A Florida county is facing a $490,000 bill from atheist groups and their attorneys after two federal courts found the county’s prohibition on “secular invocations” was unconstitutional.
Brevard County previously had a policy excluding atheists and humanists from offering invocations at board meetings, but the Central Florida Freethought Community and other like-minded groups successfully sued. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled the county’s policy violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on government establishment of religion, Christian Headlines previously reported.
Now the county is facing damages and legal fees totaling $490,000, according to Florida Today. The settlement total includes $60,000 in compensatory damages for the groups and individuals who sued, and $430,000 in attorney fees.
The Brevard County Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on paying the bill. Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation represented the groups. The Central Florida Freethought Community is an organization of humanists and atheists.
Under the old policy, commissioners often invited Christian and Jewish speakers. The commissioners’ new policy involves only a moment of silence.
“Brevard County has selected invocation speakers in a way that…
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