Owner of Florida dine posts irreverent messages on marquee insulting town mayor and chief of police

Publish date: 2024-05-22

A business owner in Fort Pierce, Florida, has been driving officials in the coastal town bonkers with his weekly messages on the marquee of his diner, Sweeties.

Irreverent at times, often rude and always a woke warrior's worst enemy, the messages routinely take aim at the chief of police and the mayor.

And Sweeties, partly owned by 63-year-old Rick Reed, happens to be at the highest-traffic corner of the city. It's a forced passage for thousands of motorists to I-95, the area's transportation lifeline.

Last week's sign reads: 'What do you call a lesbian dinosaur? Lickalotofp***'

While borderline homophobic and fat-shaming, the words are believed by some to be directed at Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney and Mayor Linda Hudson.

Reed won't fess up to it, telling DailyMail.com that associating either the chief or the mayor with lesbian dinosaurs would be 'an insult to lesbian dinosaurs everywhere.'

Rick Reed, 63, is part owner of Sweeties diner in Fort Pierce, Florida, and has used the restaurant's marquee to leave irreverent messages. This week's is directed at the town's mayor as he's posted her phone number for all to see

Rick Reed, 63, is part owner of Sweeties diner in Fort Pierce, Florida, and has used the restaurant's marquee to leave irreverent messages. This week's is directed at the town's mayor as he's posted her phone number for all to see

Last week's sign reads: 'What do you call a lesbian dinosaur? Lickalotofp***'. The joke is believed to be directed at the police chief and mayor, though Reed denies it

Last week's sign reads: 'What do you call a lesbian dinosaur? Lickalotofp***'. The joke is believed to be directed at the police chief and mayor, though Reed denies it

Many motorists in the blue-collar coastal city who see his signs get to speculate on the identity of the target of his sarcasm, something that creates a buzz about his diner without spending a dime on advertising.

Reed, however, has had unmistakable, crystal clear insults for the chief, a 27-year veteran law enforcer who he has nicknamed Hobley-Bobley, and Mayor Linda Hudson over the years.

Some of his favorite signs aimed at the chief include:

The mayor, too, has been the target of his scorn:

Many of Reed's words on the marquee are directed at Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney Many of Reed's words on the marquee are directed at Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson

Many of Reed's words on the marquee are directed at Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney or Mayor Linda Hudson

Reed has gone so far as to take a jab at both of them, with one Halloween-themed sign reading: 'If the mayor and police chief lived together, they'd be broom-mates'

Reed has gone so far as to take a jab at both of them, with one Halloween-themed sign reading: 'If the mayor and police chief lived together, they'd be broom-mates'

Occasionally, Reed has gone after both, with one sign reading: 'Buy a mayor, get a half-baked chief of police.'

And a Halloween-themed sign appeared in late October, reading: 'If the mayor and police chief lived together, they'd be broom-mates'

Much of the criticism about his signs, Reed says, comes from Fort Pierce City Hall. 

Mayor Hudson emailed a short comment, about the Lickalotofp*** sign, one hinting that motorists may have complained. 'The city of Fort Pierce is a beautiful, diverse community and welcomes the sharing of ideas and thoughts openly,' she said

Mayor Hudson emailed a short comment, about the Lickalotofp*** sign, one hinting that motorists may have complained. 'The city of Fort Pierce is a beautiful, diverse community and welcomes the sharing of ideas and thoughts openly,' she said

In one instance the sign read that city hall was run like a wh**ehouse. That resulted in a call from the city manager asking him, nicely and respectfully, to take it down.

Reed refused.

Another time, he received a visit from the police's Head of Internal Affairs with the same request about the sign asking for a new chief, and he escorted the cop off the diner's property.

Over the years, Reed says, he has never taken a sign down, including the one addressed to no one in particular that read 'Team work: One buttcheek says to the other, together we can stop this sh*t.'

'Sometimes I just try to have something funny out there for motorists,' he says. 'I don't always mean anything political by it.

'The signs are what they are. I'm not sure they offend anyone. For me, it's all about the First Amendment.'

Besides, he says, there's nothing more American than a citizen holding public officials' feet to the fire.

'The signs have become somewhat of an institution in town,' he says. 'I have no promotion or advertisement budget, but I do have a lot of people who come in because of the signs. We've got good food, so they likely become regular customers.'

City officials, meanwhile, either ignored or failed to respond to DailyMail.com's requests for comment.

Only Mayor Hudson emailed a short comment, about the Lickalotofp*** sign, one hinting that motorists may have complained.

'The city of Fort Pierce is a beautiful, diverse community and welcomes the sharing of ideas and thoughts openly,' the mayor wrote in an email to DailyMail.com. 'After further review by the city staff and consultation with the city attorney, it was determined that the sign in question does not violate the city of Fort Pierce's code of ordinances.'

Reed has had unmistakable, crystal clear insults for Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney, a 27-year veteran law enforcer, who he has nicknamed Hobley-Bobley

Reed has had unmistakable, crystal clear insults for Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney, a 27-year veteran law enforcer, who he has nicknamed Hobley-Bobley

One sign directed at the police chief read:  'Law enforcement week: All LEO receive 20% off, except Hobley-Bobley'

One sign directed at the police chief read:  'Law enforcement week: All LEO receive 20% off, except Hobley-Bobley'

The chief of police (center) was suspended by the Fort Pierce city manager for five days after allegedly making what Reed deemed to be 'threatening' comments to him. Reed is considered by the city's political establishment to be a pest who scrutinizes their every move in city hall meetings and through public records

The chief of police (center) was suspended by the Fort Pierce city manager for five days after allegedly making what Reed deemed to be 'threatening' comments to him. Reed is considered by the city's political establishment to be a pest who scrutinizes their every move in city hall meetings and through public records

Hudson declined further comment because the city is currently in litigation with Reed, who filed a $2.5 million lawsuit in July 2020 in federal court.

He claimed city officials, including Hobley-Burney, Hudson and others violated his civil rights by using the police department to harass him with incessant traffic stops.

The complaint says that Reed claims he started being harassed by the chief of police in April 2016, and that she had officers stop him repeatedly and issue traffic violations or warnings.

Over the years, records show he's been stopped for a broken light near his license plate, speeding and an improper stop.

A former unsuccessful mayoral candidate, Reed opened Sweeties a little more than six years ago as a throwback to the 1950s.

The joint is named after his maternal grandmother, whose nickname was Sweetie.

In the diner's website, Reed describes his passion as ensuring that 'our local government employees, police officials and elected officials (are) accountable to the taxpayer.'

But Reed is considered by the city's political establishment to be a pest who scrutinizes their every move in city hall meetings and through public records.

He's been forcibly removed from meetings and has been issued a trespassing ticket for refusing to leave city hall.

'Fort Pierce Police theme song: Send in the clowns. BLT or burger fries $5.99' one sign read

'Fort Pierce Police theme song: Send in the clowns. BLT or burger fries $5.99' one sign read

The chief of police was suspended by the Fort Pierce city manager for five days after allegedly making what Reed deemed to be 'threatening' comments to him. 

Reed says the chief visited him after he sided with the family of an unarmed 21-year-old black motorist with no criminal record who was shot in the back and killed by patrolmen as he allegedly fled a traffic stop in April 2016.

Reed sided with those asking for the U.S. Department of Justice to step into the investigation, something he says the chief didn't appreciate.

'She told me her son would get me,' Reed said. 'He has a drug-related criminal record, so I took it as a threat.'

In court, too, Reed has already gotten under city officials' skin.

In 2019, he filed yet another federal lawsuit after City Commissioner Jeremiah Johnson blocked Reed from accessing his Twitter feed.

The men reached a settlement seven months after Reed filed that reads: 'If the First Amendment means anything, it means that the best respond to disfavored speech on matters of public concern is more speech, not less.'

Reed was so proud of the way the settlement read that he framed the choice parts and hung them in the diner.

So, there's little chance Reed will cool it with the signs anytime soon.

And if some of them sound sexist or homophobic or fat-shaming, he doesn't care.  Everybody who knows him, he says, know he doesn't tolerate discrimination.

And for those who may still not like the signs, Reed had another message on his sign: 'Complain at 1-800-EAT-SH*T'

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