“The City considers ‘established presence in the local community of Pompano Beach’ as an individual or religious organization that has a physical or active presence in Pompano Beach… …including participation in local city events, i.e. memorial ceremonies.” That language is not mine. It comes straight out of the City’s records. And it doesn’t appear anywhere in the City’s published Invocation …
TL;DR Municipal invocation policies often rely on vague standards like “established community presence,” which grant staff unbridled discretion—a major §1983 liability risk. By stress-testing these policies through formal records requests and comparative analysis, GovHacks reveals how easily “ceremonial” traditions become legal vulnerabilities. We provide the “bug report” so cities can fix their process before a third party files a lawsuit. …
