Embattled FL Pastor Cancels Services After Coronavirus Arrest

TAMPA, FL — The pastor of a Tampa megachurch arrested Monday after hosting services in violation of the county's executive order to prevent the spread of coronavirus said he's canceling services at the church Sunday and will livestream his sermon.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested the Rev. Rodney Howard-Browne, pastor of The River at Tampa Bay Church, after he invited his more than 4,000 congregation members to join him in two services at the church Sunday.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said hundreds of people were on hand for each of the services in violation of the county's executive order to limit gatherings to no more than 10 people and maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from one another.

Howard-Browne was arrested Monday at his home in Hernando County by the Hernando Sheriff's Office on charges of unlawful assembly and violating public health emergency rules of isolation and quarantine.

Shortly after his arrest, he was released on $500 bond. The two charges against Howard-Browne are second-degree misdemeanors that carry a maximum penalty of two months in jail and $500 fine.

After news of his arrest made national headlines, the conservative nonprofit litigation group The Liberty Counsel announced it would represent Howard-Browne, who pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Liberty Counsel f0under Matt Staver said Howard-Browne intends to fight the charges against him, arguing that the county's executive order is vague in its description of the essential services that are permitted during the coronavirus pandemic. Howard-Browne contends that coming together and praying at a time when people are despairing and losing hope is an essential service.

In a statement released Thursday, Howard-Browne said he remains steadfast in his belief that the practice of one's faith is an essential service and constitutes freedom of religion, which is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

"We did not hold church to defy any order; nor did we hold church to send a political message," he said. "We did not hold church for self-promotion or financial motives, as some have wrongly accused. We held church because it is our mission to save souls and help people, and because we in good faith did everything possible to comply with the executive order."

He said he did not take the decision to cancel Palm Sunday services April 5 lightly.

He said he and his wife, Adonica, decided it was best "for the protection of our people in this antagonistic climate, in large part created by media hype and misrepresentations, which have undoubtedly been exacerbated by Sheriff Chronister’s exaggerated and outright false accounts of the situation."

Howard-Browne accused Chronister of grandstanding during the news conference announcing his arrest.

"The fanfare and drama that surrounded my arrest was completely unnecessary," he said. "A simple phone call informing me that I had been charged with violating the executive order and needed to come to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office would have sufficed. I would have been willing to turn myself in but was not offered that option. It was unnecessary to send law enforcement to my home. And it was unnecessary to hold a press conference even as I was being arrested."

During the news conference Monday at the sheriff's office headquarters, Chronister invited two prominent Tampa pastors and Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren to speak.

"Sheriff Chronister made statements at the press conference that the arrest was conducted at my home because the church has an arsenal of weapons," Howard-Browne said. "This is patently false. The church, like many churches, had armed off-duty deputies on Sunday to provide protection against anyone who might have ill intentions."

Howard-Brown said he also took exception to Chronister's assertion that he was being "reckless" with the lives of his congregation members.

"With all due respect to Sheriff Chronister, the church went above and beyond the requirements for secular businesses to protect the health and well-being of the people who attended," he said. "None of this seems to have been taken into consideration but appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to hyped-up reports by media who were not in the building at any time."

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Howard-Browne said the church enforced the 6-foot distance between family groups in the auditorium and overflow rooms; handed out hand sanitizer to every person who entered the church; had staff wear gloves; marked off 6-foot distances on the floor with tape to keep members from violating the social distancing guidelines; told anyone experiencing symptoms or with underlying health problems to remain at home; and spent $100,000 on a hospital-grade purification system set up throughout the church that provides continuous infectious microbial reduction that is rated to kill microbes, including those in the coronavirus family.

"Not only did the church comply with the administrative order regarding 6-foot distancing, it went above and beyond any other business to ensure the health and safety of the people," said Staver.

When Chronister was asked to respond to Howard-Browne's criticism, public relations coordinator Merissa Lynn said the sheriff stands by the statements he made during Monday's news conference.

“I believe there is nothing more important than faith at a time like this, and as a sheriff’s office, we would never impede on someone’s ability to lean on their religious beliefs as a means of comfort,” Chronister said, “but practicing those beliefs has to be done safely.”

At the news conference, Chronister said Friday, and again on Sunday, that sheriff’s office personnel and legal staff spoke with attorneys representing the church "in an attempt to educate them on the orders in place and the dangerous environment they were creating for their members and the community. Neither the pastor nor his church leaders heeded the warnings," Chronister said.

"This is patently untrue," Howard-Browne said. "On Thursday, Sheriff Chronister spoke to some of our staff by speaker phone. I was also present."

He said they told Chronister about the precautions they were taking to protect the staff and congregation.

"He said the church could operate on Sunday, and that he had no intention to close the church or arrest anyone," Howard-Browne said.

On Saturday, staff and ushers went about preparing the church for Sunday services, taking "all possible, reasonable precautions ... At no time, before or during the service, did we receive any warnings from the sheriff or any other official," Howard-Browne said.

Since his arrest, Howard-Browne said he has received death threats and that he fears for the safety of his staff and congregation.

"The word of my arrest has traveled around the world," Howard-Browne said. "While I have received vulgar verbal abuse and death threats from people who do not know me and are not familiar with the facts ... I feel compelled by these threats to not meet this upcoming Sunday for the protection of our pastors, staff and congregation."

However, the pastor hasn't discounted the possibility of hosting services on Easter Sunday, April 12.

"At this time, I have not made any decision about Easter Sunday or services thereafter," he said. "Adonica and I are praying and seeking the Lord for wisdom. I will say, however, that the church cannot be closed indefinitely."

Chronister said he'll continue to enforce the "Safer-At-Home" and social distancing orders, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has now extended across the state, even if it means arresting Howard-Browne again.

“The River at Tampa Bay has an advantage over most places of worship, because they have access to technology that allows them to livestream their services over the internet and broadcast television for the more than 4,000 members to watch from the safety of their homes," Chronister said. He said smaller, poorer churches around the county don't have that luxury but are still heeding the Safer-At-Home order.