Skip to main content A Pensacola law enforcement officer is suing his state employer over claims he was unlawfully prevented from sharing his Christian beliefs in his workplace. In a federal civil trial that began Wednesday in Tallahassee, Kevin Fiedor claims that the Florida Department of Financial Services violated his First Amendment speech rights. Fiedor says he was prohibited from inviting subordinates to church events and from placing faith-related materials on an office bulletin board. The DFS has denied the charges, countering the agency has no policy prohibiting religious speech. The agency added that even if there was such a policy, it wouldn’t have "substantially burdened" Fiedor or compromised his ability to practice his faith. Fiedor was the highest-ranking official in the Northwest Florida region of the DFS’s Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations, according to court records. During work, he spoke to subordinates about his beliefs and invited them to events at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church. Some subordinates reported that they felt pressured by the invitations, but Fiedor has said that he never pressured employees to attend church functions or to believe as he did. Fiedor was ultimately investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for this […]
