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Winter Park, FL: R.I.P., Free Speech

By
Property Manager with AmeriTeam Property Management SL#3200658
Winter Park, FL:  R.I.P., Free Speech

Winter Park, FL kills Free Speech

Death is always a strange thing- the most somber of stages in the circle.  What caused the death?  Was it expected- or was it a tragic accident that stilled the dearly departed?

Here in Winter Park, Florida, there's no question what caused the death of our dearly departed Free Speech:  it was none other than the Winter Park City Commission.

As the article discusses, there were a number of folks who chose to exercise their Constitutionally-guaranteed right of free speech a month or so ago.  Funny thing, though- Winter Park has chosen to side with Jenna Tosh, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando rather versus that dusty ol' "U.S. Constitution" thing.

This is a decision that should shock the nation.  Our Constitution's Bill of Rights was drafted with an intent to protect the opinions of the minorities and their freedom to express them- with the premise that the majority needs no such protection.

In this troubling move, the Winter Park City Commission has chosen to forfeit the Constitutional rights of many in order to satisfy the desires of an individual who sees those rights as just a tad bit inconvenient for her.

Winter Park, FL:  R.I.P., Free Speech

Posted by
 
DENNIS B. BURGESS
Property Manager

Licensed Florida Realtor
 
AmeriTeam Property Management
845 N. Garland Ave., #200
Orlando, FL  32801
 
 
 
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Comments (16)

Lucas Taylor
Keller Williams Miami Beach - Miami Beach, FL
Thank you for the great education. I learned so much from your post.
Sep 24, 2012 06:03 PM
Frank Laisch
Orlando, FL
"The Insurance Guy"

Dennis, I read about that, it is pretty sad when Winter Park sides against the Constitution's Bill of Rights

Sep 24, 2012 09:54 PM
Karl Hess
Keller Williams Shore Properties - Barnegat, NJ
on The Jersey Shore

I'm of two minds on this. I think we should always err on the side of free speech, but picketing outside of a private home maybe an infringement of the rights of the home owner. Should a private citizen be allowed to reside in their own home without harassment? There's a difference between picketing a business and a private residence. If I was this woman's neighbor, how would I feel about protesters on my sidewalk?  What if I was trying to sell a home across the street? This is not an easy choice.

Sep 24, 2012 10:42 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Lucas:  Thank you for stopping by- and for your kind words.

Sep 24, 2012 11:14 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Frank:  Thank you for dropping by, and for your comment.  Sad, indeed- though I'm going to hold out hope it can get overturned somehow...

Sep 24, 2012 11:17 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Karl:  Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment.  And no, I wasn't neglecting to comment back to you-- Ive just been hard at work with my push towards our elections finish line.  This is Day 2 of voting in my Board of Directors race.  That said,...in this case here, I have a problem with things on 2 levels:  one being the sheer lunacy of restricting free speech, the other being that it was done to placate someone hailing from Planned Parenthoodland.  I agree with neither their message nor their messengers- but I would never look to restrict their right to espouse whatever they'd choose to espouse.  As a rule, I'd think most folks would enjoy letting those with opposing views rant on- for if their stances are as "wrong" as the former feels they are, the latter's rants serve only to expose said wrongness and advance the side of the "right".  So I find it rich that a champion of an extremist liberal cause would complain and seek to restrict speech.  "Peaceful" is an operative word here, of course- and most know the difference between a peaceful protest and a riot.  For those having trouble with discerning between the two, here's a hint:  the cops don't wear Peaceful Protest gear.  As best I know, there were no acts of violece or vandalism from the folks outside this lady's house- and she who has made her proverbial bed must lie in it when dissent comes to town.  The neighbors' thoughts on things?  Don't know.  With a neighbor whose views and vocation tread the path of the extreme, though, they should've anticipated some type of protests at some point.  It's funny, though- when we had our Casey Anthony-palooza a while back, I managed a house about 5 doors down from her/her parents' place.  Helicopters flying overhead all day- yet my tenant never complained once.  Weird thing!

Sep 25, 2012 01:03 PM
Karl Hess
Keller Williams Shore Properties - Barnegat, NJ
on The Jersey Shore

Free speech already has restrictions (fire - theater). But don't we try and go by the old adage of "your rights end at the point when they infringe on the rights of others?" Again, I always want to make sure we don't restrict basic rights, but that doesn't mean 'without limits.'

Sep 25, 2012 10:55 PM
Rob Arnold
Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

After seeing the Casey Anthony saga, I tend to side with the city commission.  I used to own a rental property about 2 blocks from the Anthony's house and it was just horrible trying to get anyone to fill that vacancy during the time. 

I am all for free speech and right to assembly.  But I think there also gets to a point of safety and breach of peace.  I couldn't imagine being a neighbor in that Anthony neighborhood.  Winter Park being even more "exclusive" proabably wants even less to do with protesters on residential streets.  It does sound a little like the city commission caved to a special interest though especially the way the media spun it.

Sep 25, 2012 11:03 PM
Rob Arnold
Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

By the way, you have my vote.  Good luck in the election. :-)

Sep 25, 2012 11:04 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor
Hi, Karl: Thank you for stopping by again. Would I equate peaceful protests outside this lady's place to the "Fire!" In a movie theater example? I can't see it. I WOULD be opposed to folks protesting outside her place if they became violent or threatening in any way- the "limits" of which you speak, but there's no evidence that that's the case here or that it ever would've been. This lady just wanted to squash voices that opposed her.
Sep 26, 2012 09:53 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Rob:  Thank you for dropping by as always, and for your comment.  The place I had over by the Anthony's was on Grandee- probably not too far from that place of your's.  I really was shocked I never heard from anyone- and I always tell folks the thought of venturing down/around Hopespring or Suburban still gives me the creeps.  One thing many don't realize is how the little one's resting place was right across the street from the school and in a ditch- that made things crazy.  I could see folks on Park getting fired up if any protests impacted their business, or if they shut down the streets on Saturday and it hurt that great Farmers' Market down there, but I can't see how they sided with this lady here.  They didn't have a good eye on the decision's precedent, in my opinion. 

Sep 26, 2012 10:02 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi again, Rob:  Thank you for your support, I surely appreciate it.  There's no doubt about it- I'm in a fight for this thing and I don't know how it'll turn out.  I'm just putting my faith- no pun intended- in the fact that enough folks that support me will vote and help get others to vote for me, as the folks that have chosen to send me hateful and disgusting emails will surely work against me.

Sep 26, 2012 10:08 PM
Anonymous
Jay Rogers

The Awareness Campaign at Jenna Tosh's home was peaceful and in fact, more than half of the 28 who attended were women and children. If anyone wants to discern for themselves if the AC was peaceful or harassing, I invite them to watch a video I made of the event here:

My opinion is that she was upset because graphic images of aborted unborn children exposes abortion for being what it is -- the killing of an innocent child.

http://www.forerunner.com/blog/poor-baby-why-is-planned-parenthood-s-jenna-tosh-in-tears

The Casey Anthony case is an apt analogy. Casey was receiving death threats every day because she had been found guilty in the court of public opinion before she had the chance to go to trial. Then she was finally found "not guilty."

In the case of Planned Parenthood, we know they are the largest abortion provider in America. Some believe strongly that this is killing children and we ought to be able to peacefully voice that opinion even if the CEO of Planned Panrenthood finds it objectionable that we would come to her street to voice that opinion.

Sep 30, 2012 12:35 AM
#13
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Jay:  Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment/contribution here.  As I mentioned above, I have yet to hear any valid accounts of wrongdoing on the part of any folks from your organization.  The only "wrong" is in Jenna Tosh's way of thinking, and in the way the City of Winter Park caved in to the wishes of this special interest group's head.  I find it rich how Tosh and others of her ilk will revel in their abilities to kill the unborn for as long as Roe/Wade remains settled law- yet wish to silence the voices of others choosing to exercise their Constitutional rights.

The City of Winter Park's apparent endorsement of Tosh's views- and how that all but renders the rights of those opposed to Tosh's agenda junior to her opinion is what's most unsettling.

Tosh's baseless (and quite possibly slanderous) "Just because there are some crazy people who might want to hurt my family...." quote is akin to those who have accused T.E.A. Party folks of racism over the past few years.  Her own psyche may be well-served by the quote, but those of us living in the real world are better served by the truth.

Sep 30, 2012 04:18 AM
Anonymous
Jay Rogers

I wanted to update you on the status of our lawsuit against this unconstitutional lawsuit. It was dismissed, but in the process, Winter Park City Attorney argued that what is meant by "picketing" in the ordinance is very narrow. He said we can march up and down the street with signs targeting abortion and abortionists -- and even in the 50 foot buffer zone -- as long as we do not "stand" or "mill about" in front of the home. He also said we could "camp out" at the 51 foot line with signs that target Jenna Tosh or another such abortionist.

We have been back twice since the lawsuit was dismissed and each time the police were confused, but had apparently been instructed by the city attorney not to arrest us as long as we were not "loitering" in the buffer zone.

There is still a glitch concerning picketers inthe buffer zone that do not have signs specifically targeting a resident or a sign with a "neutral" message: (I Love PitBulls). They thought that those would be prohibited too since we are in the "buffer zone" -- not understanding that the ordinance has to be content neutral in order to be constitutional. They would then be making the determination on what is "targeting" based on an arbitrary judgment. That would not be content neutral.

So they are still playing a game with us.

See my YouTube channel for videos showing our conversations with the polcie both times.

http://youtube.com/jcr4runner

We are going back to the buffer zone on Aloma Ave in front  of the Tosh residence again this Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 9:40 am to test out this last glitch in the policemen's interpretation of the ordinance. Our hope is to be able to mount another challenge based on the threat of arrest -- or to simply win by having no threat.

See also updates on my website: http://forerunner.com/blog/blog.html

May 14, 2013 05:06 AM
#15
Anonymous
Jay Rogers

SORRY ... I wanted to update you on the status of our lawsuit against this unconstitutional ORDINANCE.

May 14, 2013 05:08 AM
#16