The Clearwater City Council Rejected Your Signatures.

On November 5, the Clearwater City Council had two lawful choices under our City Charter: repeal the ordinance that gave part of South Garden Avenue to the Church of Scientology, or let the voters decide in a special election. It chose neither. Three Council members instead concluded that our petition is barred by Florida Statute 163.3167(8), which prohibits referendums on development orders. But Florida law excludes giving up rights in land, like vacating a street, from the definition of “development,” and the only Florida court we know of to rule on this question agreed that a road vacation is not a development order. Mayor Bruce Rector and Council member Lina Teixeira said it plainly: a question like this belongs in front of a judge.

That’s where we’re taking it. We followed every step the Charter required, and 7,577 verified Clearwater voters signed their names. We prepared our legal case before we collected a single signature, and now we’re asking a judge to rule on whether our petition is lawful. Defending your signatures in court will cost about $50,000, and we need your help to get there. Please give what you can today at savethegarden.org, and ask your friends and neighbors to join you. Together, let’s protect the voters’ right to decide the future of Garden Avenue.