Residents use public comment to urge Lady Lake officials to avoid religious entanglement; speakers cite mayoral petition

During the public‑comment portion of the March 7 meeting four residents criticized what they described as prior town endorsements of LGBTQ‑related positions and urged the commission to refrain from actions they see as infringing on their religious convictions.

Paul Harsh, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Lady Lake (speaker S14), told the commission "Almost two years ago, you declared a cultural war against biblical Christianity when you endorsed homosexuality through a petition issued by the mayor on behalf of the town council," and urged officials to adopt only morally and religiously neutral official acts. David Kinder (speaker S12) and Jeff Antrellonis (speaker S15) echoed similar doctrinal objections and urged the town to avoid actions they described as promoting a "homosexual agenda." Sylvester Edwards (speaker S16), a lifelong resident, spoke to the town's founding on Christian principles and urged the commission to consider those values in future actions.

Speakers cited Bible passages and characterized the dispute as a conflict between municipal actions and what they view as long‑standing local moral norms. The commission did not take action on those remarks during the meeting; public comment is on the record and may be considered by the commission in future agenda items. The speakers' assertions refer to prior town activity; the transcript records the allegations but contains no formal town response during this meeting.