Breaking: Orlando Drops Eminent Domain Against Church, Will Move MLS Stadium

David has defeated Goliath yet again. In a major victory for Faith Deliverance Temple, Mayor Buddy Dyer has been forced to drop his eminent domain attempt to seize the Church.

“To God be the Glory,” said Jonathan Williams, son of one of the Church’s founders. “All we wanted to do is stay. We prayed about it and God has honored our wishes.”

The Parramore Church has been fighting the City of Orlando’s takeover attempt for a new Major League Soccer Stadium. The Williams recently told WFTV Channel 9 News they may be like David going against Goliath, but they like how that story ended. Today, members of Faith Deliverance Temple  can celebrate their major victory. “If God be for you, who can be against you?,” Catherine Williams told WFTV.

There are still many questions surrounding the sudden announcement from the City. Dyer has already spent millions on the land surrounding Faith Deliverance Temple, as awful City planning never considered the community or the property owners when they decided to give millions in corporate welfare for the soccer team to build a new stadium. It appears evident that Dyer and the City of Orlando had a feeling their case would not hold up in court. It also appears clear neither the City nor the soccer team wanted the continued bad PR throughout the community.

But what does all this wasted money by Dyer mean in regards to the ongoing $52 million budget crisis? Where is the accountability from Mayor Dyer’s City Hall? Dyer even used loaned money, carrying variable rate interest, to purchase some of the land. More bad planning. More taxpayer waste.

And now it looks like more controversy ahead as the stadium will shift slightly to the west, and likely cut off and close Parramore Avenue and will definitely disrupt the area. The new plan will also knock down Orlando Fire Station #2 and a very expensive retention pond that was just built. It will also be interesting to see if the new phony bridge the City spent money on will stay as well. The City will build on land purchased in the recent controversial BBIF deal made last week.

The controversial eminent domain attempt by Mayor Dyer has already garnered bad national media attention, including the Washington Post calling the use of eminent domain likely “illegal” and Fox News headlining a “God Versus Major League Soccer” story, while ESPN even covered the gentrification concerns regarding the new proposed stadium and highlighted the Church’s legal fight recently in ESPN The Magazine.