A federal civil rights lawsuit exposes how former Tampa Catholic Coach Bob Henriquez allegedly uses his elected position as Property Appraiser to discriminate against Protestant churches while the State of Florida recognizes them as religious. Pastor Joshua Jordan filed Jordan v. Henriquez (Case 8:25-cv-01800-MSS-CPT) after Henriquez denied his church's tax exemption with four different contradictory reasons, then appeared to obstruct evidence by opening the email containing the public records requests 68 times while producing zero documents. This landmark case could establish Supreme Court precedent protecting all faith communities from alleged government denominational discrimination.
TAMPA, Fla., July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court alleges how a former Catholic high school coach uses his elected government position to discriminate against Protestant churches, then attempts to obstruct transparency when confronted with legal action.
Pastor Joshua Jordan filed Jordan v. Henriquez (Case 8:25-cv-01800-MSS-CPT) against Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez, alleging violations of First Amendment religious freedom protections and federal civil rights laws.
The Government Contradiction
The case centers on an impossible government contradiction: The State of Florida officially designated Faith Action Church property as a "religious physical place" in October 2024, while Henriquez denied the identical property's religious tax exemption six months later, claiming insufficient evidence of religious use.
"The same government cannot call property 'religious' and 'not religious' simultaneously," said Pastor Jordan. "When a former Catholic coach uses his government position to decide Protestant churches aren't religious enough, every faith community in America should be concerned."
Catholic Coach vs Protestant Pastor
Bob Henriquez spent 17 years as head football coach at Tampa Catholic High School, leading the Catholic "Crusaders" to state championships. As Property Appraiser, court documents detail alleged barriers for Protestant churches seeking religious exemptions, including multiple false statements by Henriquez's office claiming the church "was not the owner of record" despite public records showing continuous ownership since April 2024.
Alleged Evidence Obstruction
The discrimination case escalated when Pastor Jordan requested public records that could prove alleged systematic bias patterns. Under Florida Statute Chapter 119, government officials are legally required to produce responsive public records - compliance is mandatory, not optional.
Email tracking technology revealed Henriquez's office opened the transparency request 68 times while producing zero documents over 12 days - apparent obstruction of evidence relevant to the active federal case despite clear legal obligations.
"When government officials look at evidence requests 68 times but produce nothing, that raises serious questions about what they're hiding," Jordan said. "Florida law requires them to turn over these records. This behavior suggests they know their alleged discrimination violates the Florida Constitution."
National Religious Freedom Implications
The federal case raises critical questions about government officials allegedly using their positions for denominational discrimination. Legal experts note the case could establish precedent protecting religious organizations nationwide from arbitrary government bias.
The lawsuit alleges violations of First Amendment Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses, Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection and Due Process, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and Florida's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Constitutional Stakes and Supreme Court Potential
As the case potentially advances through appeals courts toward the Supreme Court, it could establish landmark precedent for religious freedom protections. The combination of denominational bias, evidence tampering, and federal civil rights violations creates multiple constitutional issues of national significance.
"This case will determine whether elected officials can allegedly use government power for religious discrimination, then obstruct transparency when challenged," Jordan said. "Every American who values religious freedom should be watching this federal case."
Case Documents and Evidence: Complete 43-page federal complaint with exhibits, email tracking evidence, and court filings are available for media review at Case Files Here.
Website: Additional case information and updates available at Church V State.
Faith Action Church focuses on combating America's post-COVID loneliness epidemic through faith-based home churches while starting churches in Tokyo, Japan and orphanages in the Philippines.
About Pastor Joshua Jordan:
Joshua Jordan retired from business at age 36 after being mentored by top business leaders and building several successful companies. Since then, he has focused on building Action Church, supporting US and Japan based home churches and independently litigating high-impact civil rights and business cases as a self-taught legal advocate.
Media Contact
Joshua Jordan, Church V State, 1 (813) 436-3632, [email protected], https://churchvstate.com/
SOURCE Church V State
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