May 10, 2025 08:20 ET | Source: Redington Shores Civil Liberty Coalition | Submitted by Concerned Citizens of Pinellas County
Redington Shores, Fla., May 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — What began as a minor beach incident involving a scooter and a bird has turned into a high-profile case that many are now calling an abuse of public power, driven by political bias, activist manipulation, and an online smear campaign.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), led by Officer Jody Criswell, is facing accusations of politically motivated retaliation after filing felony animal cruelty charges against Vitaliy Kravchenko, a Redington Beach resident, based on zero physical evidence at the scene, a decomposed bird exhumed weeks later, and a video provided by a politically charged witness.
From Scooter to Scandal: The Making of an Assinine Case
On July 19, 2024, Kravchenko was filmed riding an electric scooter along the sand near 17900 Gulf Blvd. In the video, a bird can be seen striking the rear tire of the scooter mid-flight before flying away from the scene. There was no visible injury at the time, no blood, no carcass at the scene, and no attempt by the witness to recover the bird.
The video, recorded and published by complainant Robert Truesdell, can be viewed publicly here: https://youtu.be/APfhgWk-DsU?si=odsQKw9izui0X4SG
Despite this, Truesdell reported the incident as intentional cruelty. By the next day, Audubon-affiliated volunteers claimed to have found and buried a dead bird in the general area — with no photographs, no timestamp, no independent confirmation, and no forensic chain of custody. Weeks later, the bird was dug up after a hurricane, and Officer Criswell, who was not originally involved, moved to build a felony case.
A Fanatic With a Camera and an Agenda
Robert Truesdell, the self-declared witness, is far from a neutral observer. He operates a website — https://loveflorida.net — where he has published thousands of videos documenting birds, beachgoers, and confrontations with the public. His digital archive shows an extreme fixation on documenting beachgoers’ behavior, with a repeated emphasis on trying to eliminate electric scooters and vehicles from beaches entirely.
In fact, in a separate video of two riders using EVs on the beach, Truesdell openly states:
“This is exactly what I’m talking about. This is why I’m trying to get all scooters and EVs banned from the beach indefinitely.” https://youtu.be/frS_lw0PwYs?si=dOW5s3tEfP_db6jr
Public YouTube comments posted on his own videos reveal contradictions and a retaliatory mindset:
- @Stevenhatteraway-f1h points out the bird “does not even look injured” and questions why Truesdell was filming. He observes that the bird appears to dive into the scooter mid-flight and that there’s no footage of it failing to fly afterward.
- @Ryan-Malize calls the story “spun out of control,” stating PEV riders are being unfairly targeted while no one aided the bird.
Truesdell (@lovefloridanet) replies that it was “too dark to record when it tried to fly,” confirming there is no video of the bird injured or grounded. He further blames all scooter riders for harassing volunteers, calling them “jerks” and stating his goal is to remove them from the beaches permanently.
“These comments show that this wasn’t about wildlife preservation — it was about controlling who gets to use the beach, and using legal citations, social shaming, and video recordings as tools to do it,” said one observer.
Politically Charged Backdrop: The Redington Beach Connection
This incident is closely tied to Vitaliy Kravchenko’s ongoing federal lawsuit filed in 2022 against the Town of Redington Beach, which alleges violations of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, including freedom of speech and political discrimination. The lawsuit was filed after town officials began issuing fines for Kravchenko parking a Trump-themed vehicle on his private property — an action he contends was purely retaliatory.
Importantly, the individuals who identified Mr. Kravchenko to FWC after the scooter video surfaced were Mayor David Will and Officer Tony DeAngelo — both of whom are named in the federal lawsuit for alleged ongoing harassment. Their referral to FWC is viewed as a continuation of the retaliation already underway.
Biased Media Coverage and Online Harassment Campaign
The case was picked up by local FOX affiliates and other news outlets, many of which failed to include context or challenge the narrative being pushed by Truesdell and Audubon activists. The video was widely circulated on Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube — but not for concern over the bird.
Instead, outrage focused on Kravchenko’s political shirt, which read:
“Mean Tweets. Cheap Gas. Joe Biden Can Kiss My Ass.”
Online responses included:
- Reddit threads attacking Kravchenko’s politics and appearance
- TikTok videos mocking and celebrating his identification
- YouTube comments overwhelmingly targeting his shirt
- Posts applauding FWC for “teaching a Trump supporter a lesson”
The media storm, driven by partisan outrage and social mob behavior, created an environment where political identity — not evidence — shaped public perception.
Officer Criswell’s Questionable Role
Officer Jody Criswell joined the investigation after the viral image of Kravchenko’s shirt had already circulated, even though she was not the responding officer. She admitted to reviewing the video and consulting with the Audubon witness and veterinarian only after the narrative had already been framed online.
Despite having no neutral eyewitness and a decomposed carcass buried for weeks, Criswell:
- Pressed for a felony charge based on subjective interpretations
- Delivered the video to the vet after the exam, compromising objectivity
- Swore in an affidavit that the bird was killed — despite the video showing it flying away
Calls for Accountability: Bartlett and Moody Must Act
The State Attorney’s Office, led by Bruce Bartlett, approved prosecution despite the case’s gaping legal holes. Residents are calling for oversight from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Governor Ron DeSantis to investigate whether this case was improperly driven by local political retaliation and social pressure.
Citizens Demand:
- Immediate dismissal of all charges against Vitaliy Kravchenko
- A full investigation into Officer Jody Criswell and her conduct
- Accountability from State Attorney Bruce Bartlett
- Scrutiny of Mayor David Will and Officer Tony DeAngelo’s role in the referral
- Legislative safeguards against activist-influenced prosecutions
Conclusion: A Dangerous Precedent for Florida
This case reveals how political retaliation, activist obsession, and institutional complicity can turn a minor, victimless event into a criminal charge — when the target is a politically outspoken citizen.
It sets a chilling precedent: that a biased witness, an agenda-driven officer, and a viral video can form the basis of a felony charge — even when the evidence shows no crime.
This is not conservation. This is weaponized law enforcement. And the people of Redington Shores are demanding that Florida put a stop to it — before it happens again.