Incident at Pinellas County Commissioners Meeting

A woman dressed in a burka was removed from a meeting of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday after she played a recording of the Islamic call to prayer during the public comment section.

As the board listened to comments from residents, the woman, who was completely covered except for her left eye, approached the podium. Instead of making a verbal statement, she activated the recording, which is commonly known as the adhan.

It remains unclear whether her action was intended as a protest or simply a prank.

The audio lasted nearly a minute until Board Chairman Dave Eggers intervened, reminding everyone that county rules require verbal comments from public speakers, not recordings.

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to stop… stop the music, stop the tape,” he instructed.

When the woman did not comply, a deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office came up and escorted her out of the meeting room and the building.

This prompted immediate unrest among the audience, with several attendees expressing their dissent and arguing with Eggers over the decision to remove her.

Eggers urged the crowd to maintain a respectful atmosphere. “Please, just please exercise some decorum and kindness of your own,” he said. “We’re all people living together here.” He also took a moment to explain the board’s regulations regarding public comments.

“We don’t allow taped things,” he stated. “You can record the meeting, but we don’t allow taped activity like that. We ask you to come here and make comments, and that was not a comment. That’s why she was asked to step out.”

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the woman was escorted without any further incidents and will not be facing any criminal charges.