Andrew Blewer wasn’t discussing the merits of the Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project. He chose instead to single out Lumon May by referencing “skin pigment,” a detail that was not only irrelevant but clearly racialized. When asked directly why skin color mattered, Blewer admitted it shouldn’t—which only underscored that there was no legitimate reason to raise it in the first place.

That’s the key point:
If race is irrelevant, bringing it up is a choice. And in a public, governmental setting, that choice has consequences.
The situation escalated further when Blewer followed up with a “chicken dinner” remark—an unmistakable racial trope. At that moment, the issue moved beyond inappropriate commentary into overtly racist signaling. The reaction from them where it has no relevance. The commission handled this audience and the board wasn’t hysteria; it was a collective recognition of a line being crossed.

Ashlee Hofberger acted exactly as a chair is supposed to act: she enforced decorum, protected a fellow commissioner from targeted abuse, and maintained the integrity of the meeting. Public comment is not a free pass to demean elected officials or inject racial stereotypes under the guise of civic engagement.

Commissioner Steven Barry was also correct: no one is obligated to sit silently through racist or sexist remarks simply because they’re delivered at a microphone.

Finally, Commissioner May’s decision to respond with humor afterward shouldn’t be misconstrued as minimizing what happened. If anything, it demonstrated composure and restraint in the face of disrespect—something Blewer himself failed to show.

Bottom line:
This wasn’t censorship. It was accountability. Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences, especially when speech is used to single out someone’s race in a public foruappropriately, professionally, and within its authority.

You are right. He has the right to say whatever he wants no matter how stupid and ignorant. That does not mean there are no consequences to saying what you want.

Go curse your boss out and call them racial slurs. See if you get to keep your job, but I agree you have the “right” to say it.