We were informed that the owner of “The Snowball experience” and the “Laughing Crab” which are front and center at the entrance to the festival is convicted and registered sex offender Charles Manslin. (According to court documents, he was convicted and admitted to abusing a 9 year old boy for years)
- Advertisement -
A simple google search of the snowball experience results in the very first result being a petition to have him removed from the streets of Maryland.
Brevard County law prohibits him from residing within 1000 ft of a school or park. According to other vendors here, he’s been “living” at Space Coast Daily Park, which they lease from the Viera Company, for 3 weeks. Anything over 3 days is considered a transient residence.
Offenders are also prohibited from being in those same locations among other restrictions.
According to other vendors, this particular vendor has worked with Space Coast Daily for many events and often, as in this case, is allotted the most sought after vendor locations at the events.
It is not clear what relationship Giles Malone and Space COAST daily have with this establishment or if they are aware of his status and restrictions. It’s also not clear if there are any other registered offenders/predators that are working these events that are at this park, and surrounded by several schools and daycares all within the 1000 ft restrictions.
We are here to get answers and inform the public and law enforcement.
MUST READ UPDATE:
We’d like to provide the latest on Space Coast Daily allowing an convicted/admitted/registered child sex offender serve children from his businesses The Snow Cone Experience and The Laughing Crab. (Links to his sex predator status and cases are in the post below)
The most alarming thing we’ve discovered after contacting law enforcement is that Brevard County’s ordinance regarding sex offenders offers an exception for the 1000 ft restriction applied to offenders from schools, parks, daycares, etc. The exemption is that they are allowed within those areas as long as they are gainfully employed. Which means, that although otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed there, they are allowed to work there. When we asked BCSO if that means that every single worker at the fairs and events that Space Coast Daily is hosting in Viera and elsewhere can be a registered sex offender, the answer was yes. So the person who is strapping (touching) your child into a ride, handing them a toy, food, etc can be, and in this case is a registered sex offender.
Here is a link to the ordinance. Specifically referencing Sec. 74-102 (b)(7).
What BCSO is attempting to arrest him on his failing to register as a transient resident. Any registered offender that is here longer than 3 days must register with the County. This individual failed to do so, as he admitted in the video to us, he has been here for 3 weeks. However, when BCSO questioned him at Space Coast Daily Strawberry Festival, he and his employees stated they were only there for a couple of days. The investigation is on-going.
As stated in the video, this child sex offender has had a longstanding business relationship with Space Coast Daily and Giles Malone who he names specifically in the video. According to him, their relationship pre-dates the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although it appears that Space Coast Daily is certainly aware of his sexual predator status, it’s not clear if The Viera Company, who leases the land to Space Coast Daily is aware that they are allowing child sexual predators to occupy and possibly live/camp on the property while serving children in the process.
We brought up the exemption to the county ordinance to the Brevard County Commission and pointed out that it likely conflicts with Florida law, in that the state law does not provide this employment exemption that the county does.
In addition, Space Coast Daily recently received a tourism grant of nearly $20,000 in tax payer funds to subsidize their events which, as we now know, employ registered child sex offenders at a park, next to several schools and daycares.
There are several other serious issues that have been brought to our attention by vendors and other business partners with Space Coast Daily not related to their doing business with sex offenders that we will be covering soon.
In the meantime, the public should be aware that unless they request for the name of each vendor/employee working at these events, they have no way of knowing how many registered sex offenders Space Coast Daily has partnered with. Many parents drop off their older children at these kinds of events assuming they are safe from these threats, as the individuals would normally be restricted from them. However, because of the county exemption, and Space Coast Daily’s willingness to employ them, children are likely to come into contact with a sexual predator if they attend these events in the future and no changes have been made.
We suggested that if Space Coast Daily continues to be granted a special events permit from the county, and especially tax payer funded grants, then at a minimum, all registered sex offenders working these events should be posted on a sign with a photo at the ticket booth.
The Brevard County Commission will likely be discussing the issue in an upcoming meeting. Citizens are also encouraged to notify The Viera Company directly if they are against the way that their land is currently being used by Space Coast Daily.
Below is the lease agreement for Space Coast Daily Park with the Viera Company which we obtained from a public records request. According to the agreement itself, it was not to be filed with public records and may violate the terms of the lease.
