Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Settlement Reached In Christian School's Zoning Fight
A settlement has been reached in Englewood Church of the Nazarene, Inc. v. Sarasota County, Florida. The suit filed in a Florida federal district court in March alleged violations of RLUIPA, the 1st and 14th Amendments and Florida's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. After the school had been operating in a church's building for more than three years, the county demanded that it seek a special exception to continue its operation and levied daily fines on the school. The school spent $10,000 to complete the application, only to have the special exception denied. (See prior posting.) According to a press release from ADF, in settling the case the county has approved the church's use of its property. A joint stipulation of dismissal (full text) was filed in Florida federal district court on July 22.