Clearwater group submits 9,000+ signatures seeking to overturn Scientology's Garden Avenue deal
Battle over Garden Avenue
On Wednesday, the battle over Garden Avenue in Clearwater is entering a new phase as opponents of the city’s decision to sell the property to the Church of Scientology are planning to turn in thousands of signatures. FOX 13’s Matthew McClellan reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A months-long fight over a 470-foot stretch of South Garden Avenue is set to reach a new milestone Wednesday as opponents of Clearwater's decision to hand over the public street to the Church of Scientology prepare to deliver thousands of petition signatures to City Hall.
Clearwater Scientology street petition
What we know:
The grassroots group "Save the Garden" says it collected more than 9,000 signatures from Clearwater voters in an effort to overturn Ordinance 9907-26, which the Clearwater City Council approved in a 3-2 vote in June. The ordinance transfers control of the one-block street to the Church so it can build an entry plaza and the planned L. Ron Hubbard Hall, connecting Church-owned properties on both sides of Garden Avenue.
PREVIOUS: Save the Garden seeking signatures to challenge Scientology street vote
The decision became one of Clearwater's most closely watched local issues, reflecting the city's decades-long relationship with the Church of Scientology, whose international spiritual headquarters is located downtown.
South Garden Avenue debate
What they're saying:
Supporters say closing the street will improve pedestrian safety and create a unified campus for a major new development.
Church land ownership legal opinion
The other side:
Opponents argue the city should not give up a public street to a private organization and have criticized the transfer after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier concluded the Church likely owns the land beneath the roadway. That legal opinion led the city to approve the transfer without requiring the roughly $1.4 million payment that had been discussed earlier in the process.
Referendum petition signature verification
What's next:
The petition signatures must still be reviewed and certified before the referendum process can move forward.
Save the Garden plans to deliver its petitions to the Clearwater city clerk at noon on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Clearwater City Council is expected to receive legal guidance on Referendum Petition 26-01, which seeks to repeal Ordinance 9907-26 and determine the city's next steps.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Clearwater City Council agenda documents and Ordinance 9907-26, the city's internal staff review of the Garden Avenue proposal, the agenda for Thursday's City Council meeting regarding Referendum Petition 26-01, and the Save the Garden campaign's announcement that it plans to deliver more than 9,000 petition signatures to the Clearwater city clerk on Wednesday.