A Clearwater City Council member rescinded his endorsement of a candidate after a tense back-and-forth with her husband, a Pinellas County commissioner, about the council’s vote last week to give a stretch of public roadway to the Church of Scientology.
The council’s decision on South Garden Avenue was more than a year in the making, and its implications are top of mind for residents and candidates as the Aug. 18 election approaches.
Bianca Latvala, who is married to Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, announced in April she had received endorsements from multiple City Council members, including Mike Mannino. She’s seeking Seat 4 on the council.
Chris Latvala texted Mannino June 18, hours before the council was set to vote on a request from the Church of Scientology to let it have a portion of South Garden Avenue downtown. Mannino and Chris Latvala confirmed the authenticity of screenshots of their messages that were shared with the Times.
Chris Latvala told Mannino to delay the vote and encouraged the council to do the same in a Facebook post because the county is working to lease or sell more than a dozen Pinellas-owned properties in downtown Clearwater.
“Let the county develop a plan for our property and then do what u have to do,” Latvala wrote to Mannino.
Mannino responded that the vote on South Garden Avenue would not affect the county’s effort and that the Garden Avenue discussion needed closure.
Latvala responded: “Well when developers read in the wall street journal that our city council is owned lock stock and barrel by L Ron Hubbard I am sure it will,” he said, referring to the founder of the Church of Scientology. “And dont use God as an excuse for not having any balls and being a sellout.”
Mannino then responded: “My relationship with God is not yours to question nor ever used as an excuse. It takes balls to stand up to bigotry, antisemitism, racism, sexism, and homophobia. All of which are cousins of discrimination. I prefer to stay consistent against all the above and not move the goal posts for political popularity.”
Mannino told the Times he contacted Bianca Latvala over the weekend to let her know he was rescinding his endorsement and asked her to remove his name from campaign materials. Mannino, who voted in support of the church’s request, said his decision had nothing to do with her stance on the vacation of South Garden Avenue. Bianca Latvala is opposed to the city giving away the street.
“The truth of why I felt that I had to remove an endorsement was because I do not think that a sitting county commissioner pressuring, bullying or insulting a City Council member hours before a vote is a good place to be for Clearwater or for our county,” Mannino said.
Chris Latvala said his wife is an independent person, and any disagreement he has with Mannino does not involve her.
“She’s running for City Council,” Chris Latvala said. “I’m not.”
At a City Council candidate forum Tuesday evening, Bianca Latvala shared that a council member had withdrawn their endorsement and said she was “bullied to meet the opinions” of the council member.
Bianca Latvala said in a Facebook post Wednesday that the council member was Mannino.
“While I respect that people can disagree, I will not be threatened or pressured into supporting something I do not believe is right,” she wrote on Facebook. “If losing an endorsement is the price of standing by my principles, that is a consequence I am willing to accept.”
Her post also said her husband was warned to expect a public records request after screenshots Mannino took of the text messages between him and Latvala began circulating. She did not say who warned him of the coming records request.
Chris Latvala confirmed that he received a records request from the Church of Scientology for messages, emails and other written communication related to the church and South Garden Avenue. He told the Times that this is the first time the church has ever requested his communications.
“I’m also a resident of Clearwater and Mike Mannino is my City Council member,” Chris Latvala said. “Residents should be able to contact their elected officials without being tattled on.”
Mannino said it is “unequivocally false” that he tipped off the church about his messages with Latvala, and the church’s request had nothing to do with him.
“Clearwater is in such a place of hope and optimism and momentum,” Mannino said. “It’s unfortunate that divisive behavior and negativity are being inserted in a time like this.”
The South Garden Avenue saga has similarly stirred up drama in the race for Seat 5 between candidates Sam Wilson, Kevin R. T. Laughlin and Mark Bunker.
Wilson pointed out online that Bunker, who served on City Council from 2020 to 2024, was a part of a unanimous vote in support of a 2021 request from the church for a portion of public right-of-way on North Osceola Avenue.
Bunker has been a critic of the church for decades and posted a 12-and-a-half-minute video to his YouTube account in response this week.
