The “Brevard County Business Self-Certification Registry” is ridiculous!
In 2022, Brevard County Commissioners passed an ordinance allowing private businesses where “children gather and recreation occurs” to self-certify as “parks”. This voluntary registration on the Brevard County Business Self-Certification Registry creates a 1,000-foot buffer zone where registered sex offenders and predators are legally barred from entering.
In preparation for our forthcoming lawsuit, we examined the patchwork of County and municipal ordinances that were adopted on top of the already severely restrictive state law, to analyze their cumulative effect on persons forced to register. In doing so, Brevard came up and just out of curiosity, we did a quick check to see what businesses self-certified themselves as parks.
Now you’d think these “places where children gather and recreation occurs” might logically include an arcade, a roller skating rink, maybe a comic book store or a martial arts studio that has an after-school program. But here are just some of the businesses that signed up:
- Stella Maris Environmental Research, which is “a 501(c)(3) not for-profit environmental research organization focused on bringing attention and solutions to current environmental issues with community action”. They are located at 155 Duval St, Melbourne Beach, 32951, which according to Zillow is a 1800 Square Feet 4 bedroom, 2 bath single family home. It’s a residence.
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The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. Really? The symphony orchestra? I guess there’s no Beethoven for us.
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Flomazin Lifestyle Apparel. According to their website, “Flomazin is the Florida based lifestyle brand that drives your passion to manifest your dreams and live your best life.” Guess who can’t live their best life? The address that we need to stay 1000 feet away from is 918 Aventine Dr, West Melbourne, 32904, which is an apartment in “Aventine at West Melbourne”, which features one to three-bedrooms with rent ranges from $1,315/mo. to $2,280/mo. Curious to know what kind of recreation is occurring at an online clothing retailer who ironically sells a line called “the Flasher” (https://flomazin.com/products/flasher)? Can’t make this stuff up!
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How about Cape Canaveral Scientific, Inc., a grant writing company that “specializes in solving stormwater and water resource problems by leveraging and acquiring supplemental grant and legislative funding for our clients.” How many children are congregating and recreating at a grant writing business? Oh, and their address is 220 Surf Rd, Melbourne Beach, 32951, a 1834 Square Feet single family home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
Come on! Brevard is just letting anyone who decides they don’t want someone they consider undesireable coming within 1000 feet to call themselves a “park”. Apparently, in Brevard, the solution to the NIMBY problem is just say you’re a “park” and you get to create an exclusion zone that infringes on the freedom of movement of thousands of people.
A few years ago, Brevard had to pay out $157,500 to settle another FAC-initiated lawsuit. Maybe it’s time for another?
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It’s time. I wish there was a way that I could file a challenge to those.
The public registry, legislative history, and supporting resources below can help you locate both current self-certified listings and the history of the ordinance.
1. View the Current Self-Certification Registry
The public registry allows you to review self-certification filings submitted by participating businesses. Registry entries generally include the business owner’s name, business address, business tax receipt number, and a statement describing how the business qualifies under the ordinance.
Live Registry: Search the active Brevard County Business Self-Certification Registry.
Additional Information: Visit the Brevard County Business Registry page to review the ordinance, eligibility requirements, and the legal definition of a qualifying private park.
2. Legislative History of the Ordinance
The ordinance developed through several actions by the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners:
2006: The county adopted a 1,000-foot residency restriction applicable to registered sex offenders in relation to schools, playgrounds, and public parks.
2020: Brevard County amended Section 74 of its Code to establish a process allowing certain private businesses to self-certify under the ordinance when they met the criteria set forth in the code.
2022:The Board approved additional amendments to Section 74 following legal challenges, revising and clarifying portions of the ordinance.
3. Request Public Records
Some materials—such as internal correspondence, legislative drafts, evaluation documents, or administrative records—may not be available through the public registry. These records can generally be requested through the county’s public records process.
Under Florida’s Public Records Law (often referred to as the Sunshine Law), individuals may submit public records requests without stating a reason. If you would like to obtain documents related to the ordinance or its implementation, you can use the Brevard County Public Records Request Portal and adapt a request to identify the specific records you are seeking.
IF living it visiting please look what business’s can make this designation as a park and remember under new LAW for places where children congregate they can make warrantless arests
Maybe John Tobia is enjoying is new troubles too. The Commission is a joke. It’s run by people who have absolutely no clue what they are doing.
John Tobia, former commission member, was insensitive to the needs of my wife, a woman in a wheelchair with a severe disability. His callousness and uncaring demeanor is for all to see on YouTube. This man doesn’t care about anybody or anything.
I hope the residents of Brevard realize this man cost the taxpayers over $150,000!
Man, I’ve always suspected Tobia was a pompous ass ala Randy Fine and the Book duo but a google search reveals just how terrible of a person he really is. He will be a huge success in Brevard politics since they seem to love their scumbags.
Time has not been kind to John Tobia. His commissioner position expired due to term limits. He ran for another office and lost. He got forced out of his day job in a controversy. He got trespassed from Melbourne Hospital. All according to an initial google search. And he does not appear to have been heard from in quite some time.
Sue the bastards!
Darned right it’s time for another!!! The depths of depravity of the degenerates who are participating in spiritual and constitutional violations have no clue what they’re inviting to happen to them. Karma comes around bigger than when the invitation was set in motion. How can so many people be so damaged that they can’t see their own moral corruption?😑
Remember. Suing “them” does not affect the commissioners one iota. The tax payers pay the fines and the commissioners will use the lawsuit to their advantage and say, “well, we stood up for the children, and if the ordinance save one child it was well worth it!!”. Not saying not to sue because that is the only way to remove the rediculous restriction, but to be honest it will probably boost their rating with the public, unfortunately. The public is so brainwashed, that i don’t know how we will ever get our truth across. I lived in Brevard and had to sell out and move since it was impossible to comply with their proximity ordinance.
Here’s how I think of it: These locations identify as a protected space. So, if they are allowed to identify themselves however they want, I want to de-identify myself as a sex offender. After all, I never identified myself as a sex offender, that was a label cast upon me by a federal judge and state law enforcement.