Remnant Church Resumes Full Homeless Outreach in Sarasota, Florida, After Zoning Violation Notice

The Remnant Church, led by Pastor Frank Burns, announced on October 4 that its Remnant Cafe outreach program will resume full operations beginning October 5, according to a report from pembrokepinesflnews.com. The church said the program had been limited to Wednesday Bible study and Saturday worship services while its services were curtailed. Under the resumed schedule, the Remnant Cafe will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with Saturday services beginning at noon.

The Remnant Cafe offers free meals, coffee, hot showers, clean clothes, and laundry services. The church also provides bus transportation from the Breeze Transit depot in downtown Sarasota to a site six miles northwest, a practical welcome for people who need those services (Matthew 25:35). The church merged with Ashton Mennonite Church in 2017, according to the same report.

According to wgcu.org, Sarasota County code enforcement issued the church a violation notice stating that the property is not zoned for a full-scale social service operation. The notice ordered the church to cease these services. The report said the action was prompted by a neighbor’s complaint about cleanliness and safety in the residential area. The church scaled back its services and operating hours in response.

Pembrokepines reported that Sarasota County Code Enforcement determined the program was operating as a social service facility on land zoned for single-family residential use. The county also postponed a cease-and-desist order until December 2. Wgcu.org reported that the church plans to appeal the violation through a special magistrate.

The reports describe the effect of the reduced services differently in scope. Wgcu.org stated that more than a hundred individuals were left without access to essential services like showers and laundry, and that few other organizations in the county offer these services for free, so many people must now pay for laundromat services. These figures and effects come from that report and were not independently confirmed in the other two accounts.

Wmnf.org reported that the Remnant Cafe resumed full operations after its temporary reduction in services. It said the county notice stated the property is not zoned to operate a social service facility, and that church leaders refused to comply with a December deadline to cease offering services. According to that report, church leaders plan to challenge the county’s interpretation of zoning laws in court, and the article’s headline frames the dispute as one that could test religious freedom.