A.G. Gancarski
The Senate has passed Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough’s measure (SB 820) that would codify the Office of Faith and Community.
The bill also survived an attempt to add “guardrails” intended to stop the office from overstepping policy and entering the political realm, with an amendment failing before the bill’s final passage.
Sen. Tina Scott Polsky suggested language that would stop any employee from using “his or her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or coercing or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.” That would also stop employees from participating “in any political campaign while on duty.”
Polsky cited the conflation of policy and politics by Erik Dellenback in 2024, noting that while he has been liaison for the office, he showed up at events and expressed political opinions using state resources in at least three emails “before the election and after the election.”
She differentiated between activities on one’s free time and using the “imprimatur” of the government for political ends, noting that the “elected, secular Governor’s” Office of Faith and Community was used to campaign against constitutional amendments just last year and to promote “Protect Life Sunday” to preachers.
“Shouldn’t all of those churches have lost their tax-exempt status because of that?” the Boca Raton Democrat asked.
Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith called the amendment timely given governmental public resources are used for political advocacy and “partisan campaigning.”
“It’s not only inappropriate, it may in some ways be illegal,” the Orlando Democrat said.
Republican Sen. Erin Grall cautioned against potential overreach in the “redundant and confusing” language suggested in the amendment. And Yarborough, the bill sponsor, declared it an unfriendly amendment, saying this language “singles out one office.”
Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo said the real violation was the interweaving of politics and overt religiosity.
“This is about invoking God’s name for political purposes,” the Sunny Isles Democrat said.
Ultimately, the amendment got just 13 votes.
The overall bill passed by a 27-9 vote. The Office would be headed by “the liaison for faith and community or a director appointed by the liaison who reports to the liaison,” according to the bill language.
The Governor would appoint the Director.
The goal of the Office would be “to better connect with, communicate with, and provide resources to this state’s faith-based and community-based organizations” and to “better serve the most vulnerable persons of this state through more robust and connected faith and community networks in coordination with state resources.”
The bill contemplates a number of ways to make this happen, including advocating for faith- or community-based agencies; establishing and operating the “Florida Faith and Community Phone Line” for those agencies to connect with the Governor’s Office; setting up “meaningful lines of communication” between groups and the Governor’s Office; and using technology to develop “resources for enhanced connection between civil service systems, state agencies, and faith-based and community-based organizations.”
The bill has completed the committee process in the House and is on the Second Reading Calendar.
6 comments
Ron Ogden
April 24, 2025 at 12:40 pm
Nearly three decades ago, the second Bush administration created an office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and in February President Trump established a Faith Office in the White House, so there is a long tradition and broad support.
Faithless men, you no longer need the jazzman to inspire your belief. And if you remember that reference, well maybe there is some hope for you yet.
Eva Jackson
April 24, 2025 at 2:29 pm
ɢᴏᴏɢʟᴇ ᴘᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ $300 ᴀɴᴅ $500 ᴘᴇʀ ʜᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ. ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ $20537 ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴀʏᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ.ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱᴛɪᴄ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱᴛɪᴄ.
Go ON my ProFILE
MH/Duuuval
April 24, 2025 at 10:23 pm
George W. Bush claimed to talk to his Maker every day, but in his closet. Which seems about right, since Bush’s record in the White House was so abysmal — unless you were in the slim minority that benefited from the colossal tax breaks Bush (and Cheney) ladled out.
I am listening to Joe Henderson, Al Foster, and Dave Holland in a live performance from 1993 as I write this response, and I find your comment a non sequitur.
MarvinM
April 24, 2025 at 11:31 pm
I would not say there is ‘long’ tradition and/or ‘broad’ support for Faith offices in the federal government UNLESS those offices are demonstratively non-denominational and also respective of those who do not practice any faith.
One of the greatest things about the USA, at its beginnings in the approx. 1770s, was the recognition by the men who drafted our founding documents that a government supporting only a certain religion for a new country that was already diverse was a really wrong idea. And they were right.
It was and is a great ideal. There is no reason we cannot live in harmony in America with neighbors who practice a different religion that we might. Or choose not to practice a religion at all.
As long as all those choices are included in these “offices”, we have no problem.
The First Amendment is great and worth protecting. The current President is violating it basically daily. Hope to see you at the protests soon.
MH/Duuuval
April 25, 2025 at 9:46 am
The Founders benefitted from recent memories of bloody sectarian warfare in Europe and in North American: Tolerance seemed best. Today’s MAGAs neither know history nor care to know it.
This is a Pandora’s box since churches have their tax-exempt status in return for staying out of politics.
ScienceBLVR
April 24, 2025 at 3:35 pm
The “Big Lie” more recently refers to the lunacy that Trump won the 2020 election, but truly it starts at birth if you are fed the religious dogma that some benevolent creator exists that watches over and protects you- especially in this country. Born in the Midwest to a middle class family, I got the Christian created fantasy – of course, if I hailed from Singapore or Saigon or Tehran, would have gotten some other construct. Which, okay, whatever gets you through the night.. as long as you don’t force others to share your irrational belief in an illogical possibility.
And don’t use my tax dollars to fund your delusion.
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