The Brief
- Clearwater City Council is expected to reconsider its decision involving part of South Garden Avenue during its 6 p.m. meeting Thursday.
- The council voted in June to conditionally vacate public right-of-way along part of the street so the Church of Scientology could connect properties for its planned L. Ron Hubbard Hall.
- The group Save the Garden submitted more than 10,000 signatures challenging the decision. Election officials verified 7,577 signatures, enough to meet the city’s referendum petition requirements.
- A legal question remains over whether Florida law allows this type of right-of-way decision to be challenged through a referendum.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – A controversial decision to turn over public right-of-way along part of South Garden Avenue for a Church of Scientology project is back before Clearwater city leaders Thursday night after opponents collected more than 10,000 petition signatures challenging the deal.
The Clearwater City Council is scheduled to reconsider the ordinance during its 6 p.m. meeting at City Hall Council Chambers, 200 S. Myrtle Ave. The council agenda includes action on Referendum Petition 26-01.
The issue has become the latest flashpoint in decades of tension over the Church of Scientology’s presence and expansion in downtown Clearwater.
Why is Garden Avenue back before Clearwater City Council?
The backstory:…