Video: Barbecue Brouhaha Goes Viral

Check out the video at the bottom of this post. WARNING: It contains some graphic language.

The smoky smells of a backyard barbecue wafting through the air might serve to make some people’s mouths water, but in Pinellas County runaway scents can add up to trouble.

At least that’s the case for a St. Petersburg man who has logged 15 smoke and odor complaints since September 2014. The city of St. Petersburg also cited him for possession of commercial grilling equipment in a residential neighborhood.

When Pinellas County Air Quality sent out an inspector recently to share the latest complaint, resident Scotty Jordan shot a video of the exchange. In the video, the inspector explains to Jordan that county code states smoke from his barbecue cannot leave his property. It’s OK, the inspector explained, for barbecue smells to be present on a person’s property, but they cannot be evident from the street.

The county insists it did not send an inspector out to hassle a man for barbecuing, but to make him aware that “objectionable” smoke and odors are a concern.

“Pinellas County Air Quality has regulatory responsibility countywide and is obligated to respond to citizens’ complaints,” the county wrote in an email to media. “It is important to note that the county was not there to regulate barbecue grilling. A complaint was received about objectionable smoke and odor and an environmental specialist investigated the situation. The county has not issued any citations and there is no ordinance banning residential backyard barbecuing.”

Citation or not, the video Jordan posted on Facebook is fueling the flames of controversy with more than 4 million views so far. Some say the incident demonstrates an out-of-control bureaucracy while African-American activists say the confrontation adds up to harassment.

It is unclear what, if any, action will be taken if Jordan doesn’t control the smoke leaving his property.

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