FL: CEO bans public officials from company property

[seamusTX]

In Ponte Vedra, Florida (Jacksonville area) the CEO of a company has banned all public officials from company property unless they have a warrant.

He is planning a company picnic on company property that will involve a barbecue, pony rides, and a temporary shooting range. According to his side of the story, county officials were not nice to him.

County officials say they were nice and that the company needs a $100 permit to operate a temporary shooting range.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/most ... ovider=top" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have a feeling that there is more going on here than this brief account.

I also think the guy is going to have a lot of problems if he tries to deny access to the fire marshall. Maybe he didn't think that far ahead.

- Jim

[frazzled]

They were probably hitting him up for some "tangible gratuity."

[KD5NRH]

County officials say they were nice and that the company needs a $100 permit to operate a temporary shooting range.

So, what's the difference between a "temporary shooting range" and a bunch of coworkers getting together and shooting at a pile of dirt on private property?

[seamusTX]

I don't know.

The county apparently has a regulation that requires permits for shooting ranges on private property, or they might require a permit for a large assembly, even it it's a private event.

The story has a photo of a violation notice, but I can't make out what it says.

I would have to see the wording of their ordinance.

I know that some towns require permits for groups over a certain size, for example, if you're going to have a wedding reception at your home. It seems silly, since they always issue the permit. Just a way to collect a little revenue and hassle people.

- Jim

[KD5NRH]

The county apparently has a regulation that requires permits for shooting ranges on private property, or they might require a permit for a large assembly, even it it's a private event.

Considering that it's a company that originally planned to have a little over double its normal workforce on its private property in an apparently unincorporated area of the county, I just don't see the usual excuses for requiring permits (traffic, parking, exceeding occupancy limits of buildings etc.) standing up in this case.

Doubling the workforce temporarily is something a lot of companies plan for, so parking and increased resource usage aren't likely to be an issue. Do manufacturers in that county have to get an assembly permit to hire temps for a Christmas rush? Since it mentions they're in medical processing, it's quite likely that they are prepared for large rushes requiring lots of temps, and wouldn't exceed capacities on their buildings for the picnic.

[seamusTX]

I can't answer any of these questions.

The powers of counties are established by state law. They always include health and safety regulations. I have no idea how Florida law works.

Officials are often officious. They hassle people because they can, and few victims have the resources to fight back.

I have set up an alert on this issue. We'll see if anything more happens.

- Jim

[A-R]

County officials say they were nice and that the company needs a $100 permit to operate a temporary shooting range.

So, what's the difference between a "temporary shooting range" and a bunch of coworkers getting together and shooting at a pile of dirt on private property?

$100, appparently

[cling]

Officials are often officious. They hassle people because they can, and few victims have the resources to fight back.

Like bullies everywhere.

[seamusTX]

CEO is getting some bad press for claiming that he was a POW in the Viet Nam War: http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/ ... sstatement" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Reading between the lines, it also sounds like the company is using the shooting range continuously, not just for a one-day event.

- Jim

[nitrogen]

CEO is getting some bad press for claiming that he was a POW in the Viet Nam War: http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/ ... sstatement" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Reading between the lines, it also sounds like the company is using the shooting range continuously, not just for a one-day event.

- Jim

"In a firefight, I was separated from my unit and under the control of the enemy," he said. "Maybe I should have just said I was separated and captured."

Doesn't sound like a scumbag at least.

[seamusTX]

This is just getting weird.

First off, the company has been using the range since January. Apparently employees are free to use it, and the company has concealed-carry permit and self-defense classes. The facility is in an undeveloped area.

On Thursday, the county issued a permit for the Labor Day event and said they have a compliance plan to allow the range to operate permanently.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/ ... johns_says" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On Saturday, the CEO said that he would not be holding the event because it he could not get insurance, due to bad publicity.

http://www.staugustine.com/stories/0822 ... _025.shtml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim