners to board members via TV screens. This gives you the opportunity to mute the petitioners' grievances, which is the same as not receiving their petition. Further, other citizens assembled in the boardroom have no opportunity to hear the petition of grievance. to offer their comments on the same petition. You cannot use COVID as an excuse to limit citizens' First Amendment rights. The
Governor of Florida has given approval to open all businesses. We are here to serve people by protecting the First Amendment rights. On this basis, I request that in-person petitions to redress grievances to the Commission Board be established within the next two weeks. I'm confident this is the right decision based upon my 30 years of experience in local government management. I'd like to submit my written comments to the board. Yeah. Um
would you accept
move to receive and
file?
And a motion second. Uh all those in favor uh roll call.
District 2, Commissioner Moore. District 3, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District 4, Commissioner Fitzpatrick. Aye. District 5, Commissioner Mariano.
Aye.
District one, Chairman Oakley.
Aye. Motion pass five zero. We'll receive your report. Thank you.
Great job, sir. Thank you.
Next individual.
Parents, I live at seven. Go ahead. Brian Paris, I live at [address removed]. Uh, Linda Connolly and this young man that just spoke sentiment a lot of we the people's words. We are sick and tired of mandates. We're sick and tired of elected officials treating us like peasants and forcing communist laws and mandates on we the people. We are rising up, we're sick of it. You guys are sitting back there with no mask on, but yet you have a
note saying everybody should wear a mask. Why is why is that? We should not have masks. Small businesses not be forcing people against communist laws making us wear masks. The governor has said we are 100% open, and yet you guys feel you need to control and keep us in power and fear monger the American people. We will not allow this. We will keep rising up until you release these communist laws and Mandates and you would like this man just said, we're not allowed to assemble
in public with you. If you guys are scared, you each and every one of you should resign from your seats. We want strong leaderships in those seats. We don't need weaklings, and that there are people that are going to be scared. We have tyranny going on in this country, and yet you guys keep forcing laws against us. We the people, this the American Worker. class small business veterans free time veteran right here and you guys are making me for communist laws here in America we went and fought overseas for all this crap you guys
are pissing on every American soldier scrape who has fought and died for this country with all these laws We will not allow it. We the people will keep speaking up against you guys until you let all these till we are free again. Let us make our decisions. And these red light cameras are stupid. What our county and state doesn't even run 'em. They're I see the bill and it comes from out of state. Why is that? And I want to also thank you the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, all the officers who wear
uniform, all our military people from this county. I want to thank you guys. You guys are the true hero. I also want to remind them to not force communist laws against us. Remember, you serve the people. But I love you guys. You guys are our heroes. We respect you. And you guys deserve so much gratitude. I would not want your job in this era today. So God bless you. God bless America.
Thank you for your comments. Mr. Chairman M just point of order real quick. Um The just a quick response to the gentleman. Um Pascoal County does not um have red light cameras. Those are the cities themselves. Just so you know, sir. So um yeah, we don't just so you know, we don't do red light cameras. We're all in agreement with you. We don't have red light cameras in Pasco County. The cities, I don't know how many cities actually have them now, but um it might be Port Ritchie, New Port Richey I'm not sure, but we don't we don't allow them in the county itself. It's the cities. But unfortunately
we can't override number two. Yeah. Ticket. I'm just there are
some. I've gotten a ticket, unfortunately. But yeah. That's from a lot of we the people too that's right. No,
I agree. I I don't disagree with you on the red light cameras. I'm just letting you guys know that is a city's a city.
Yes, ma'am. Name and address. She's beating them.
Hi, my name is Kathy Julian. I reside at [address removed]. And um I I'm sorry that I have to follow him because he's got a lot more passion than I do. I am obviously against the mask mandate. Um I'm not sure why we still have it. I also um don't agree with the fact that we are not allowed in this public meeting room. I have seen a few Probably Three of you that I know by face um out in public. So I don't know why you can be in public and in other meetings,
but you won't allow us in the same room as you here. When we go to the city of New Port Richey they let us in the meeting room. It's just a matter of respect. And I think you should reconsider that. And I also think we should really reconsider the mask mandate. It doesn't make any sense. Most people don't wear masks anymore. But we're made to feel like pariahs if we don't wear masks. Thank you for your time and have a great day.
Thank you for coming, Ms.
Name and address.
Hello, my name is Natalie Cronin at by address [address removed]. So I'm here today to address why we cannot be in this building. I see our Capitol building, our nation's Capitol building, surrounded by walls, fences, or you know, our government being hidden away from us, more and more layers of distance between people and the government. That starts to feel like we are not being represented. We don't need to be doing that here. We don't need to be doing it there, but that's beyond the scope of
the government. with this body, but yeah, we don't need to be following their example. We need to be letting people in. We need to be adequately represented. As the other lady say, Kathy, she say we are allowed in the city council meetings. Yes, I've been going to those two. I'm allowed inside at least. And also about the mask mandates. I Don't know when you The criteria you are using, I have heard that you are waiting for a certain percentage of vaccine uptake. Well If you don't
get that percentage of people wanting to take the vaccine, what? Are we to wear masks forever? That's not gonna work. And quite frankly, the risk reward for young people with this vaccine versus the the actual virus, it doesn't make sense for a lot of us younger people to take this thing. So what then? Are we to wear masks or are we to risk our future health? I don't think that's an actual choice at that point. So it should not be tied to that. And also We've s all sent you many numerous studies about
the effectiveness of masks and really the lack thereof. But there's also the issue where they're causing harm. Having a wet cloth over your face for hours and hours and people are always fiddle with them, touchy them, all of this. For our kids, for our workers. This is a breeding ground for bacteria. It can be vulnerable to bacterial infection. It's going to do more harm. Plus all this harm of not seeing faces, the difficulty to communicate. Which, by
God, makes everything just much more difficult to get done. And quite frankly, it's taken a lot of civility out of interactions day to day. Because you cannot see somebody's face. It's harder to think of them as a person. So you just don't give them any slack. I've noticed this out and about. Nobody gives anybody the benefit of the doubt anymore, because they don't even look like a person. This is no good. This has got to go. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Well that's
a
Name and address for the record.
Tammy Deloitte, [address removed]. Here I am, a year later. Still this commission has refused to end this tyrannical mask mandate. When over fifteen states and hundreds of counties across the coun country have dropped it, our governor never implemented a mask mandate, yet you commissioners feel that you are I don't I don't even know. You listen to an APR or the C D C or whatever. This could um As of January, the CDC's total numbers
of deaths came out concluding that there were no excess deaths in 2020. than in previous years, which proves there never was a pandemic.
A couple of weeks ago the C D C published their own study on MEST. If they read it, which I did. The study concluded that after twenty days of the mask mandate, only 0.5% of cases decreased, 0.7 in deaths. One point eight percent dropped in after a hundred days. One point eight. Enough enough. Now let me read you an article titled The 20 Reason Mandatory
Face Smash Are Unsafe. and immoral. Nine potential dangers, cavities, New York dentists. are reporting patients suffering from decaying gums etc. I was a doctor. Face deformities in children from having to wear masks. From the journal of General Chemistry. Acne vulgarious moisture and germs collecting in the mass. Increased risk of COVID-19. Doctor Russell
Blaylock, and I'm not reading the whole thing here, but this is just a point. Bacterial ammonia is up is up in according to Oklahoma Press uh comp. conference. Immune suppression. American Psychological Association is reporting. Dermophobia, toxic, we're breathing. We're breathing in Fiberglass, lead, lead recording. Physical harm. Unreasonable
evidence, insubstantial evidence, no protection, unsanitary, recklessness. You guys aren't thinking, okay, going into a store for a couple minutes, fine, but you're not thinking of the children in schools, the workers that have to sit in mask for six to eight hours a day. I mean, I've I haven't worn a mask this entire time, but the two times I had to, both times I ended up with the cold. It's ridiculous. It's been a year. It needs to stop. The people that still want to wear them will still
wear them regardless. But stop placing this on the American people. That is enough.
Thank you for comments. Somebody next to you was murder. Name and address. Yes,
my name is Janine Dumbrowski. I live at [address removed]. I am am here again today representing a large group of Pasco County residents requesting a meeting with all of you, including Dan Biles. We the people need explanation as to why we are under a state of emergency. As educated taxpayers, we can clearly see that there is no state of emergency or imminent danger. According to Article 2 in the Disaster and Emergency Management, section 30 through 26 definition
says. Emergency means any occurrence or threat thereof, whether accidental, natural, or caused by man, in war or peace, which results or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population or substantial damage to loss of property. The real emergency seems to be forcing people to face masks according to this definition. It is clear as you drive around our county that the people have spoken. It is back to normal as usual out there. There is no state of emergency, necessarily
was. According to Section 30, declaration of emergency, when quorum aboard April C. The duration of the state of emergency is limited to seven days. It may be extended as necessary in seven-day increments by proclamation of the chairman or the vice chairman in his absence or in the absence of the chairman and vice chairman, any other county commissioner. The state of local emergency may be terminated by proclamation by a quorum of the board of Commissioner
Oakley that the threat or danger no longer exists. Surely there is no threat. So it is time to do away with this nonsensical action. If you do not do away with it, we the people will demand an explanation to this tyranny. Section 30 through 32: the role of the county administrator during state of emergency. Upon the declaration of a state of emergency pursuant to this article, the county administrator or his designee shall have the authority without further court action to take emergency. See
measures as he may deem appropriate to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community. Appropriate measures include, but not limited to. There are 12, and none of them are being used. We need an explanation and transparency. All we see is invest government funding. Along with the state of emergency gone, we will go to the disgusting face diapers. They have literary cut county. And they are so bad for our wildlife. It is so disgusting to watch people constantly touch their nasty spit-laden
muzzles, then touch everything else. Please make this nonsense stop. We're spreaders. I cannot fathom how you all think that this is safe and sanitary. Make this nonsense stop. We the people will be in touch to set up a meeting so you can show us facts about this emergency that we are under. By the way, we are not your peasants. You work for us. And we the people want evening comments back so that everyone can attend. I'm tired of taking off work to come here and I
own my own business. Have a nice day.
Thank you for your comment.
Anyone else at the kioks?
What is it with last does this other?
That's it. Nobody else.
Nobody else. Okay. So that Um And as a com topic comment. Section. We will now move to um