Clearwater will not reverse South Garden Avenue decision despite grassroots petition

Clearwater City Council will not move forward with changes to its decision to vacate part of South Garden Avenue for the Church of Scientology, despite a grassroots petition seeking to overturn the move. Council members voted 3-2 Thursday night to take no action on the issue following a contentious meeting that drew strong reactions.The City previously vacated a portion of South Garden Avenue to allow the Church of Scientology to build an event space. The decision prompted the grassroots group Save the Garden to launch a petition seeking to repeal it.The group gathered enough verified signatures to surpass the threshold required to trigger the city's charter process. However, three council members said state law prevents the city from applying its referendum process to the petition.Their position was bolstered by a letter from the Florida Attorney General's Office received Thursday afternoon. According to the city, the letter concluded that state statute prohibits Clearwater from apply