Some officials are concerned about their families' safety in Florida.
A heated debate broke out in a city in the Sunshine State after the construction of a new Costco was approved. Some local people have opposed the project and some have allegedly issued threats on social media against local government officials.
A Facebook post from a private group that is in opposition to the new Costco has surfaced with descriptions of personal information collected about the city commissioners, WPTV reports. The post allegedly asked members to take home addresses of officials and share photographs of their cars, homes and even their families.
Stuart Commissioner Troy McDonald spoke with WPTV, saying, The first thing I did was call my wife and say, 'Hey, just be a little extra vigilant because I'm more concerned about her than myself. It is totally unacceptable to put such rhetoric out there online. It puts people in danger and quite frankly, I'm outraged.
Authorities have reportedly opened a full investigation into the post but so far, they have not looked into the matter.
Even if it wasn't malicious intent, the potential of pushing somebody else over the edge or causing a copycat is also what concerns me, McDonald said.
The Costco project was recently approved by the city of Stuart, CBS 12 reports. The project had drawn huge crowds to debate the building of the new store on 49 acres of property. Some residents were concerned about the area's wetlands, along with a disruption to the quality of life in the area.
The project was approved unanimously, but the development must protect endangered plant species on the property and work them into the landscape.