A woman was escorted from a Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners meeting in Florida on Wednesday after playing a recording of the Islamic call to prayer during the public-comment period, according to the supplied report.
The woman, dressed in black clothing that covered her from head to toe except for her left eye, approached the podium while commissioners were hearing from residents. Instead of speaking, she played the recording. The report said it ran for nearly a minute. It did not establish whether she intended the act as a protest or a prank.
Board Chairman Dave Eggers stopped the recording and told the woman that county rules require speakers to make verbal comments rather than play recordings. He asked her to stop the audio. When she did not comply, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy escorted her from the meeting room and the building.
The removal prompted an argument among people in the audience, with some shouting at Eggers over the decision. He asked those present to remain courteous and said the board’s rules prohibit recorded material being played as a substitute for a comment. He distinguished that restriction from recording the meeting itself, which he said is allowed.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the woman was escorted from the premises without further incident and would not face criminal charges, according to the report. The supplied account does not identify the woman or provide her explanation for playing the recording.
The incident took place during a public meeting where residents were addressing the county commission. The available information describes the board’s response as an enforcement of its public-comment procedure; it does not provide additional details about the rule’s wording or any subsequent action by the commission.
