I’ve Got Good News and Bad News...

Dear Friends,

Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, has weighed in on Garden Avenue… and it’s a stunning twist in our fight to save it!

I know a lot of people are interpreting this as bad news. Don’t fret! What might seem like bad news is good news for us. I'll explain.

We could speculate as to how Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, was made aware of our little South Garden Avenue issue in Clearwater…but we won’t because enough articles have been written on the political influence of local billionaire donors who may have a vested interest in Garden Avenue. But we will assure you, no one from our #SaveTheGarden initiative complained to him.

This week, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector received a pointed legal warning letter from Florida’s Attorney General.

In his letter, Uthmeier said he had become aware of two major concerns involving the city’s handling of the Church of Scientology’s request to vacate South Garden Avenue (though he only refers to it as a “religious organization”):

1. He suggests that statements by the mayor could be interpreted as religious discrimination.

2. He claims that the city cannot legally pressure the organization to activate its other properties in exchange for vacating the street.

The first accusation, that the city is discriminating, is unjustified. Here is what the AG stated: “More troubling, however, are reports that City leaders’ decision to grant or deny a petition to vacate may be influenced by religious animus toward the petitioner. Some of the comments from a recent City Council meeting discussing this matter arguably suggest a discriminatory motive. Indeed, when explaining your opposition to the proposal, you remarked, ‘I don’t remember what the exact number of parcels is that they have over the last seven to ten years, but I think they’ve grown their footprint enough in downtown Clearwater.’” 

There is absolutely no religious context in that statement. The context of the statement is regarding the plethora of longstanding vacant and useless buildings, owned by the Church of Scientology and its parishioners, that exist in Clearwater’s downtown.

The second claim is incredible. The AG wrote:

“A city is not authorized to place conditions on adjacent property owners when determining whether to vacate a plat.” 

In simple terms, the city cannot use the promise of downtown activation as a bargaining chip. Which is ironic—because David Miscavige used private meetings and long presentations to sell that exact idea. He made it clear: Give us the land, and we’ll activate our vacant downtown buildings.

But now, because of this letter, the one tactic Miscavige had has been taken off the table!

Here’s WHY this is incredible news.

Scientology made two major mistakes:

1. They threatened legal action under the banner of religious discrimination. That alienates the city council. They know that none of the council’s comments have anything to do with religious discrimination.

2. They destroyed Miscavige’s one and only tool, using “activation” as leverage, by getting the AG to declare that such a deal would be illegal.

They’ve shot themselves in the foot, ya’ll!

This is a HUGE win for us, and we didn’t even lift a finger. We simply watched Scientology walk into their own trap. For people of faith, we’ve seen this pattern before. God often says, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” That’s what we’re witnessing now, and it fills our team with hope.

Miscavige’s only advantage has now been taken away. Without that leverage, the city council has no motivation to award the street to Miscavige. South Garden Avenue is used all day, every day, by citizens. That’s why the council needed a promise of something more to justify allowing Miscavige to close it for himself. Meanwhile, we have a clear, public-serving alternative to display alongside that street: The Garden Memorial which is dedicated to the history of that area and for the people of Clearwater. 

Please keep praying. We intend to meet with city officials to discuss the next steps in bringing The Garden Memorial to life through a public-private partnership, while keeping the street in full use for Clearwater’s citizens. We are continuing to move forward with determination.

Your continued support means the world to us. Thank you for standing with us.

Because memories matter,

Brooks Gibbs

SaveTheGarden.org

PS: CLICK HERE to download the Attorney General's letter.