Florida City Decides Not To Require Opening Prayers At Board Meetings

In Fort Walton Beach, Florida on Tuesday, City Council by a vote of 3-3 defeated a proposal that would have required every city board to begin all meetings with a prayer. Opening invocations will remain optional. The Destin Log yesterday reported that the proposal to mandate an invocation was introduced by Councilman Jim Hartwell after the city's Community Redevelopment Agency eliminated it opening prayer earlier this month and discussed eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance because it offended one of its members. City Council on Tuesday also directed staff to draft an ordinance requiring all city meetings to be opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, but not requiring board members to recite it.