The organizer of the Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition that was abruptly canceled July 25 at the Flagler County Fairgrounds is blaming Sheriff Rick Staly for getting his permit revoked.
Organizer Troy Reddin said after securing both the permit and the keys to the fairgrounds, Staly looked into his background and used his past as a rapper to profile him as a violent person and convince the county to cancel the event.
“In 2018-2019 I was a rapper and produced rap videos and drew large crowds of up to 50,000 people,” said Reddin, who lives in Flagler County. “He said my events had shootings and drug use and he put that in a letter to Flagler County officials to have my permit revoked.”
In a letter to the Board of County Commissioners, Staly did mention Reddin’s time as a rapper, stating he produced and performed in videos, filmed mostly in Bunnell, that “glorified guns, gangs, illegal narcotics, sex and fast cash.”
But the letter, dated July 25 and sent to the media July 26, focused mostly on how the event had grown in scope from what was originally permitted and pointed to a number of examples during the permitting process when the county should have canceled the event.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office urges community to remain ‘vigilant’
The event, dubbed “Fat Boyz Camo Day, Boots on the Ground Edition,” invited people to show off their four-wheelers, side-by-sides and golf carts. It also offered $500 to the best line dancing group to perform “Boots on the Ground,” 803Fresh’s viral smash that has taken the Black community by storm this summer with line dancing competitions taking place nationwide.
But on the morning of July 26, hours before the event was slated to begin, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that the permit for “The Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition” had been revoked due to concerns with public safety and the improper permit application, leading to hundreds of comments and questions about how a line dancing competition could impact public safety.
Staley did not return a message left on his cellphone July 26.
Reddin: ‘I did everything by the book’
Reddin, now a concrete construction businessman, said he applied for the permit about two months ago.
“They said I needed insurance for today’s event, and I got the insurance,” Reddin said in an interview with The News-Journal. “They said I needed to hire three deputies for security; I did that. I got a liquor permit, and they approved it, and the sheriff’s office had to provide three additional deputies in reference to the liquor permit,” Reddin said.
Reddin said that after getting all his paperwork in order, county officials handed him the keys to the fairgrounds on Thursday, July 24. He said all his vendors — including funnel cake sellers, seafood and barbecue vendors and more — prepared to be there at 9 a.m. July 26.
“A lot of businesses invested a lot of money for the event,” Reddin said. “Now, all that was for nothing.”
The spirit of celebration died Friday, July 25, when county officials notified Reddin around 10 a.m. that his permit had been pulled and the event was canceled.
“I said to them ‘but y’all approved my permit, how can you do this to me?'” Reddin said. “They told me that the sheriff wrote a letter to them asking that my permit be revoked.”
Reddin said he was confused since the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was the first to approve the permit.
In his letter, Staly recognized that it “may be too late” for Reddin’s event, but asked the county to put a “freeze” on all future requests until officials review or update the ordinance to require the agency’s involvement.
“I did everything by the book,” Reddin said. “They asked for all the public precaution because it’s Black culture,” he believes, “and I did all of it.”
Staley: County had multiple opportunities to cancel event
In his letter to county commissioners, Staley pointed out multiple instances the county could have canceled the event due to Reddin promoting activities not included in the permit.
For example, Staley highlighted that Reddin estimated 500 people would attend the event, but on social media he said he expected “thousands” from throughout Northeast and Central Florida as well as Georgia and Alabama.
The sheriff’s office continued to monitor social media and learned that alcohol would be sold on the premises, which also went against the original permit. Reddin amended his application to include alcohol around July 23, according to the letter, which Staly pointed out would “directly impact the security and risk level of the event.”
When his staff brought these concerns to the county, Staly wrote that county staff said if any violations occurred during the event, “they would revoke the permit at that time.”
Staly made it clear in his letter that he disagreed, calling the move “naive” and saying it would “trigger a significant hostile event and make it more difficult and dangerous for my deputies to keep public order.”
The Bunnell Police Department also joined the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to condemn the activity.
Bunnell Police Chief Dave Brannon also did not return a message left on his cellphone July 26.
Reddin said all he planned for Bunnell was an after-party at a local lounge.
“All I was trying to do was something good,” Reddin said. “I am a father of two teens, and the event planned had nothing to do with rapping.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘Boots on the Ground’ line dance canceled in Flagler County