A Florida priest is facing fines exceeding $500,000 (approx. £375,000) after refusing to halt a soup kitchen that local authorities say violates zoning regulations, in a standoff that has stretched more than 12 years. The case has drawn national attention online and reignited debate over religious freedom, homelessness and the limits of local government authority.
Father Bob Caudill has been feeding the homeless through All Saints Catholic Mission in Oakland Park for 36 years. What began as a faith-driven act of charity has become one of the most contentious church-and-state disputes in Florida in recent memory.
