New Zoning Rules In Florida City Seen As Still Restrictive On Religious Groups

Last January, a Florida federal district court ruled that Cooper City, Florida's zoning laws violated RLUIPA by excluding all houses of worship from commercial areas. (See prior posting.) This week, according to Florida's Sun-Sentinel, the Cooper City Commission amended its zoning rules to treat religious institutions the same as all other forms of community assembly activities. The new rules, however, allow only three community assembly uses at any strip mall in the city. Chabad of Nova that filed the successful RLUIPA challenge says that the new rules still severely limit its choice of a location for its Outreach Center. Chabad leaders say they will go back to court to challenge the new rules as violative of their religious freedom.