The answer is HELL NO!
Their PIO Katie Heck posted the following under all posts they do not like.
By posting the following below Katie Heck is in violation of the following: 1st Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
From a Facebook post by Heck “The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District maintains several social media platforms for the purpose of engaging and interacting with the residents and visitors of Lehigh Acres. These platforms are maintained for the purpose of providing relevant and timely community news, distributing fire prevention and public safety tips, and for the purpose of providing urgent notifications of critical incidents.
If an individual wishes to use a social media platform of the District’s, the individual, by using the District’s social media platform, is agreeing to abide by the District’s Social Media Guidelines and Terms/Rules of Use, as an initial and ongoing condition of the use of the District’s social media platform. These guidelines are posted on our website here: https://www.lehighfd.com/community/page/community-outreach “
The Fire department believes that the citizens, taxpayers and the media should follow their rules under Standard Operating Guidelines or SOG #100.09.00 Date adopted Dec 18, 2019.
At states:
“All social media platforms used by the District are designated as Limited Public Forums and are subject to the control of the District. Posting of any content on any social media platform of the District by any visitor, follower, subscriber or fan, constitutes the user’s agreement and acceptance of the terms/rules of use described in this Social Media Guidelines document and any other directive of the District.”
The Fire Department cannot remove any post or block anyone for any of these platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn without violating the law. If President Trump cannot remove the post or block people and Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District cannot do it ever.
It also states:
“Users of the District’s social media platforms are responsible for complying with the requirements of the District’s Social Media Guidelines and for periodically re-reading the District’s Social Media Guidelines to ensure continued compliance with the Social Media Guidelines since the Social Media Guidelines are subject to unilateral change by the District and may be altered or amended by the District, as necessary, in the District’s sole discretion.”
As citizens of Lehigh Acres, taxpayers and media are going apply the standards under policies of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn platforms only. In addition, as your participation is as a government (Fire Dept paid by tax dollars) entity obligated under the first amendment in your public forum those are the rules contrary to your rules desire to prevent petitions and free speech.
Also states:
“The District, in the District’s sole discretion, can restrict or prohibit the use of any social media platform of the District by anyone, including anyone who has violated the District’s Social Media Guidelines, up to and including the banning of anyone from the use of the District’s social media platform. The District may consider issuing a warning SOG 100.09.00 District Social Media Platform Page 5 message to a user before a user is restricted or banned from using any social media platform of the District; however, the District is not required to do so.”
Who cannot hold citizens, taxpayers, and media to our fire department SOG standards, period!!
We are calling for the immediate removal of Katie Heck and Asst, Chief Ralph Ketron who issued the SOG and the removal of Fire Chief Robert DiLallo for approving it.
My point of view is that the fire dept is corrupt, overpaid, and the management needs to be replaced.