BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A group is challenging Brevard County commissioners over a prayer before their government meetings.
The majority of the invocations before commission meetings in Brevard County have been Christian prayers.
A letter from a group called Americans United out of Washington, D.C., claims people who aren't Christian have been excluded from opening the meetings.
"If other groups want to talk, we're all for freedom of speech, but we also have a public comments section in our meetings, and we feel like that's an appropriate place for those discussions to be had," Brevard County communications director Tom Walker said.
Members of the group Central Florida's Freethought Community requested to give nonreligious invocations, but they said it was denied, and another request was unanswered.
County leaders said they've been operating with an unofficial policy regarding who can give invocations, and the challenge is pushing them to get something in the books.
"It's something we're going to take a hard look at and figure out if there's something else we want to do to allow other groups to come in," Walker said.
Local pastor Tom Unreth said he'd prefer to begin with a prayer but is open to options.
"If that is the intent, to have an invocation or a benediction closing prayer of some sort, then let it be that," Unreth said. "If they want to have an opening word, an opening meditation, an opening thought for the day, then call it that."
Walker said the commission hasn't met since the letter was submitted, so they haven't been able to respond.
Commissioners plan to discuss the invocation policy at their next meeting on Tuesday.