A pro-LGBTQ+ church in Florida that made headlines for having drag queens deliver a sermon just slapped their local sheriff’s office with a bill for $10,000 for parking vehicles in the church parking lot.
The Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg posted an image of the invoice on their Facebook. The invoice says that it’s for “unauthorized use of private church parking lot beginning at 6:00 AM. 13 vehicles occupying 17 parking spots. Disruption to community access, operations, and congregational use of property.”
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The invoice refers to “damages and disruption” caused by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s alleged use of their parking lot and says that “continued use without coordination or consent may result in legal action or additional penalties.”
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At the end, the invoice says that the money will be used for “legal services for immigrants.”
The church’s pastor, Andy Oliver, posted a video to Facebook on June 17 that showed a confrontation with police officers in the parking lot, where he asked them if he could help them. One of the officers told Oliver, “We’re just waiting for an operation.”
Oliver asked them if they were working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and they said no, but he still asked them to leave.
“I don’t want policing to be staged here. Definitely, ICE is not welcome here,” he said.
Gay blogger Joe.My.God. notes that the Allendale United Methodist Church got online attention earlier this year when it hosted a drag queen-led worship service.
Their Instagram shows that they hosted a drag queen worship service on New Year’s Eve as well.
They also share pro-LGBTQ+ messages on social media and on their church sign as well, including this one that says, “Pride started as a riot.”
This pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy has gotten the church some attention, like when then-candidate for Pinellas County Commission Vince Nowicki sent out a mailer accusing the church of a “radical, political agenda on behalf of LGBT activists” and touted an IRS complaint he filed in 2023 against the church to have its tax-exempt status removed.
The church said that the mailer led to a death threat.
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