Who: a 30-year-old Edneyville berry farmer and beekeeper; founder of DeFlock Henderson County Follow: the defund petition · the DeFlock Henderson County Facebook page
What he has done
Rhodes addressed the Henderson County commissioners on August 3, 2026, urging them not to renew Flock funding. When the board gave no response, he started a Facebook group and a petition that gathered 880 signatures in under three days and 2,071 by August 17 (WLOS · Hendersonville Lightning · Henderson County). On Flock’s safeguards: “unwise and foolish to use the honor system.” He has also argued the camera money could go to Helene recovery instead.
Why it matters
He is a first-time, single-issue organizer in a county whose chair says he sees no problem “until we hear of some abuse” (Bill Lapsley). The petition’s growth curve is the only pressure the board has acknowledged. The precedent one ridge west, Macon County, was driven by exactly this kind of constituent volume.
Region: Henderson County · Last updated: Aug 22, 2026