Photos of nuns in skirts spark outcry over turning house of worship into 'den of thieves' in Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. - City commissioners in Lakeland rejected a developer’s proposal to turn a former chapel into a bar and event venue. Their rejection may be partially due to outcry from members of the local faith community who were not thrilled to see photos of bar staff dressed as scantily-clad nuns.

The developer, who owned the now-closed Federal Bar in downtown, thought the blue and green-painted chapel would be the perfect place for a new nightlife venue. Promotional photos posted on social media showed bar staff dressed as nuns in short skirts. 

Churchgoers weren’t keen on the idea, saying opening a bar would open the local community to trouble.

"Please don’t turn that chapel, that church into a den of thieves," Mildred Pagan told city commissioners Tuesday. "This is a house where people came in and prayed to be freed." 

Maria Negron, of Lakeland, warned crime and violence would follow such a business.

"There is going to be violence, there is going to intoxication, there is going to be constant call for the police to rescue them from somebody who has fought near the car because they are inebriated," she said. 

Developer Stuart Simm agreed the photos may have been "in bad taste" but they were only online for a short time.

Regardless, many in the community did not appreciate the attempted cleverness. 

"The religious costumes and paraphernalia is profane. It is mocking, and it was very offensive to me when I saw it," said Debra Baubliz of Lakeland 

Commissioners gave the idea a thumbs down, with a 5-2 vote. Turning a chapel into a bar would violate city zoning because there is another church across the street.

However, the property owner, Gegory Fancelli, said he’s not done with the idea. 

"They said ‘No,’ but sometimes it takes three ‘Nos’ to get a ‘Yes,’" Fancelli said.

His new vision includes apartment buildings and a retail shop, incorporating the chapel into the design.