CASSELBERRY, Fla.,None — A church in Casselberry is having trouble getting off the ground. Instead of hiring a construction crew, the Jehovah's Witness group planned to have members build a new Kingdom Hall.
However, the city won't allow the church to build on Sundays.
WFTV saw limited construction work being done Tuesday at the site of the new Kingdom Hall on Seminole Boulevard in Casselberry. Some residents in a nearby condo community are already sick of the noise and it's only been three months.
"The noise damage has already been done," resident Bruce Blount said.
A Kingdom Hall spokesperson told WFTV they had a plan to speed up construction and finish by July, but city commissioners refuse to let crews to do heavy duty vertical construction, which includes building walls, on weekends. The code only allows limited site work on Saturday and nothing on Sunday.
Kingdom Hall leaders said, "As part of their faith, members want to stay neutral and abide by the law of the land."
"Is this group discriminated against because they're Jehovah's Witness?" WFTV reporter Daralene Jones asked a city commissioner.
"Absolutely not. We have the same standards across the board. If anything, we would probably be more likely to help members of the faith community," Casselberry Commissioner Jon Miller said.
Kingdom Hall leaders said it is a hardship, because more than 2,000 volunteers from across the state help build their facilities and it's nearly impossible for most to take time off during the week without sacrificing vacation time.
"At this point, whatever they have to do to get it done sooner I think is fine," Blount said.
At this rate, leaders say it may take twice as long to get the building up.
The city manager told WFTV the city has not granted exceptions for vertical construction on the weekend in at least three years.
WFTV
