Examining a Sheriff's Fear of a Line Dance Competition

Examining a Sheriff's Fear of a Line Dance Competition

Rick Staly named public safety as the reason for the cancellation.

On July 26, 2025, a Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition was scheduled at the Flagler County Fairgrounds in Flagler County, Florida. It didn’t take place because Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly took multiple steps to prevent it from happening. On July 25, the day before the event, Staly issued the following statement to the media and posted it on the FCSO Facebook page:

𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗧𝗬 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘

“The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is informing the public that a previously permitted event planned at the Flagler County Fairgrounds on Saturday July 26th has been revoked and is now considered an unsanctioned event and in violation of local laws.

The Boots on the Ground Line Dance Competition permit was revoked by Flagler County Government and the event is not permitted under county ordinance due to the improper permit application and concerns with public safety. The Sheriff’s Office has placed signs on CR13 at US1 and on CR205 at SR100 W to inform attendees and vendors of this cancellation.

Despite these efforts and discussion with the promoter, the organizer is looking for alternative locations, including in the City of Bunnell. No permits have been issued by the City of Bunnell so any pop-up activities are not authorized or permitted. However, given the heavily promoted event and the short cancellation notice by the County, we anticipate a substantial amount of activity with people hoping to gather or seek an alternative location for this event. Any alternative location located in Flagler County, Palm Coast or Bunnell are not authorized or permitted and persons attending are subject to arrest.

To address this situation, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will have increased patrols throughout the county to ensure the safety and security of our community and visitors. Sheriff Rick Staly urges everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. If you see something, say something — call the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at (386) 313–4911 or 911 in the event of an emergency. Illegal activity and criminal behavior will not be tolerated and will be strictly enforced.

We apologize for the inconvenience and ask for everyone’s cooperation.”

Rick Staly may think that saying “due to the improper permit application and concerns with public safety” was a satisfactory explanation of why this event was canceled. It wasn’t. An “improper permit application” sounds completely arbitrary, and “concerns for public safety” definitely requires explanation. The Sheriff recognized that the late cancellation might mean that people coming from outside the area might not get notice and arrive anyway in Flagler County, with nothing to do. The Sheriff expressed concern that the promoter might try to accommodate them in an alternate location and stated that no authorization has been granted anywhere, and anyone attending is subject to arrest. Staly urged the community to be vigilant and report “any suspicious activity.”

Boots on the Ground is a line dance popular in the Black community that has taken the country by storm. Think of it as a more complicated Electric Slide with cowboy hats, boots, and hand fans for women. Perhaps Staly felt the fans were dangerous weapons. Some of the boots may have had pointed toes with metal tips.

Amazon.com: Boots on The Ground Hand Fan,Boots on The Ground Fan,Clap Fans for Line Dancing,Large Folding Hand Fan,Party,Dance Enthusiasts Gift (Black) : Home & Kitchen

After receiving hundreds of complaints about the cancellation (and some support), the Sheriff’s Office released an additional statement that they believe justifies their action.

“𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘:

Based on the feedback the Sheriff’s Office has received from today’s notice and to address any speculation, we’re providing an update with the facts surrounding the cancelation of today’s event.

FACT: The Sheriff’s Office was notified of the event by the County 3-weeks before the event. Review of the permit, while not following the ordinance, did not raise any significant concerns at the time.

FACT: The organizer then began marketing the event offering an event that was outside the scope of the permit application to include extended hours, alcohol, and much more.

FACT: The Sheriff’s Office then voiced concerns to the County but also stated it was likely too late to cancel this event but asked for a freeze on future special event permits until the county ordinance could be updated.

FACT: After consulting with the Assistant County Attorney, the County revoked the permit on Friday for safety concerns, potential damage to the fairgrounds because of the rain soaked grounds, and the failure of the organizer to follow the permitted use in the permit and application and began the process to refund the fees.

FACT: The Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy, who personally knows the organizer, met or spoke with the organizer multiple times on Friday. The Sheriff’s Office also publicly communicated the event cancellation to make attendees aware.

These are the FACTS. This is an unfortunate incident but had the County followed their own ordinance, none of this would have occurred. The Sheriff’s Office strongly supports events and concerts for the community to enjoy; however, we must ensure they’re done safely and legally. We recognize there is disappointment and ask everyone to be peaceful in their disappointment and to not violate the law.”

What I see is that after the permit was granted, the social media of the promoters was stalked by the County and in a 4-page letter from the Sheriff to the County Commissioners, the Sheriff demeaned one of the promoters and his history as a “rapper” who once produced videos that “glorified guns, gangs, illegal narcotics, sex, and fast cash.” The promoter used the name “Fat Ass,” which further disturbed the Sheriff. Perhaps monitoring social media regarding future events is just due diligence. Still, I can’t imagine the Sheriff stalking flea markets, car shows, livestock shows, and other events held at the fairgrounds to compare their marketing to the permits. Staly was fixated that the projected attendance grew to 1,000 when the permit said 500 persons. That wasn’t a lie; it was success.

One of the vendors participating was a mobile bar. The Sheriff addressed the safety concern, which the promoter addressed by hiring three off-duty Sheriff’s deputies. The Sheriff construed a social media post indicating there would be a police presence but no metal detectors as an invitation to bring guns and invite mayhem.

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The location matters. When Staly invited the public to be vigilant for Black people gathering, he may have thought he was inventing a law enforcement procedure, but the prohibition of Black people gathering was embedded in the slave codes, Black codes, Jim Crow, and Karen’s of the present day. Flagler County was one of the last in Florida to desegregate, not doing so until 1970 under a federal consent decree. The largest city in Flagler County, Palm Coast, was originally mandated by restrictive covenants to exclude African Americans, Asians, Native Americans, and some Hispanics. Most of Flagler County was formerly sugar or cotton plantations. By the time Flagler became a county in 1917, it was filled with turpentine camps where “turpentine Negroes” were the modern-day enslaved people. When the turpentine industry left in the late 1960s, it made room for development, including the new, all-white city of Palm Coast. As recently as 2023, a Flagler County school conducted segregated assemblies separately addressing Black and white students.

Flagler County has the capacity to respond when its racism is called out. The principal of that school stepped down. Sheriff Staly himself fired a staff attorney who went too far in her public criticism of Black Lives Matter and Black people in general. The Florida Live digital publication reported on her social media videos as follows:

“In some of the videos, Theresa Pontieri, who is white, disparaged the Black Lives Matter movement. In one video, she referred to a Black girl who police in Ohio fatally shot as ‘thuggy'.”

Pontieri claimed she was “forced out” by Staly, who recognized then that the appearance of racism and bias was unacceptable. I submit that Staly now appears to be biased and, at a minimum, should address the Black citizens of Flagler County to explain. On the FCSO website, an anti-bias policy is posted, but is it meaningless? Actions were taken based on personal biases and stereotypes and culture. Flagler County regularly receives and welcomes the overflow of motorcycle riders from Bike Week in nearby Daytona Beach. The City of Bunnell depends on the revenue from bikers, but the same city organized Boots on the Ground patrols to look for Black people, whom they threatened to arrest.

Staly began his career as Sheriff in 2017, soon receiving a 10-page discrimination complaint from the NAACP. The complaint addresses a long-time problem of discriminatory hiring that Staly inherited. The following year, his department faced reports of racial slurs, unbecoming behavior, misconduct, and poor supervision of Flagler County Sheriff’s Office employees assigned to provide security at the courthouse.

Staly brags about the minimal provisions offered at the Flagler County jail, which he calls the “Green Roof Inn.” A former deputy agrees with the minimal part: “I was a Deputy for several years and had been there on official business several times, and he is being completely honest about his jail. It’s a total and complete shithole.”

Rick Staly wasn’t the Sheriff during the enslavement, the Black Codes, or the Jim Crow eras. I get the impression he would have fit right in.

This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.