In his latest salvo against local leaders, Florida’s attorney general is promising to protect the Orlando Torah Center against religious “animus” as the Orthodox Jewish congregation fights in federal court to reverse an Orange County decision denying it permission to build a bigger synagogue.

Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a broad warning in a letter Aug. 8 to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and the Board of County Commissioners that their “land use decisions must never be motivated by discriminatory bias against the religious practices of applicants.”

He offered no evidence of such motivation, but alluded to the board’s denial July 1 of the Torah Center’s request.

Despite his ominous tone, Uthmeier did not promise specific punishment of local leaders based on the issue, as he d

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