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VIERA, FL — While the neon lights of the Space Coast Daily Fair at 5775 Stadium Parkway promised “family fun” last November, a 17-year-old boy nearly lost his life in the dirt of a rodeo pen—revealing a catastrophic oversight.
The recovery of Walker “Hollywood” Smith is being hailed as nothing short of a miracle. After being stomped by a 1,200-pound bull after a 3-second ride on November 15, 2024, the junior bull-rider was given a 1-10% chance of survival. He suffered two collapsed lungs, brain bleeding, and a series of micro-strokes that left him in a state of “locked-in syndrome.” Walker however defied the odds at Brooks Rehabilitation, regaining his voice and movement.
But as Walker continues to fight his way back, a Space Coast Rocket investigation into Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) reports reveals a disturbing web of negligence, questionable legal waivers, and public silence the fair’s organizers—who also happen to own a local county media outlet. It’s the latest in a string of legal and safety incidents as Space Coast Daily Park.
According to BCSO Case Report 2024-00370148, the investigation into the incident quickly pivoted from a sports accident to a major crimes inquiry. At the center of the controversy is a liability release form that should have never been accepted.
Walker, a minor at the time, was allowed to compete in the dangerous bull-riding event without his parents’ knowledge or consent. Records show the liability waiver was signed by Talor Marie Heidt, a 26-year-old woman identified in reports as Walker’s adult girlfriend.
When questioned by Deputy Leme Santiago, an event staffer in charge of the forms, Sandra Barnes, made a startling admission: she does not check IDs when people sign liability waivers. Furthermore, a man at the scene initially presented himself in a manner that led officials to believe he was Walker’s father. In reality, Walker’s actual parents, Daniel and Sandra Smith, were in Tallahassee and had no idea their son was even in Brevard County, let alone riding a bull at the fair according to the investigative reports. They only learned of the incident when they received a call from the hospital informing them their son was on life support.
Walker’s father stated to deputies that because his son was over the age of fifteen and a professional rider, parental consent was not required. However, under Florida law, the age of majority is 18, and minors generally cannot legally sign or be bound by liability waivers without a parent or legal guardian’s verified consent.
The most glaring “incident” following the accident was the silence. Space Coast Daily, the organizer of the fair that has received grants from county tax-dollars, is also a local news platform. While national outlets like TMZ, The New York Post, and local stations across Florida covered the “Teen Bull Rider Stomped” story, Space Coast Daily’s own website and social media pages remained eerily silent about the near-fatal event occurring under its own watch. They even promoted the “Pro Bull Riding Show” the very next day while Walker was in the hospital on life support.
This lack of reporting highlights a growing concern among Viera residents regarding the “closed-loop” nature of the Space Coast Daily Fair management. When the people running the event are also the people reporting on the event, public safety information becomes a casualty of brand protection. In fact, not a single Central Florida media outlet covered the incident, likely because no local journalists actually knew about the incident until now. Most media coverage came from Walker’s hometown and outlets specific to bull riding.
This is not the first time management at these fairgrounds has faced scrutiny. As we’ve reported, a notorious convicted child sexual predator named Charles “Chuck” Maslin operated for years with Space Coast Daily at their events since 2016 according to Giles Malone himself. Our reporting lead to a change in the County ordinance that once contained a loophole allowing sexual predators like Maslin to work at parks as he was doing with Space Coast Daily for years because he was “gainfully employed.” Once the Brevard County Commission became aware of this practice, they promptly changed the ordinance.
Similarly, in 2023, Space Coast Daily had another convicted child sexual predator Chasyn Rance performing for it’s wrestling events and featured him specifically during their interviews and promotions. Rance was just arrested again this year on three felony counts of providing false sexual offender registration information and three felony counts of failing to comply with sexual offender reporting requirements.
In 2016, one of their parking attendants was killed by a drunk driver who was leaving their fair. Troopers said there was low-lighting in the area where the driver drove over the cones and hit the victim.
Just this year, two teens from Viera High were struck and injured by a vehicle driven by a fair worker leaving the fairgrounds that lacked the legal documents to operate the vehicle. The driver, identified as Laird McEwen Brown of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was cited for failure to stop, expired registration, and for improperly exiting through an entrance. Also after running the insurance, the policy presented was invalid according to reports.
Last month in a separate legal proceeding, Giles Malone testified under oath that he does not conduct background checks on the people working at their events.
The Investigation Details:
All of the BCSO reports are embedded at the end of this article.
While the BCSO has closed the case as “Information Only,” the questions remaining for the fair’s management are far from answered. How does a 17-year-old sign away his life with the signature of a 26-year-old “girlfriend”? Why are IDs not checked for high-risk activities? And why did the “news” outlet hosting the event not even publicly acknowledge the incident while still promoting the very same event?
Walker Smith is a hero for his resilience. His recovery is a testament to his spirit and the skill of his medical team. But the management of the Space Coast Daily Fair may present a liability to the community, proving once again that when “fun” is prioritized over “protocol,” it is our children who pay the price in the dirt.
Do you have information about safety concerns at the Space Coast Daily Fair? Contact The Space Coast Rocket.
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