This article was originally published on GrasstopsUSA.com.

            John from Pinellas County in Florida thought that free speech and private property were still protected in this country. He thought that if he put up signs supporting Ron Paul – his preferred presidential candidate – on his own fence – that he would simply be exercising his inalienable constitutional rights. After all, not only does the United States Constitution protect free speech, but the Florida Constitution explicitly protects written speech.

            One day John’s daughter informed him that the signs were mysteriously gone. John first thought that the culprit was some angry private individual playing politics by dirty means. So he put the signs back up, undeterred. About two days later, John received a notice from the county demanding that he remove the signs or face a fine of $1000 per day. One of the county officials explicitly admitted that he had taken the signs down previously – without ever speaking to John about any violations or warning him about the signs’ presence. Without any regard for John’s private property rights, the county’s enforcement officer simply trespassed onto John’s land and stole John’s signs – no questions asked. To avoid the draconian fines, John had to acquiesce and remove the signs. A YouTube video entitled, “Ron Paul Signs not allowed in Florida,” documents the story in depth.

            Oddly enough, John had previously placed other political signs on his fence without the county raising any complaints. Over the last four years, he had displayed his political preferences for the local sheriff, the county commissioners, and the state representatives without any county officials objecting. When the county’s Department of Environmental Management presented John with a statement of his actual violation in this instance, it was clear that the charges were trumped up. The ordinance that John was accused of violating had nothing to do with political signs and explicitly mentioned signs that were not of a political nature.

            The county later informed John that the signs were removed because they were only one foot from the public right of way – whereas the officials require them to be at least ten feet away. Yet if this was the case, why did the county officials not even mention John’s prior postings of other signs on the same fence, the same distance from the public right of way? There is a glaring inconsistency here – and all evidence seems to suggest that the county’s actions against John were guided by political considerations. Somebody among the county officials simply did not like Ron Paul and decided to use the county’s political authority to remove signs in his support – tossing aside John’s right of free speech as if it did not matter at all.

            Anybody who still cherishes the founding principles and inalienable liberties at the heart of this country should be appalled at Pinellas County’s exercise of arbitrary power. Whether one believes Ron Paul to be a worthy candidate for the Presidency is not the issue here. If John had put up signs supporting Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton, or any other candidate and the county officials had removed them, their abuse of power would have been identical. The right of free speech implies that any individual ought to have the liberty to use his own property to communicate advocacy for any political candidate he chooses. If Americans are no longer free to express their political preferences in such a basic manner, then what is left of free speech but a hollow, meaningless phrase?

            It is understandable for a county government to place restrictions on private political advocacy on county property – since this property is funded by the tax contributions of those who might not necessarily agree with any given political message. But to place any limits on how a person might use his own private property to express his political views is sheer tyranny. If a man cannot put a sign on his own land, what is there that he is allowed to say or do?

            Only if concerned citizens object to this violation of a free man’s sacred liberties can further such travesties be averted. The following contact information might assist those wishing to express their concern to the county officials.

Department of Environmental Management

512 S. Ft. Harrison

Clearwater, FL 33756

Phone: (727) 464-4761

Fax: (727) 464-3174

The property in question is located at

1780 Kenesaw Ln
Clearwater, FL 33765
 

G. Stolyarov II is a science fiction novelist, independent philosophical essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer, contributor to Enter Stage Right, Le Quebecois Libre,  Rebirth of Reason, and the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Senior Writer for The Liberal Institute, weekly columnist for GrasstopsUSA.com, and Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator, a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress. Mr. Stolyarov also publishes his articles on Helium.com and Associated Content to assist the spread of rational ideas. His newest science fiction novel is Eden against the Colossus. His latest non-fiction treatise is A Rational Cosmology. His most recent play is Implied Consent. Mr. Stolyarov can be contacted at gennadystolyarovii@yahoo.com.

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