{"id":348510,"date":"2025-12-06T13:04:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T18:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/?p=348510"},"modified":"2025-12-06T13:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T18:04:16","slug":"activists-have-right-to-leaflet-within-five-feet-clearwater-abortion-clinic-appeals-court-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/news\/activists-have-right-to-leaflet-within-five-feet-clearwater-abortion-clinic-appeals-court-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Activists have right to leaflet within five feet Clearwater abortion clinic, appeals court says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A
Credit:<\/span> Screengrab via Google Maps<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anti-abortion activists have the right to hand leaflets to women in the driveway of a Clearwater abortion clinic, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2-to-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit tossed<\/a> a trial judge\u2019s decision preventing the Florida Preborn Rescue organization from entering within five feet of the Bread and Roses Women\u2019s Health Center\u2019s driveway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the lower court must pause the Clearwater ordinance preventing the group \u2014 and any other pedestrians \u2014 from entering the center\u2019s \u201cbuffer zone\u201d \u2014 a 38-foot stretch of public sidewalk, 28 feet of which cross the clinic\u2019s driveway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Ordinance seriously burdens Florida Preborn\u2019s speech \u2026 by restricting the sidewalk counselors\u2019 ability to distribute leaflets to patients as they arrive at the clinic,\u201d the majority opinion reads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe controlling question is whether the challenged buffer zone \u2014 be it five, 10, or 35 feet\u2014burdens substantially more speech than necessary to achieve the government\u2019s asserted interests,\u201d it continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe think it likely that Clearwater\u2019s buffer zone does so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although abortion-related topics have divided the nation for decades, the conversation reached a fever-pitch in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This turned abortion regulation over to the states, sparking dramatically different pro-choice or anti-abortion laws from state to state. Since then, states like New Jersey<\/a>, Colorado<\/a>, and Kentucky<\/a> have all seen their \u201cbuffer zone\u201d ordinances contested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The case centers on a 2023 city ordinance passed to prevent anti-abortion protesters impeding vehicles\u2019 and patients\u2019 access to the clinic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Clearwater Police Department \u2014 which backed the ordinance \u2014 it received 73 calls in one year from the clinic to handle \u201ccontinuing and recently escalating confrontation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ordinance banned all pedestrians from crossing within five feet of the clinic\u2019s driveway, exempting emergency services and clinic staff escorting women into the building, as part of a buffer zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida Preborn Rescue soon after asked a federal district judge for a preliminary injunction, alleging a free-speech violation and noting that its ability to hand out leaflets and have \u201cclose, personal conversations\u201d had been dramatically chilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven denied their request<\/a> that October. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, as ordered by the appellate court, Scriven will have to dissolve the buffer zone while litigation continues on the underlying merits of the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Herculean efforts\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The appellate decision was not unanimous. Judge Nancy Abudu, a joe Biden appointee, disagreed with judges Kevin Newsom and Britt Grant, both appointed by Trump. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe First Amendment does not demand that patients at a medical facility undertake Herculean efforts to escape the cacophony of political [messages],\u201d she wrote, citing federal precedent. \u201cThe right to be let alone is one of the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abudu argued that FPR can still speak with patients driving into the clinic because their counselors are just five feet away from the driveway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is di\ufb03cult to even visualize how a distance of five feet seriously burdens FPR\u2019s ability to leaflet and otherwise communicate with those entering the clinic,\u201d she added, arguing patients interested in speaking with FPR could always walk over and accept a leaflet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This conflicts with Newsom and Grant\u2019s reading of the ordinance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the measure bans all pedestrians except for clinic staff and emergency management, they said, this technically means patients intrigued by FPR\u2019s message wouldn\u2019t be allowed to walk through the buffer zone to accept a leaflet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, they argued, that the ordinance is unnecessary and over-burdensome because Florida already has a statute preventing the obstruction of traffic ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFlorida Phoenix<\/a> is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>.\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a>

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anti-abortion activists have the right to hand leaflets to women in the driveway of a Clearwater abortion clinic, a federal appeals court ruled Dec. 4, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1975,"featured_media":348511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-12-06T18:04:12Z","apple_news_api_id":"cea80e92-5c69-435c-b21f-0f587b5e9310","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-12-06T18:04:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AzqgOklxpQ1yyHw9Ye16TEA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"newspack_collection_is_cover_story":false,"newspack_collection_post_order":0,"_newspack_byline_active":true,"_newspack_byline":"By Live Caputo \/ [Author id=1975]Florida Phoenix[\/Author]","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_post_subtitle":"The ordinance banned all pedestrians from crossing within five feet of the clinic\u2019s driveway, exempting emergency services and clinic staff escorting women into the building, as part of a buffer 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Wade comes before Supreme Court","author":"Justin Garcia","date":"November 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"'We demand safe and legal abortion now.\u2019","rel":"","context":"In "Abortion Rights"","block_context":{"text":"Abortion Rights","link":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/category\/news\/abortion-rights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/reproductive_rights_3.6197e4134e978.png?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/reproductive_rights_3.6197e4134e978.png?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/reproductive_rights_3.6197e4134e978.png?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/reproductive_rights_3.6197e4134e978.png?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":260338,"url":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/news\/out-of-state-abortions-in-florida-up-nearly-25-as-six-week-ban-looms-16510134\/","url_meta":{"origin":348510,"position":5},"title":"Out of state abortions in Florida up nearly 25% as six-week ban looms","author":"McKenna Schueler","date":"October 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Neighboring Southern states have severely restricted or completely banned abortion.","rel":"","context":"In "Abortion Rights"","block_context":{"text":"Abortion Rights","link":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/category\/news\/abortion-rights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/roe_v._wade_protest_tampa-16.webp?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/roe_v._wade_protest_tampa-16.webp?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/roe_v._wade_protest_tampa-16.webp?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/roe_v._wade_protest_tampa-16.webp?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1975"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348510"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348513,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348510\/revisions\/348513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348510"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_collection_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_collection_taxonomy?post=348510"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_collection_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_collection_section?post=348510"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=348510"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cltampa.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=348510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}