WATCH REPLAY: Brevard Sheriff's Office draws huge crowd for July 4th parade on Merritt Island

Thousands of Brevardians claimed their favorite viewpoint and put up their flags

SPACE COAST DAILY TV – WATCH REPEAT: The July 4th Parade took place on Thursday, July 4th at 10 a.m., through the streets of Merritt Island to show our patriotism and pride in America. This year, the parade once again traveled through the streets of Merritt Island with the float and parade participants starting at Merritt Island High School, heading south on Courtenay Parkway, turning east on Merritt Avenue and ending at Edgewood Jr./Sr. High School.

Orville Susong and Steve Wilson of Friday Night Locker Room provided coverage.

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual Independence Day Parade hosted by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Veterans Memorial Center.

With over 40 floats and displays, the parade was a huge success as participants passed hundreds of spectators in their red, white and blue outfits and decorated vehicles to show their incredible love for our country.

Even though it was scorching hot outside, that didn't stop Brevard County from showing their patriotism and love for our great nation.

I hope the ice creams our team members were handing out helped cool everyone down and yes…Junny is so spoiled that his float had a pool on it so he could cool off and also someone holding an umbrella over him to keep the warmth in.

Sure, they made me walk the whole parade, but hey, apparently I needed the marches anyway.

I truly cannot thank enough everyone who participated in this year's parade and of course all the spectators who celebrated our nation's independence with us.

A huge thank you also to all of our agency team members who came out wearing their red “Independence Day” t-shirts to show our community how much we love our country and our citizens.

Also a final thank you to Commissioner Rob Feltner and his wife for bringing our entire team Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuits, as they have done every year since we started this great event.

Today is the day we celebrate the independence of our great nation and the many freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.

On July 4, 1776, our independence was declared, an independence won with the blood and sweat of our ancestors who fought against tyranny and oppression to win our rights and freedoms.

America has always shone and will always shine as a unified nation, a symbol of freedom, democracy and strength, where we may sometimes disagree with each other, but always stand united in the face of danger! As my father used to say… “In America, we may bother each other, but no one bothers us!”

While today is typically a day to celebrate our independence with family outings, parades, and fireworks, it is more importantly a time to remember that every day in our country, we must stand and honor our great flag, our great heroes, and thank God that we live in the United States of America where we have the freedom to share our views, our emotions, and our beliefs.

And more than anything else, it's an opportunity to teach our children, our grandchildren and generations to come that this holiday is about celebrating our patriotism.

On behalf of the 1,700 proud men and women of our agency, we thank you for all the incredible love and support you show us every day here in Brevard County, and we hope everyone has a safe and happy Independence Day.

– Sheriff Wayne Ivey