Court Cases

This case challenges the City of Clearwater’s rejection of thousands of citizen initiative petition signatures in violation of the law. The citizen-led initiative petition “Save the Garden” collected over 8,000 signatures through an all-volunteer effort to put a measure on the Clearwater ballot to require voter approval before the city transfers public rights-of-way in the downtown. The city rejected thousands of valid petitions, contrary to the rules laid out in the City Charter. The city also failed to specify the reasons why it invalidated signatures as required, and enforced a rule limiting who can lead initiative efforts, in violation of the First Amendment.

This case challenges the Village of Palmetto Bay’s retaliation against an elected councilmember for his protected political speech. After Charlie Kirk’s death, Palmetto Bay Councilmember Steve Cody posted political satire critical of Kirk’s views on gun rights. In response, the Village Council removed Cody from a committee and rescinded related representative roles—despite acknowledging that Cody’s comments were protected by the First Amendment.