Invocation policy with public safety chaplains

1:45:09Okay, last item.

1:45:12So before you is a memorandum from myself regarding invocations at the Board of County Commissioners meetings. There's been a little bit of a paper shuffle here, so I would like to, if I could, just kind of uh read read through a couple of these verbatim. So At your uh January board meeting, the board discussed potential alternatives to the current invocation. So both the County Attorney's Office and County Administrator have researched the matter and recommend one of the following. And there'll be some sub options

1:45:43with this too, but these are for your consideration. Option one is to update and modernize the invocation to a form that stays within the framework of existing laws following the process that the county has traditionally used. That would basically update the existing uh prayer. And

1:45:59I have one to suggest.

1:46:00Well and then and I there there are attached to this a couple of just generic versions that an internet search can drum up I in no means preferring what preference one over the other, but they're

1:46:11not having text.

1:46:13You should. She

1:46:14just replaced the coverage.

1:46:15You just have a cover memo.

1:46:17Like yeah, just the whole package. Yeah. I

1:46:21there was nothing attached to it.

1:46:28Recycled it. Okay.

1:46:32The supporting documents also show what other counties and other municipalities and jurisdictions do just based on an informal survey, phone calls, and searches that we've been able to do. Second option would be to direct county administration to institute an administrative process to objectively schedule external officiants to provide the invocation. Now this does open the door to interfaith officiants. and is legally defensible. Now alternatively, the county administrator could rotate official chaplains from the public safety

1:47:02branch to provide an appropriate or relevant invocation. Option three would be institute a moment of silence for personal prayer reflection with perhaps an opening statement to focus on a specific matter or current event. For example, ask wisdom as we discuss the county budget budget and/or pray for persons recently affected by natural disaster. Alternatively, the board could ask each member to also provide an invocation. Local governments violate the Constitution if they organize and conduct their prayers

1:47:33in a way that discriminates against other religious beliefs. Invocations may not denigrate non-believers or religious minorities, threaten damnation or preach conversion. Uh and so as I mentioned before that being said, we did poll other jurisdictions. You can see what other jurisdictions do. Um and it it varies, it varies widely. And um at this point it's it's really the uh this is board policy and uh how the board wants to conduct its meetings. So at this point we'll answer questions if necessary.

1:48:02I I'm for either the sta that one of the prayers I've read them, they're fine or either our public s you know, somebody one of our chaplains doing the prayer on for either of those.

1:48:13In that object? Yes. So I like what Penellas County does and I'll I'll say I'll throw another one Regional Planning Council. Uh there's like twenty two member governments. It'll kinda like make kind of rotate it between all the uh members that that want to do it. Um it's worked fine just because someone gets up, stands up, says a prayer and away they go. Um I like Penellas County because it gives the invocation themselves as commissioners or they can invite in if they choose to they can invite a county

1:48:43chaplain in and I think if you add it to another speaker so be it and then that the individual commissioner for that week can decide how he wants to handle it himself and just rotate it between us all of us. Quick, simple, easy, no bureaucratic things, and not no one's gonna be able to challenge that either. Yes, they will. Yeah, that's the the the known successfully.

1:49:03Well the the so I don't I don't know what Penellus's background is, but if you adopt that pr process, the recommendation is gonna be you're gonna have to have a outline of how you're getting those those pastors. The case that Brevard County lost in 2019 was exactly that fact scenario where they only invited in pastors from certain churches within

1:49:33the county and that's what got them in trouble. So I'm that's what the eleventh circuit That's the law for uh for our jurisdiction.

1:49:42I I have one I'm gonna suggest to us that I think's pretty good, but I'll wait a new prayer. But do you gu have anything to say? You wanna hear mine that I got on? Okay. I kinda like this. 'Cause it is time to refr refresh what we say in um I think this kind of speaks more uh to what we do here. So it's it says Gracious God, we invite you into our discussions today. Unite our hearts and guide our conversations with wisdom and patience. See,

1:50:12I needed that today. Um help us to seek solutions that honor you and benefit everyone involved.

1:50:17I love it.

1:50:18I like it too. I think it centers us before we start.

1:50:22That's good.

1:50:28It'll become it's good, but it loses

1:50:34It's feeling after a while to become

1:50:37Well we ch we

1:50:38can change it again.

1:50:38Like

1:50:38it is now. I like the idea of rotating our official chaplains. Um from our different our different branches. Um they're in touch with

1:50:53the hardships that our employees are going through or their family, whether it's or good or bad, really. And they see what's going on with the citizenry, especially the ones that are struggling if they're in our jail, or they show up to to, you know, different different functions. I just feel like they're a good extension of board members being out in the public, but they're focused on what they're focused on. And I think that they could help speak to the

1:51:24day or even the national

1:51:28issues that are going on and be able to to hone in on what we need to to pray for as a board and as a as a as a county. So I like I like that option. Um And then I'm also an option of rotating board members or picking a board board chaplain. Um similar to what Commissioner Oriano was talking about, but um it's time to freshen up and make it make it

1:51:58human again.

1:51:59And Commissioner Oakley. Do you want someone to come here? My my concern about having someone come here is that we barely fit in our morning meetings at the time and so, um

1:52:13You know, I'm I'm okay with kinda continuing on with the time we've allotted, but freshening up what we say. If we need another sentence on this, I'm all ears or if we wanna pick one, but for me bringing someone else then it's it's just it's gonna be like We barely get through what we get. So

1:52:33if they're not here on time maybe, you know, when we then we need a backup plan. Like you said,

1:52:38I think I'd be fine with uh one of our chaplains and either the fire department or even under the sheriff, even if he's got a chaplain. So I think those are Does the Sheriff have a

1:52:50chaplain? Oh yeah.

1:52:53He does revent.

1:52:54He do oh yeah. He does a couple.

1:52:56Madam Chairman M so back to Penellas without my adding more speakers on. If you go with the commissioners alternate between giving the invocation themselves and inviting can and inviting county chaplains. If they choose to use the prayer that you liked, but someone else got another prayer they want to use, they can use it. But you can still get incorporate that.

1:53:17Um

1:53:18Can I add something? Yes. So if however we we go, however we decide that if the person is not here on time that we have a different prayer that we say so we run on time.

1:53:30Okay.

1:53:31And your prayer.

1:53:33And um I used to go to the Catholic Church and now I go to a Presbyterian church and um Some prayers can be very lengthy. So if we're gonna be bringing someone in, I'd like to uh hold you know, ask them to hold it to a certain time period because I think we need some boundaries.

1:53:57We can manage that.

1:53:59And again, I think it needs to be a non denominational

1:54:06Yes, it needs to fit God. Stick with God and not alienate Um uh members of our community that that are in various religions.

1:54:21Yeah. It's got

1:54:22to be a good idea.

1:54:31to sort of write the script is if it's our people.

1:54:38I just want to make sure for clarity we're talking about our chaplains. Yes.

1:54:44Yeah, I'm

1:54:44hearing fire corrections chaplains which and if we uh need to but I mean we have several chaplains we can we can obviously commissioner control the amount of time and of course keep try you know make sure that these things stay within the boundaries of uh

1:54:58so good with so are we rotating with the commission to make that call as we go? Or do you just want to have it?

1:55:06Yeah, just have them who knows Then you don't have to schedule that. I'm good I'm good with that. That's good. Okay.

1:55:12And also add the backup prayer in case they're running. Okay.

1:55:17Okay. So we'll adopt so Chaplains from public safety. Yep. We'll we'll schedule them as effective four twenty-two. We can start with that. Um and then if they fail to show which they won't, but anyway, if they're not going to be able to do that.

1:55:35Does the board want to adopt Commissioner Starkey's Invocation as as the new I'm fine with the backup form.

1:55:43I like I liked it. Yeah. I think it kinda gets your I agree.

1:55:48Do we need a motion ready

1:55:49to handle it? Yes please.

1:55:50Okay. So I make a motion that we have fire safety, public safety chaplain come to the prayer and if for some reason that they cannot make it, that we will use Commissioner Starkey's prayer effective for twenty two.

1:56:04Well I it's the internet's prayer. I got it off the internet.

1:56:08AI generated prayer, commissioner Starkey? We have a second. Okay. All in favor? Alright.

1:56:15Thank you, ma'am. I'm done.

1:56:17Okay. Um Madam Clerk. Um County Attorney. God, it's like a pink bond over here.

1:56:23Just wanna remind you, um And I don't know whether you want meat intervene or but But public the public comment section is not designed for open comment. It's designed for items to be placed on the agenda or for to speak about things for the agenda for the day. As I've always said to you all, my concern is when you let it get broader than What you can say grace

1:56:53over or Um

1:56:57You talk about our public comment amongst each other

1:57:00in the beginning of the day. The citizen public comment. Okay. Um it just needs to be it needs to stay within the the parameters of What you're gonna be placing on an agenda or is what already is on an agenda something that you can do.

1:57:18So you're speaking to the um religious comments this morning?

1:57:21Doesn't have to be religious.

1:57:22I mean the one that was this morning that was kind out of bounds.

1:57:25But I mean they went in, they went out.

1:57:28Yeah, I didn't know what to do on that one. So

1:57:30So I just it's just something to be to keep in my for the board to keep in mind. You don't want that to become open forum because then it's everything the stuff that you don't like to hear will be open forum as well. That's if someone starts straight

1:57:48kick me right here.

1:57:49Okay. That's all I have, thank you.