Natural Sound at Paradise Beach: The Rhythm of Melbourne’s Coast

Natural Sound at Paradise Beach: The Rhythm of Melbourne’s Coast

By Ricardo Stoyell — November 2, 2025

Paradise Beach in Melbourne, Florida, is a popular destination for both residents and tourists who seek direct contact with Florida’s Atlantic shoreline. On a clear afternoon, the beach offered a layered soundscape that reflected a mix of leisure, recreation and coastal wildlife. Waves consistently broke against the sand, gulls circled overhead, and families arranged towels, umbrellas and chairs while settling into the day’s routine.

Paradise Beach Regional Park is one of Brevard County’s most accessible waterfront parks, providing public beach access, volleyball courts, boardwalk seating and space for recreational fishing. According to the Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department , the park attracts a wide range of users because of its infrastructure and its proximity to major corridors. The Space Coast Office of Tourism promotes the Melbourne shoreline as part of a regional system of recreational beaches stretching along the county. Policy research from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission notes that coastal angling remains one of the state’s strongest public recreation sectors, which was visible as shoreline fishing was taking place directly from the surf zone.

During the filming period, dogs played in the shallows, birds searched the tideline, volleyball games continued near the sand courts, and surf anglers cast lines into the breakers. Sunbathers paused occasionally to look toward the horizon before returning to conversation, reading or music through personal headphones.

One resident reflected on what the beach means for his family. “I love coming to Paradise Beach with my wife so we can play with our puppy, we have a lot of fun,” said John.

The natural-sound video embedded above presents the scene in chronological order. It begins with wide establishing views, moves through medium-range moments of recreation and wildlife interaction, and closes with close-up details before returning to a wide view. Without narration, the sights and sounds of the coast communicate how Paradise Beach functions as a shared public space for leisure activity on Melbourne’s shore.

America the Beautiful… But Broken

America is beautiful — but beneath its anthem and ideals lies a quiet suffering that most never see.

During my time living without a home, I came face to face with a system designed not to heal, but to contain.

Families, veterans, and workers — people who once believed in the promise of the American Dream — now fight simply to survive a cycle of poverty and addiction created by the very institutions meant to protect them.

Through this lived experience, I witnessed both the darkness of neglect and the light of human resilience.
Communities built from nothing, people sharing food and hope in empty lots, strangers becoming family in the face of abandonment.
In those moments, I realized that reform cannot exist without compassion — and that human dignity must never be a privilege reserved for the few.

That realization gave birth to Spiritus Invictus, a movement devoted to restoring purpose, dignity, and empowerment to those who have been silenced by poverty and prejudice.
From its foundation came ExposeTheSilence.org — the journalistic arm dedicated to shining a light on the unseen realities of homelessness, incarceration, and social injustice across America.
Through storytelling, evidence, and truth, we aim to transform awareness into action.

The background track, “God and My Right,” is my own composition — a reflection of survival, purpose, and the divine strength that kept me standing through impossible times.
It serves as the heartbeat of this story: a call to rise, rebuild, and reclaim what it means to be free.

Reform is the only way forward.
All people deserve dignity and truth.
We are not statistics — we are the reckoning that reminds America what it was meant to be.

Related Links

• Spiritus Invictus Foundation – A nonprofit dedicated to recovery, dignity, and justice.

• ExposeTheSilence.org – Investigative journalism exposing systemic injustice.

• Full Sail University – New Media Journalism Program – Where storytelling and advocacy meet.

Featured Image: “America the Beautiful… but Broken”
Video: Narrated Slideshow
Music: “God and My Right” – Original composition © 2025 Ricardo Stoyell / The Alchemical Brother

Hidden in Plain Sound: Voices of Faith and Survival

Expose The Silence · Hidden in Plain Sound: Voices of Faith and Survival

Hidden in Plain Sound is an immersive audio feature produced by Ricardo Stoyell for Expose the Silence, exploring the human side of homelessness across Florida’s Space Coast.

This episode weaves together field interviews recorded on location — beginning inside the Holy Name of Jesus Food Pantry, where volunteers share firsthand perspectives on the growing housing crisis, followed by the story of a 60-year-old homeless woman whose voice carries the weight of both grief and resilience.

According to a 2024 report by the Florida Council on Homelessness, the state’s unsheltered population grew nearly 10 percent over the past year. Nationally, HUD data shows that more than 653,000 Americans are experiencing homelessness — the highest figure since reporting began. These statistics mirror what local advocates describe as an “invisible emergency” across Florida’s Space Coast, where affordable housing has sharply declined amid rising rents, limited shelters, and stagnant wages.

Through these narratives, listeners can witness how faith-based compassion and lived experience intersect in a community struggling with systemic neglect. The podcast blends natural sound, ambient audio, and reflective narration to guide the listener from institutional empathy to personal testimony — revealing the quiet endurance of those society overlooks.

The episode concludes with a call to awareness and action through Spiritus Invictus, a nonprofit initiative founded to build recovery villages and provide sustainable housing and holistic care for displaced individuals in Brevard County.

Total Runtime: ~9 minutes

Production Tools: Alitu (recording, editing, mixing), field interviews, natural ambience recordings

Featuring:

–  Volunteer from Holy Name of Jesus Food Pantry

–  A 60-year-old homeless woman sharing her personal plea for help

–  Narration by Ricardo Stoyell

    Photo by Ricardo Stoyell, 2025

Left Behind: Florida’s Hidden Encampments

Hidden behind palmettos and “No Trespassing” signs, entire lives unfold in the shadows of Brevard County’s wetlands.

What looks like untouched forest is, in truth, the last refuge for people pushed out by high rents, stagnant wages, and systemic neglect.

After weeks of rain, makeshift camps near Eau Gallie sit half-flooded, furniture sinking into the mud.

Each piece tells a story—a dresser that once held family photos, a mattress now water-logged and forgotten.

The flooded ground reflects both sky and circumstance, mirroring a system that leaves no firm place to stand.

Flooded forest littered with discarded furniture—remnants of a hidden encampment after heavy rain. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

A second flooded area reveals the fragile remains of temporary shelter washed away by storms. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

At a metal recycling yard in Melbourne, Jason sorts through buckets of aluminum and brass, salvaging what others discard. “Everybody’s trying to scrap and make a little money,” he said. “You find stuff people dump out by the road, clean it up, and bring it here. It’s not much, but it keeps me going.”

Jason sorts metals at Brevard Metal Recycling. “Everybody’s trying to scrap and make a little money,” he said. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

Across town, families with children gather daily near Walmart parking lots. For many, survival means raising about $80 each day—just enough for a single night in a motel room. “We just want to keep our kids with us,” one mother said. “If they go into the system, you never know if you’ll see them again.”

A mother and her child rest near a Walmart parking lot after a day of collecting donations. “We just want to keep our kids with us,” she said. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

A young boy clutches his toy near a store entrance—innocence surviving amid instability.*  (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

Local shelters and housing programs are overwhelmed. Section 8 waiting lists in Florida can stretch for years, sometimes more than a decade, leaving thousands without realistic access to assistance.

The Florida Council on Homelessness 2024 Report shows statewide wait times averaging over 24 months, and many shelters cannot accept pets—forcing families to choose between housing and their animals.

A bicycle waits outside St. Vincent de Paul—transportation, hope, and survival in one frame. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

The public often views encampments as unsanitary, but conditions vary. Some residents keep their spaces meticulously clean, while others struggle with waste and fatigue.         

When local authorities clear the woods to develop affordable housing, the act meant to help also erases fragile ecosystems and the only shelter many people have.

Posted warnings mark the boundaries of the forest where the unhoused find refuge.(Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

“No Trespassing” signs dot the forest edge, signaling the tension between ownership and necessity. (Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

According to the National Homelessness Law Center, anti-camping ordinances and “clean-ups” frequently result in fines or jail time. Once incarcerated, people enter privatized systems where commissary goods are sold at steep markups by corporations such as Aramark, deepening the poverty they were arrested for.

9 A rusted cart on a dirt trail marks the line between civilization and survival.(Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

A forest path disappears into flooded ground, echoing the uncertain path forward.(Photo: Ricardo Stoyell)

References

Florida Council on Homelessness. (2024).

Annual Report on Homelessness in Florida.

Florida Department of Children and Families.

National Homelessness Law Center. (2024).

Criminalization of Homelessness Report.

Pew Charitable Trusts. (2025, July).

How States and Cities Decimated America’s Lowest-Cost Housing Option.

Trapped Without Shelter: How Brevard County Profits from the Pain of the Poor

Introduction: When Survival Is a Crime

You’re arrested for sleeping. Booked for existing. Fined for having nowhere to go.

I know—because I lived it.

In Brevard County, Florida, especially here in Melbourne, homelessness is not treated as a crisis to solve. It's treated as a nuisance to erase. Police target the poor, not to protect the community—but to sanitize the city for profit. And it’s working... for them.

But it’s destroying lives like mine. Like yours. Like the voiceless ones no one hears from because they’re locked up, shipped out, or buried under bureaucracy.

This is what they don’t want you to see.

The Cost of Being Homeless in Brevard County

"The Price of Poverty"

“Stripped, Starved, Hunted”: My Testimony

I was arrested for trespassing while resting near a business—because I had nowhere else to go. I was barefoot when released. My wallet was empty. I owed more money than I started with. And I was told: don’t come back here.

They expect us to "get a job." But how, when we’re not even allowed to exist?

There’s no shelter. No transportation. No water. No electricity. And the only “help” comes with religious strings attached. Faith-based shelters demand conversion. If you don’t comply—you don’t eat, don’t shower, don’t sleep inside.

This isn’t rehabilitation. It’s coercion.

And every time you’re seen again—police circle like hawks. The goal is clear: remove the visible poor so developers can sell a prettier Melbourne.

The Pattern: Who Really Benefits?

Behind the scenes, this cycle makes money:

• Police trust funds are paid with court fines and booking fees

• Private jails benefit from longer pre-trial detentions due to unpaid bail

• Religious nonprofits get tax funding while forcing participation in their faith

• Developers and politicians cash in on “cleaning up the streets”

Call to Justice

This is systemic abuse—not an accident, not isolated.

It’s time to expose the silence.

We need:

1. A federal investigation into Brevard County’s use of arrests as revenue.

2. An end to forced religious programming tied to aid.

3. A Housing First policy with real shelter options—not church pews and police cells.

4. Transparency. Public records must be opened. Every arrest, every fine, every dollar tracked.

What You Can Do

• Share this post.

• File a public records request: [link to FOIA template]

• Donate to secular aid groups serving Brevard County.

• Join the #ExposeTheSilence campaign and share your story.

You Are Not Alone

To anyone living on the street, scared of being seen, hunted by the very system sworn to protect you—you are not the problem.

You are the truth they are afraid of.

And now, we’re going to make sure the world sees it.

— Ricardo A. Stoyell
Founder, ExposetheSilence.org

The Power of Storytelling: Creating Impact Through New Media

Storytelling has always been at the heart of human connection.

Today, through the tools of new media, we have the power to inspire change, spark action, and build stronger communities by sharing authentic narratives.

As a communicator and strategist, I believe that every story holds the potential to create impact — when shared truthfully and strategically.

This blog will explore the intersection of journalism, branding, and human rights, offering insights, strategies, and real-world examples to empower individuals and organizations to find and share their voice.

Stay tuned for stories that matter, conversations that inspire, and tools to create your own transformation.

Why Expose The Silence Exists

Every day, stories of abuse, corruption, and systemic failure are swept under the rug.

Expose The Silence was created to give voice to the voiceless.

This platform delivers investigative reporting and courageous journalism to uncover what others fear to reveal.

This isn’t just journalism—it’s justice.