The Brief
- A citizen group is gathering signatures for a March ballot referendum that would give voters, not City Council, the power to approve downtown street closures.
- The move follows the Church of Scientology’s withdrawn proposal earlier this year to close part of a downtown street.
- Organizers say they’ve collected 4,500 of the 7,100 signatures needed by the October 14 deadline.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – A grassroots campaign is underway in Clearwater to block future efforts by the Church of Scientology to close public streets downtown.
The “Save The Garden” initiative, led by resident Brooks Gibbs, launched a petition for a proposed referendum that would require voter approval for any “vacation of public right-of-way” in the city’s downtown core.
Earlier this year, the Church applied to purchase and close off a portion of South Garden Avenue as part of plans for an auditorium and park. The Church said the move was for safety reasons but withdrew its application in May to review the proposal.
Despite that withdrawal, organizers worry similar plans could return in the future. “They already own 75% of the properties,” Gibbs said. “They can build whatever they want on their properties, but now they’re looking to buy our streets.”
Organizers have collected about 4,500 signatures so far — they need 7,100 valid signatures by October 14 to submit the petition to the City Clerk.…