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Fire Code Violations Plague Without Walls Church

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By BAIRD HELGESON

bhelgeson@tampatrib.com

Published: December 3, 2008

TAMPA - Without Walls International Church faces fines for failing to ensure fire alarms and sprinklers work properly in its sanctuary and administrative building.

The church has until Dec. 17 to inspect the sprinklers and alarms, and make roughly 20 repairs. After the deadline, the church faces daily fines of $100 a building.

None of the problems appears to be an immediate threat to public safety, said Bill Wade, a Tampa Fire Recue spokesman.

Church staff declined requests for comment.

Fire officials inspected the buildings in February and found several items that needed repair or replacement, including emergency lighting, exit signs and fire extinguishers. Fire officials also required the church to get the alarms and sprinklers inspected to ensure they work properly.

Since then, the church hasn't made any of the repairs or hired an inspector to check out the sprinklers and alarms, Wade said.

The Tampa Fire Marshal took the matter to the city's code enforcement board, which gave the church until mid-December to address the issues.

This is the latest blow to the embattled megaministry, once recognized for being among the nation's fastest-growing churches.

In the past two years, founders Randy and Paula White announced they were getting a divorce, a U.S. Senate committee launched an inquiry into church spending and the Evangelical Christian Credit Union began foreclosure proceedings against the church and its Lakeland branch.

At a service Sunday morning, Randy White told the congregation church staff was moving out of the administration building, but made no mention of the fire code violations.

"We are making an enormous transformation," he said during a recording of the service obtained by The Tampa Tribune.

Randy White then asked the congregation to stick around after the service to move furniture, install carpet and clean. "I know that you are not supposed to work on Sunday, but we are going to make an exception."

Wade said he wasn't sure why White would move out of the 56,000-square-foot administration building, built in 1974.

The sanctuary, built nine years earlier, has many of the same problems.

Reporter Baird Helgeson can be reached at (813) 259-7668.

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