Grassroots group sues Clearwater over Scientology street deal

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A months-long battle over South Garden Avenue in Clearwater is headed to court after city leaders rejected a petition challenging a controversial deal with the Church of Scientology.

Clearwater lawsuit challenges street transfer

The backstory:

The grassroots group Save the Garden filed a lawsuit this week, hoping to let residents vote on the street’s future.

They filed the legal challenge following a heated Nov. 5 Clearwater City Council meeting where leaders voted 3-2 against advancing the petition. 

Meanwhile, construction is already underway on L. Ron Hubbard Hall, an estimated $250 million project featuring an auditorium, plaza and global broadcast venue.

Petition signatures and project costs

By the numbers:

Since then, Save the Garden has collected over 10,000 petition signatures opposing the decision.

In October, 7,577 signatures were verified by the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, exceeding the number required under the city charter to qualify the petition.

During a heated Clearwater City Council meeting on November 5th, local leaders voted 3-2 to reject the petition. Those who opposed it cited a state law that restricts public votes on certain development decisions.

The lawsuit argues the city violated its charter by refusing to repeal the ordinance or allow residents to decide the issue in a special election.

Save the Garden defends public access

What they're saying:

Brooks Gibbs, the campaign director for Save the Garden, says the group’s efforts are focused on protecting public streets.

"All of our efforts are not for the hatred of Scientologists or Scientology," he said. "It is truly for the love of Clearwater. We want to keep the streets open for the public."

Scientology cites state legal guidance

The other side:

Following last week’s council vote, the Church of Scientology issued the following statement:

"The Church of Scientology welcomes the City Council’s decision to reject the Save the Garden petition as unlawful, in accordance with the opinion issued today by the Florida Attorney General. The attorney general has confirmed what the church has maintained all along: This petition is unlawful. Florida law prohibits the proposed referendum, and the City cannot proceed with it. The Council has acted in accordance with that legal guidance, upholding its lawful approval of the Garden Avenue vacation. The law has prevailed. L. Ron Hubbard Hall is moving forward."

We did call the City of Clearwater for comment, but they didn't call us back. We were not able to email them due to the ongoing Outlook outage. 

Special election deadline looms

What's next:

Save the Garden is now seeking a quick court ruling, with the city charter requiring a special election within 90 to 150 days of petition certification.

The city clerk certified the petition on October 13th, putting the deadline at March 12, 2027, if the group’s legal challenge succeeds.

The Source: Information for this story came from statements from the Church of Scientology, interviews with the campaign director for Save the Garden and previous reporting on FOX 13.