- GAINESVILLE: Terry Jones, the pastor who for more than a week was at the center of controversy and demonstrations after he threatened to burn copies of the Holy Qu'ran, now plans to move his Dove World Outreach Center 130 miles southwest to Tampa, an area he considers "less liberal."
At the same time, the City of Gainesville announced it cost $200,000 to provide police protection and to monitor the situation after Jones threatened to burn copies of the Qu'ran.
City officials are sure to discuss the strain this expense places on their budget at upcoming council meetings and might even attempt to find a way to send Jones the bill.
As Sept. 11 approached, the controversy escalated, other law enforcement agencies, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation also sent their agents to monitor the situation in case there were terrorist threats.
A church spokesman described Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida, as a liberal community, controlled by the university.
The FBI and Homeland Security became involved in the scenario as its intensity increased, worrying that the Sept. 11 UF football game in Gainesville might provide an opportunity for terrorists to strike. More than 100,000 fans from all over Florida and Georgia, many of whom are alumni, attend Gator football home games.
When Jones announced his plans to burn copies of the Qu'ran, a majority of the community opposed his plan and the membership in the Dove World Outreach Center immediately plummeted 50 percent, from 50 to 25.
Several hundred protesters, mostly college students, showed up in front of the Dove World Outreach Center carrying anti-Jones slogans. Only a handful of Jones supporters came.
Authorities worried that Muslim protesters might come to the area, but although they initially considered it, everyone seemed to think their presence would only intensify the situation, and Sept. 11 also happened to be the beginning of Eid Al-Fitr.
Gainesville has a population of slightly more than 100,000. Tampa, which has a large metropolitan area, including St. Petersburg and Sarasota, Florida, has a population of more than two million, so Jones hopes to capitalize on his notoriety and use it to increase the membership of his church in Tampa.
If the Dove World Outreach Center is moved to Tampa, the plan could easily backfire on Jones. Tampa and St. Petersburg are a lot more racially diversified and have a large ethnic mix, all of whom could find Jones' radical evangelical viewpoint very offensive.
