Our
Mission
Atheists of Florida unites a community of activists to
uphold
the complete and absolute separation of church and state.
Our Mission and Purpose:
In the words of Atheists of Florida activists EllenBeth Wachs &
Portia Westerfield
Announcing the Annual Organization Meeting
February 19, 2012
1pm
Please email [email protected]All Members Please Consider Attending
American Atheists names
EllenBeth Wachs
Florida's Atheist Activist of the Year
.~ Current Events Timeline ~
AoF President Steps Down to Concentrate on Upcoming School Board Trial;
Wachs is Acting President
October 17, 2011 To concentrate fully on his upcoming trial, John Kieffer notified the Board of Directors for Atheists of Florida that he has transferred all executive authority, duties and responsibilities as President to the Vice-President, EllenBeth Wachs. Read more
Jury Trial for Atheist Reset to Jan. 5 & 6, 2012
(Updated) October 26 , 2011 John Kieffer, who was arrested at the Polk County School Board facility in February, is scheduled for a trial by jury January 5 & 6, 2012, at the Polk County courthouse in Bartow. Kieffer, the president of Atheists of Florida, was arrested prior to the official start of a school board meeting February 22nd. Wearing a One Nation Indivisible Atheists of Florida t-shirt, Kieffer did not participate in a pre-meeting Christian prayer ritual and instead milled about, took photos and spoke with Atheists of Florida Vice-President EllenBeth Wachs. Kieffer was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest without violence and disrupting a lawful assembly. The three misdemeanors carry a total maximum jail/prison sentence of 1 year and 4 months.
Charges Dismissed! EllenBeth Celebrates at Benefit Concert
29 August 2011 A benefit concert on Sunday for EllenBeth Wachs turned into a celebration as she announced to her audience that the trumped up criminal charges against her had been dismissed. Prosecutors realized that it was not in their best interest to move forward to trial and offered a settlement agreement that dismissed the felonies and averted convictions on all charges. The Lakeland event was attended by Atheists of Florida members from around the state. It featured live music and atheist activist speakers from around the country. Read more
Donate to EllenBeth's Legal Fund
Atheists of Florida Vice-President
EllenBeth Wachs has courageously acted on several government fronts
in Polk County in behalf of her civil rights and, for that matter,
the rights of all religious minorities in her community who are expected
to quietly accept their status as second class citizens.
To silence her, the sheriff, an outspoken fundamentalist Christian,
and other like-minded operatives in the county's law enforcement
community have coordinated and retaliated forcibly against her. EllenBeth
was arrested and jailed on two bogus felony charges: allegations that
no one in U.S. history has ever been arrested, charged, or, let alone,
convicted for. This is undeniably religious based persecution and
EllenBeth needs your help.
She has hired an experienced legal team and needs financial assistance
to fight back against this abuse of power.
Atheists of Florida, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization under
the United States Internal Revenue Code, so your donation is tax-deductible
to the extent permitted by law. A copy of the official registration
and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer
Services by calling toll-free (800) 435-7352 within the state.Registration
does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state.
Registration number
CH6936.
$10,000 Donation: Stiefel Freethought Foundation assists embattled atheists
August 8, 2011 -- In defense of
the civil rights of atheists, Humanists and Freethinkers in Florida,
the Stiefel Freethought Foundation has donated $10,000 to EllenBeth's Legal
Fund through Atheists of Florida. Todd Stiefel, founder of the North Carolina
based foundation, recognizes that what is occurring in Polk County,
Florida, is an epic confrontation between the political elite who serve
to protect the religious privilege of their majority constituents against
a civil rights minority, atheists, demanding equal protection and adherence
to the U.S. Constitution.
Read more...
EllenBeth sues Sheriff Grady Judd
June 24, 2011 To stop a religiously motivated persecution against her, EllenBeth Wachs filed a lawsuit today against Sheriff Grady Judd in Federal District Court in Tampa, FL. The complaint asserts that the Polk County sheriff's actions, which included two arrests and a search of her home, violated her First Amendment rights and her right to due process. Copy of the federal complaint and additional information Read more...
Incarcerate Atheists?
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has publicly supported Polk Under Prayer (PUP), an affiliation of Polk County evangelical churches and government officials. One affiliate promoted the PUP doctrine on its website: If they [people in Polk County] will not submit to God's way of living, then the prayer is to have them incarcerated or removed from the county. Read more...
May Newsletter read here
Second Arrest For Atheist: Bill of Rights Not for Polk County
May 15, 2011. EllenBeth Wachs has again
been arrested, this time on May 1, 2011. The arrest stems from interest
by an Assistant State Attorney investigator in an injunction request
brought by Ms. Wachs' next door neighbor who heard a noise coming
from the four walls of the privacy of her bedroom, which was alleged
to have occurred on March 13, 48 days prior to the arrest. The neighbor,
a City of Lakeland employee, has since dropped his request for an injunction
against her. Ms. Wachs, a member of the board of directors and vice-president
of Atheists of Florida, is the lead plaintiff in a prayer lawsuit against
the City of Lakeland. Similar to her earlier arrest in March, which
occurred just days prior to her deposition in that lawsuit, this most
recent arrest again occurred just days prior to her new deposition date
which had been rescheduled for May 5. Read
more
Members of AoF descend on Polk School board meeting
April 26, 2011 Bartow, Fla. About forty members of Atheists of Florida, half of whom were wearing their organization's One Nation Indivisible t-shirt, made up the majority of the audience at Tuesday night's Polk County School Board meeting. The AoF members' pre-meeting talking, however, caused the board'' chairperson to violate school board policy and conduct the invocation after the official start. Read more ....
AoF defeats motion to dismiss In-Prayer lawsuit, but curiously timed arrest of plaintiff causes delay. See the Timeline here.
March 18 2011.Tampa, Fla. Atheists of Florida won a first
round this week against attorneys for the City of Lakeland who were
attempting to throw out the atheists prayer lawsuit on technical
grounds. Though the lawsuit's plaintiff, EllenBeth Wachs,
was to be questioned in deposition by the city's attorneys on
March 9, several days prior, Wachs, a retired attorney, was curiously
arrested, her home searched and computers, documents and other items
seized for allegedly misrepresenting herself as qualified to practice
law. As a result of the turmoil caused by the arrest, Wachs deposition
has been delayed. Read
more details
AoF
officers ejected from Polk County School Board facility; President arrested
February 22, 2011. Bartow, Fla. Atheists of Florida president,
John Kieffer, was arrested by City of Bartow police officers in front
of a packed audience at the Polk County School Board meeting facility
Tuesday afternoon. President John Kieffer and EllenBeth Wachs, Atheists
of Florida Vice-President and Legal Affairs Coordinator, had been taking
photos and speaking to each other in front of the meeting room while
a local area pastor conducted a Christian prayer prior to the official
start of the school board meeting. Read
more ...
AoF Shirt Gets Member Removed from City Council Meeting
On January 24, 2011. Cape Coral Mayor John Sullivan ordered Atheists of Florida president, John Kieffer, escorted out of the City Council meeting by police officers. Kieffer, who had been called up to the podium by the city clerk to speak during public comments, had been previously warned by the mayor not to wear his organization's ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE t-shirt to his meetings. Sullivan's reaction was due to residents concerns that the shirts were offensive. Read more...
MAAF visit results in MacDill Air Force Base Atheist organization
Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF) visited Tampa, Florida January 18-19, 2011, to meet with active duty and veteran military members in the Tampa Bay area. Atheists of Florida arranged several speaking events including MacDill Air Force Base, the Atheists of Florida center in Tampa, and the University of South Florida.
The MacDill AFB visit resulted in the creation of a monthly Meetup (MacDill Atheists & Freethinkers) program, hosted and managed by Atheists of Florida, scheduled at the base chapel, for active duty, reserves and retired military. The base chaplain's office designated AoF president, John Kieffer, as a Point of Contact (POC) for atheist/freethinker base personnel. For more information: Read more...
Atheists of Florida Challenges transfer of County Property to Churches
Atheists of Florida delivered a letter to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd requesting that the sheriff cease and desist his currently occurring transfer of basketball equipment from the Polk County jail facility to eight area churches.
Atheists of Florida have sent a clear and strong message to Mr. Judd and demanded an accounting of the property with a Freedom of Information Act Request. Read More...eCape Coral Threat to Eject Atheists
Cape Coral City officials warned Atheists of Florida members attending the December 13th city council meeting to either cover up the message on their shirts or be ejected from council chambers. The city manager, Gary King, at one point stated that police could be called to eject those who did not remove or cover up their shirts.
The shirt fronts depict a brightly colored American flag over which the words ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE and Atheists of Florida are inscribed. The back of each shirt displays ATHEISTS OF FLORIDA.
Local Atheists of Florida members were joined by group leaders to voice concerns about Resolution 51-10, which included instructions about conducting prayer invocations as part of the council's meeting protocol. No one cooperated with the city's attempted censorship. Read More...
City of Cape Coral Commanded to Obey Constitution
Atheists of Florida sent a letter to Cape Coral Mayor John Sullivan and City Council members, demanding that they refrain from erecting a proposed Ten Commandments display on any city property, including City Hall. In addition, the city was also warned to cease their religious prayer rituals at the beginning of public government meetings. View video footage and/or add your comments
Atheists File Suit Against Lakeland
Monday, July 12, 2010: Atheists of Florida filed a lawsuit against the City of Lakeland in United States District Court in Tampa, Florida, demanding an end to the practice of government sponsored prayer rituals held at the start of city commission meetings. Read More...
Please help us pay for ongoing legal expenses associated with this lawsuit. Every dollar helps. All donations to Atheists of Florida are tax deductible. Thank you for your help.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800) 435-7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. Registration number CH6936
New Billboards
Atheists of Florida has placed five new billboards in the Lakeland area to celebrate the Independence Day season. Each declares: "One nation, indivisible" against the backdrop of an American flag, recognizing the original phrase used in the Pledge of Allegiance before a religious doctrine was inserted in 1954. This original phrasing does not artificially divide the country along religious lines, and recognizes the equal value of all citizens, regardless of what they may or may not happen to believe about religious dogmas and doctrines.
See map of locations and photos. Donate to Atheists of Florida Billboard Fund
Atheist Family Defended: Tampa School Halts Graduation Prayers
Acting swiftly on a parent's concern about prayers that were to be included in her son's high school graduation ceremony, Atheists of Florida successfully negotiated with Hillsborough County school officials to compel them to comply with laws prohibiting such religious rituals at school events.
On Wednesday, May 19, the parent contacted the atheist organization when she learned that Alonso High School principle, Louis Diaz, would disregard her appeal to remove the invocation from the graduation program. Following discussions the next day between Atheists of Florida attorney and school officials, Mr. Diaz reversed his position. Read More...
Pinellas Park City Council Warned Over Government Prayer
Responding to complaints from Pinellas Park citizens about the mayor using a Bible as a prop during public city council meetings, Atheists of Florida members appeared and spoke at the April 22 meeting.
Tampa City Councilman Tells Atheists to Shut Up
On March 4, Councilman Caetano attempted to create an incident by blaming atheists for supposedly disrupting Council business simply because they do not say the words "under god" when reciting the pledge of allegiance. In an unexpected break from the usual procedure, Tampa City Council attorney Martin Shelby warned the public after the meeting was called to order (but before the usual unconstitutional government prayer) to respect the right of others to say the pledge with the two religious words added to it in 1954. Caetano added that he wanted people removed if they did not recite the pledge the way he demands.
Atheists of Florida Executive Director Rob Curry, present at this meeting, stood for the pledge and recited it without apology exactly as he has for years: " . . . one nation, indivisible . . ." and noted that this did not prevent anyone else from reciting it as they prefer. That afternoon, he asked the Council if they intend to employ "Pledge Police" in an effort to enforce an unreasonable demand that everyone recite the exact same words in crisp, military precision. Caetano had left earlier in the day, and no other Council members appeared to have any interest in supporting his morning outburst.
It is the position of Atheists of Florida that each citizen should be free to decide if he or she wishes to participate in the pledge of allegiance, and (if so) how he or she feels most comfortable in saying it. This was not and is not related to our concern over official Council prayers. Any attempt to frame it in terms of a supposed disruption is rejected as an obviously contrived attempt to censor free speech which never has and never will disturb any Council business. Read More...
Lakeland City Commission Hears Atheists
EllenBeth Wachs, director of our Lakeland chapter, was joined by Executive Drector Rob Curry at the March 1, 2010, Lakeland City Commission meeting. They raised powerful objections to official government prayer at these public meetings, and began the process of raising the awareness of local politicians and the community at large on issues surrounding state/church separation.
This is especially needed in locales like Lakeland where many atheists feel pressured to conform insincerely to religious rituals, or else risk facing the wrath of intolerant public officials or neighbors who often attack and demonize atheists. No citizen should ever be put into such a position by their own local government.press release Read More...
Tampa Atheists Comment Despite City Council Objections
Atheists of Florida officers and members followed up on civil rights concerns brought before the Tampa City ouncil two weeks ago, when there was no response whatsoever. This time was different.
The gavel banged. "You are out of order, sir!"St. Petersburg Times headline: Atheists object again to Tampa City Council prayer, Read More...
Helping Hands Bring Hope to Tampa Bay
Secular
Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) is an alternative recovery method for those
alcoholics or drug addicts who are uncomfortable with the spiritual content
of widely available 12-Step programs. SOS takes a reasonable, secular approach
to recovery and maintains that sobriety is a separate issue from religion
or spirituality. SOS credits the individual for achieving and maintaining
his or her own sobriety, without reliance on any "Higher Power."
Atheists of Florida is in partnership with SOS Tampa Bay. Visit SOS Tampa Bay site.
Tampa City Council Confronted
Several members of the public spoke up before the Tampa City Council to express their deeply felt concerns about how government prayer is incredibly disrespectful towards atheists, and has the practical effect of coercion against a group with minority views on religion. Several Council members appeared shocked that anyone might feel that prayer is not only offensive, but also a potentially coercive abuse of power when done in the name of city government.
St. Petersburg Times headline: Speakers
blast Tampa City Council over opening prayers.
Read
More...
City Invocations Must Stop
Atheists of Florida (past) president Rob Curry has advised City of Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio that official prayer is not the proper role of city government:
"In the name of fairness and respect for every Tampa citizen," Curry wrote, "I ask that you encourage the Tampa City Council to abolish the unconstitutional practice of city-sponsored invocations. They should return to the proper business of government, refocusing their energy on the secular duties they were elected to perform."
Click here to see the entire letter.
Atheists of Florida is headquartered in Tampa, representing members both
locally and around the state. On Tuesday, January 12, copies of our letter
to Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio were also handed over to Catherine Jones
in the office of the Tampa City Council for distribution to all Council
members.
Atheists who wish to conduct business at City Council meetings have no
good choices when there is government-sponsored prayer: Either pretend
to be religious, or be true to your worldview and risk discrimination.
Read
More...
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