Penney Farms Fails First Amendment Test

Some Residents Unaware Sidewalks Are Public Property

Jeff Gray has a peculiar profession. He travels the country holding a “magic cardboard mirror” that he says reflects what’s in the hearts of people he meets. Gray does this to test locals’ and law enforcement’s knowledge of the First Amendment. He posts videos of his interactions on his YouTube channel for all the world to see. Recently, he visited the town of Penney Farms, and the reflection was not so flattering.

Gray visited Penney Farms and stood on a sidewalk, waving at passersby while holding a cardboard sign that reads “God Bless the Homeless-Vets.” Most people smiled and waved, but eventually someone approached Gray and told him he was on private property and needed to leave. Another lady then insisted she would call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office if Gray didn’t leave immediately.

Gray, who understands that Florida Statutes establish sidewalks adjacent to public roadways as public property, politely declined. Eventually, the Sheriff’s Office was called. Upon arrival, the CCSO deputy confirmed that Gray was right.

The interaction with Gray is odd for Penney Farms, as it is the only local municipality to stay out of the news. But this incident offers a rare bit of bad press that could have been avoided.

Penney Farms was founded in the 1920s by James Cash Penney, the renowned department store magnate behind the J.C. Penney chain. In 1922, Penney acquired approximately 120,000 acres of land west of Green Cove Springs with the ambitious vision of creating an experimental farming community based on his “Golden Rule” business principles. Families who met strict moral criteria—no alcohol or tobacco use, and strong character references—were granted 40 acres to clear, farm, and develop, earning ownership after two years of productive work. By 1927, the town was officially incorporated, boasting around 300 buildings, including a general store, post office, and agricultural training institute. Penney also established the Memorial Home Community in honor of his Baptist preacher father, providing housing for retired ministers and Christian workers.

Today, Penney Farms remains a quiet, rural township with a population of around 900, including over 500 residents in the retirement community. The town, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, preserves its heritage through the Historical Society of Penney Farms, which operates a museum in the old fire department building.

But the retirees in Penney Farms aren’t the only locals to be bested by Gray. The YouTuber recently visited the Asbury Plantation neighborhood on Henley Road, where, once again, people unaware of the law called CCSO to investigate, just to confirm that Gray was doing nothing wrong.

Gray’s most famous local visit took place in 2022 at Spring Park Coffee in Green Cove. On that day, Gray was holding a sign that appeared to have a less-than-family-friendly message. The sign caught Steven Kelly's attention, who owns Spring Park Coffee and was a member of the Green Cove City Council. Kelly called the Green Cove PD, whose officers aggressively trespassed Gray, with one officer going as far as to call Gray an idiot.

The interactions here in Clay County highlight a nationwide problem: many people don’t understand laws regarding free speech in public. The smartest thing to do when interacting with someone like Jeff Gray is to remember the wisdom from the early days of the internet- don’t feed the trolls.