Photos for Headline Surfer / Matt Morgan is a retired professional wrestler who starred in WWE and TNA wrestling, from 2002 to 2017, came out ofd retirement last year for one final match - - a tag-team contest on the independent circuit. The 7-footer ran for public office, defeating incumbent Mark Weller as District 4 City Commissioner of Longwood, Florida. He became the mayor of Longwood on May 7, 2019. Morgan, a registered Republican, has since qualified to challenge incumbent Bob Dallari for his Dis 1 seat on the Seminole County Board of Commissioners in the 2020 Elections.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
LONGWOOD, Fla. -- Matt Morgan, pro wrestler turned Longwood mayor and now 2020 candidate for higher office, reacted to Seminole County's mask mandate issued Monday, incencensed with the process - primarily that municipal leaders weren't consulted or given the opportunity to discuss the issue beforehand.
Here is Morgan's take from his Facebook page on Monday in response to Seminole County's msask wearing mandate that goes into effect Wednesday (July 1):
I could say that I was even a part of the conversation, let alone the decision making on this latest Executive Order from Seminole County. While I LOVE our county chairman and respect him both professionally and personally a great deal, I was disappointed all of the other Mayors & I were NOT even given a conference call on this. I just thought the way we HAD handled this virus, public safety, and everything else that comes with it, was done in a much better fashion by having all hands on deck, like we have had every other past step of the way during this virus!
That is -- until today’s press conference.
For whatever reason, the city mayors, for the first time during this virus, were not privy to a conference call or at least a group email. Our city managers, however, were.
.As I understand it, what was ordered by Seminole County today was way more restrictive than what was proposed to the city managers on Friday. Regardless, whether you want more restriction or less restriction that’s not my point here. I’m just saying each city should have had their Mayors apart of this like all the other EO’s to voice their city’s take on whichever way that city & its residents felt.
When this virus first hit, we were all being made part of the process I felt by including the mayors. By having the mayor and city manager included? I feel you’re getting a much better representation of what the citizens from each city really want!
This is the disconnect that comes at times between our city government and county government unfortunately here in Seminole. And One of these days, I promise I will end that disaconnect
! I think the most difficult part about this for me, is the fact that we also have un-elected people making straight up decisions for the entire county, and during the most important times of decision making! I don’t believe that’s fair. I don’t think you can go wrong whenever you include as many residents in the decision making process as possible. Especially, I will argue, after we now have a little bit better understanding of this virus now.
So, Why not include your small business owners and citizens, now not only protecting everybody’s civil liberties, but let everybody across the board feel like they were part of this process?! There’s more emotional investment that way too, I’ll argue. You wouldn’t have so much infighting in our own backyard between the great mask debate either! Because you’ve included everybody.
This is literally the definition of when I say I’m your conduit! It’s not about what one, or multiple elected officials think! It’s supposed to be about what the majority of our residents think, and we are supposed to be your voice! Nothing more nothing less.
Seminole County I thought did a very good job early on with this virus by having the mayors (being) a part of this. Worst case scenario, at least our Seminole county Government and un-elected decision makers would get to hear potential disagreements to maybe make more informed decisions. And the most important part: The people that each city’s residents voted into office as their city's representation on hearing & being their voices would make damn sure that that each city’s voice was heard. #STRONGWOOD
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About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.