Questions arise over gospel concert funding

As noted by Hemant Mehta, "The debate isn’t whether they’re allowed to spend money to promote tourism — they are — but whether they should be using government funds to promote Christianity, which is really what this is all about."

Questions are being raised about the legality of a decision by the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners to award thousands in tourism tax dollars to sponsor a gospel concert.

Commissioners voted June 25 to award $30,000 to sponsor the second annual Brownsville All-Star Concert, scheduled for Aug. 7 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, where the pastor is the brother of one of the county commissioners.

Now, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is calling on county administrator Jack Brown to recoup that money arguing, “the grant of taxpayer dollars to a religious group for the express purpose of putting on a religious program is in direct violation of the plain language of the Florida Constitution.”

The state constitution explicitly prohibits public funds from aiding “directly or indirectly” any “church, sect or religious denomination.”

 Questions arise over gospel concert funding