Florida
The Tavares, Fla., Lake County Board of County Commissioners will welcome non-believing invocations before meetings in the future after offering a “corrective” religious invocation stirred controversy.
In December 2022, a Central Florida Freethought Community director was invited by the county manager’s office to deliver an invocation before the board. The director delivered a respectful secular message of equality and diversity. However, immediately following the secular invocation, a man approached the podium and said, “Hello, I was just asked a few minutes ago if I would lead in prayer. So, I am happy to do so. If you would like to join me, feel free to do so.” He then led those gathered in a Christian prayer.
“As this inappropriate ‘corrective’ prayer has demonstrated, prayer at government meetings is unnecessary, inappropriate and divisive,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line wrote to the chairman of the board.
FFRF did not hear back from the board for over a year, and had been mailing follow-up letters to the board. Finally, in September, a representative from the board took the time to respond to FFRF. “The Lake County Board of County Commissioners has a fair and inclusive invocation process despite the isolated event that occurred 21 months ago. Members of the Central Florida Freethought Community have provided invocations since that time and are welcome to continue to do so in the future,” they wrote.
