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Government Threatens Florida Pastor
by Danny E. Meek, Esq. 9/21/02
Pastor David Mallory has opened the doors and grounds of the First Assembly Ministries in Naples to The Sawgrass Rebellion. He has done this because his own 12-year effort to reach out to the indigent, the poor, and the needy has suffered the oppression of the federal government.
"I love nature, but we should not be enslaved to it, " he said emphatically.
Even as he spoke, he held in his hand a new fax from the Army Corps of Engineers. They threatened his church and the 80-acre campus with a $25,000 fine for allegedly failing to follow their orders.
"When we received our permitting, we were forced to buy 103 acres of offsite mitigation lands somewhere in the Everglades at a cost to the church of $500,000, and set aside 12 acres of onsite mitigation for wetlands," explained Pastor Mallory. "This letter of warning says that we now need some sixteen acres on-site or we will be forced to pay their fine."
He went on to explain that his congregation built small lakes to surround a nature trail on the church campus and they were now being told by the Corps that they needed to support five species of endangered birds. In order to support the endangered birds, three different levels of plant life must be added in the water areas, at a total cost of $15,000. In addition, he was not told what specific species of birds were to be protected.
"How do I know what type of bird I am supposed to be attracting?" he asked.
He was also told by the Corps to remove plants from the property because it was a wetland and then they told him to plant 850 new trees. He complied and was then told by the Corps to plant an additional one thousand trees on church property.
"I am just a minister. I just want to help people. I have been doing this all of my life. I don't understand all the obstacles that have been put in the way of our mission," he said. "Even more than the government, the non-elected people trouble me. I truly believe that the environmental people thwart the true freedoms of all of us and even our elected politicians are powerless to stop them."
His frustration evident, he continued to tell story after story of harassment and interdiction.
He built a six-foot high chain link fence, pursuant to orders from the Corps. When local children dug under the fence, he ordered his crew to move two scoop loads of dirt as fill to stop the trespasses and destruction. "The Corps came in again. I don't know if they watch us every day or what, but they came in immediately and said that we had illegally filled a wetland and we had to pay a $6,000 fine. Then they took eighty feet from around the entire perimeter of our grounds to keep as another wetland protection area."
Mallory, who is a native of Canada, has ministered in South Florida for many years. He said the church was forced to pay to widen the county road next to the campus. They also had to provide the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) with two boat ramps going both north and south along a canal that fronts the facility before they would approve the project.
"I am sorry, but I just don't understand the Corps, the SFWMD, or their reasoning. We have had a water meter here for years. We recently had to pay a $25,000 deposit for a water meter, which we already had," he said.
His ministry is fully supported by the Collier County Board of Commissioners, Don Hunter of the Collier County Sheriff's Office and many of the county judges, who send individuals charged with crimes to his facility for treatment and assistance.
"Our goal is to provide shelter and rehabilitation for the indigent, drug and alcohol abusers, and the homeless," he said. "We provide shelter, detoxification, rehabilitation, medical screening, food, clothing, counseling, education, protection for unwed mothers and abused runaway teens, the hungry, or anyone else who needs help. What are we doing that is wrong in the eyes of government officials?"
Mallory believes U.S. veterans are essentially a forgotten part of our society and the ministry is especially receptive to them. A life-size, one-ton bronze sculpture at the entrance of the campus depicts Christ embracing a soldier.
He said one of the goals of the ministry is to provide temporary housing for local individuals in the community. However, housing units on the church campus are empty.
"We can't set them up and open them to the public because Collier County wants $104,000 in impact fees and they want it all up front, even before we begin to house those who need the help," he said in an exasperated tone.
He said that he understood and was receptive to the cause of the Sawgrass Rebellion, because fourteen years ago he was the minister at a small church in inner Florida. However, he declined to identify the parish.
"Let’s just say that the people were the classic ‘Florida Crackers.’ They were the salt of the earth. They helped everyone, with no questions asked," he said sadly. "They invited me and my son Joshua (later killed by a drunk driver along with five others traveling in a church bus) deep into the Everglades to spend the weekend at their camp. I remember traveling in a swamp buggy to a small cabin. We saw wildlife everywhere and it was amazing."
He went on to explain that all those people wanted to do was hunt, fish, and enjoy the recreation in the area, but the federal government took the land, fenced it and made it off-limits. His congregation moved away because they wanted to go on to a place where they could enjoy nature.
"If we can help the Sawgrass Rebellion in any way, the church, our people and our facilities are open to them," he said.
The church campus is located on Collier Boulevard, about two miles south of Interstate 75.
The Sawgrass Rebellion is an umbrella organization founded to protect
the property rights of South Florida residents through legislation,
litigation, and public education. A national forum and property rights
rally is scheduled in Naples on October 17 and 18. Caravans from across
the United States will converge at the rally and travel across the
Everglades to Homestead, Florida on October 19. The largest property
rights advocate group in the United States, The Paragon Foundation
of Alamogordo, New Mexico, recently agreed to help South Florida residents
in their stand against "unwarranted taking" of their properties. PFNS is a public service of The Paragon Foundation, Alamogordo,
NM - 1-877-847-3443
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