Pinellas County Commissioner Vince Nowicki is questioning why county officials described a proposed mosque expansion near Tarpon Springs only as a “community assembly facility,” arguing that residents deserve a clearer explanation of development proposals in their neighborhoods.
His concerns follow a divided 4-3 County Commission vote approving a countywide land-use amendment for a 2.7-acre property at 2577 Keystone Road, where the existing religious facility would be replaced with a slightly larger building.
Nowicki challenged the description during Tuesday’s hearing, then followed up Wednesday with an email to County Administrator Barry Burton citing several previous zoning cases in which county staff and other local governments explicitly identified proposed churches or religious institutions.
The Commissioner questioned why the mosque, identified in the applicant’s plans as Masjid Al Rahman, received different treatment.
“Residents read these materials to understand what is being proposed near them, and they should get the same plain description in every case, no matter the applicant,” Nowicki wrote.
The vote changes the property’s land use from Residential Rural to Public/Semi-Public, which would allow the property owner, Al Rahman Inc., to replace an existing assembly building with a new facility roughly 1,000 square feet larger.
The redevelopment would also include new parking, stormwater improvements and removal of the existing driveway onto Keystone Road, with vehicle access shifting to East Lake Street, according to agenda materials.
Nowicki questioned what the property owner stood to gain from the amendment and whether the larger facility would bring more activity to the surrounding area.
County planning staff acknowledged that the expansion could accommodate additional activity but said the project would remain subject to development restrictions intended to protect neighboring properties.
Nowicki also questioned why county documents had not explicitly identified the facility as a mosque.
“If I may. I mean, this is a mosque. I don’t know if we know that or not. You know it’s a mosque, right?” Nowicki asked.
“I believe so,” county planning official Scott Swearengen said.
“And that really wasn’t in any of the documents you guys provided that it was a mosque,” Nowicki responded.
Swearengen explained that the county’s zoning ordinance does not separately define churches or mosques, instead grouping those uses under the broader classification of community assembly facilities.
He said the county updated its zoning definitions several years ago to align more closely with state terminology and general planning practices.
But in his Wednesday email, Nowicki questioned whether the county had applied that terminology consistently.
He pointed to a 2019 Palm Harbor zoning case that described a proposed religious facility and a 2025 application involving St. Philopateer Mercurius Coptic Orthodox Church that identified the project as a church.
He cited six countywide planning cases between 2021 and 2025 involving churches in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pasadena, arguing that their supporting documents explicitly identified the religious uses.
Nowicki noted that the analysis by Forward Pinellas, the countywide planning agency, refers to the property as a “place of worship/community assembly use,” even though the county’s agenda and presentation described it only as a community assembly facility.
Nowicki also raised concerns about inconsistent development standards along Keystone Road.
“I know another parcel just a few parcels down was denied access on to Keystone and other stuff like that, and to build activity. So, I mean, I wouldn’t have been in favor of this today because I don’t think we’re applying a uniform standard on parcels just right down the road for an increased activity,” Nowicki said.
“I just think there’s a lot going on here, but I don’t necessarily see the value of increasing more activity in north county. I think a lot of our residents think the county’s overdeveloped and don’t want to see an increased footprint of traffic and activity.”
The Commission approved the amendment 4-3, with Nowicki among those opposed.
In his Wednesday email, Nowicki asked Burton to explain why the county described the mosque differently from other religious facilities, whether a written policy governs those descriptions and how staff would ensure consistency in future cases.
