Republican candidate for Brevard Commission defends advocating for masks, vaccines, attempt to limit public comment

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Republican candidate for Brevard’s District 1 Commission seat Robert Jordan defended his previous comments after a Florida’s Voice investigation revealed he previously pushed masks and vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jordan also wanted to limit public comment of speakers during a city council meeting in 2020.

Jordan is one candidate running for the seat which contains the towns of Cocoa, Scottsmoor, Mims, Titusville, Port St. John, Canaveral Groves and Sharpes. The seat is currently held by Rita Pritchett, who cannot run in 2024 due to term limits.

A Florida’s Voice investigation revealed during a special city council meeting on July 2, 2020, Jordan pushed mask-wearing during discussion of a resolution that encouraged citizens to wear masks.

“This resolution that we have basically is only saying as the leadership of Titusville, Florida, a place that we all love. We want you all to wear masks inside if you cannot exercise that six foot distance,” Jordan said.

“Please just wear the mask, it’s not that hard. To say that my rights are higher than life, is wrong. It is totally, totally wrong,” Jordan said.

Jordan said if there is an “opportunity” to “save ourselves” from big [coronavirus] numbers by “just wearing a mask,” he said locals should “do it.”

“I think we should do it. Does that make sense?” Jordan said.

His proposal caused an uproar by those in attendance.

Jordan is listed as a Republican, however, was a Democrat until 2017, he confirmed. Jordan told Florida’s Voice he switched because “it became increasingly apparent that my ideas, values, and beliefs were more aligned with the Republican party.”

Jordan serves as the chairman of the Parrish Hospital Board of Directors, chairman, president and CEO of Genesis VII, and is is the former Vice Mayor or Titusville.

Jordan told Florida’s Voice that during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, there were “a lot of unknowns” and that he advocated “following the advice we received from our Public Health Officials to do anything and everything possible to ensure the health of our community.”

In a statement to Florida’s Voice, Jordan said “it is also very important to know” that he has been the president and chairman of Viera Charter School “since it’s inception.”

“As a staunch advocate of education and parental freedom of choice, our school policies on masking aligned with the value of parental choice. Unlike the Brevard County School Board, Viera Charter school fully supported Parents Freedom to Choose Executive order issue by Governor DeSantis,” Jordan said.

Jordan raised the most money so far in the race at $168,000. Jordan gave a $100,000 loan to his own campaign, according to the supervisor of elections office.

Democrat Bryan Edward Bobbitt has raised $6,220 while Republican Katie Delaney has raised $1,840, Libertarian Party candidate Nathan Ray Slusher raised $2,895.

Pushing the vaccine

Jordan’s Facebook page shows multiple posts promoting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“When you can, get the shot please,” Jordan wrote in 2021.

“As Chairman of Parrish Medical Center, I saw firsthand how so many came into the hospital, was put on a respirator, and died in the ICU, they suffered miserably, their family suffered, and it was a horrible experience for all of us who are in healthcare,” Jordan said.

Jordan said he “doesn’t fault” anyone who did not want to receive the vaccine.

“I even hesitated to receive the first two dosages but after seeing the consequences of how it devastated people’s lives gave me pause and I chose to receive it,” Jordan said.

Limiting public speaking comments

On April 28, 2020, Jordan argued for limiting time for public speakers to 10 minutes for total speaking time during public comment at a city council meeting. This means if someone signed up for multiple agenda items and exceeded 10 minutes in total – 2 minutes each – they would be cut off.

“There is always someone who wants to take advantage of the system and become belligerent when they can’t have more time or want to talk off subject,” Jordan told Florida’s Voice.

“The requirement was, if I remember, if the member of the public wanted to speak on 3 or more items, then the allotted time was 2 minutes each up to 10 minutes which I believe is fair based on other city’s requirements,” Jordan said during the meeting.

Jordan told Florida’s Voice he agreed to limit the time based on “a desire to run an effective and efficient meeting.”