09/01/2026
Garden Ave., Clearwater, FL update 
7,000 SIGNATURES CHANGES THE GAME IN CLEARWATER
The citizens fighting the City of Clearwater’s decision to vacate a portion of South Garden Avenue for the Church of Scientology have reportedly crossed the 7,000-signature threshold needed to trigger a referendum.
So what does that actually mean?
It does not mean the street vacation has automatically been reversed.
It means the citizens have reached the threshold required to formally challenge the ordinance through Clearwater’s referendum process.
If the signatures are verified as valid Clearwater voter signatures:
• The referendum petition is certified.
• The effect of the street-vacation ordinance is suspended while the referendum process moves forward.
• The City Council has the opportunity to repeal the ordinance itself.
• If the Council does not repeal it, the issue goes before Clearwater voters.
• Clearwater voters would then have the final say on whether the ordinance remains in effect.
In other words, 7,000 signatures don’t give the citizens the street back. They give Clearwater voters a path to decide whether the city should give it away in the first place.
Now comes the important part: getting those signatures officially verified and seeing whether the City Council chooses to reverse its decision or lets the voters decide.
This fight isn’t over. But 7,000 signatures means the citizens have put themselves in a position to force the issue.
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