They called it, quote, "little more than self-serving propaganda intended to give the appearance of objective reporting." The Scientology leader had offered the Clearwater Marine Aquarium $15 million for that 1.4-acre grass lot on Pierce Street. Mayor Jane Castors partner vowed not to lobby the city. He demanded to see their financials, their board of directors. A buyer, whose identity Chesney never learned, agreed to his asking price without countering $1 million cash for the adjoining parcels, which was four times the value set by the Pinellas County Property Appraiser. Leading up to the waterfront, 22 of the first 33 buildings now have ties to Scientology. Spa not owned by a Scientologist. His wife, parishioner and real estate agent, Terri Novitsky, represented the buyer in many of the deals, according to interviews with sellers. Lares declined again when Fischler met him at a restaurant in Pinellas Park for lunch, and once more when she tried in May. After the Times reported the purchases, Miscavige met with city officials and acknowledged the church acquired them as part of his plan to spend $55 million renovating downtown buildings and recruiting high-end retail to empty store fronts. Fischler approached Bosi again in September. Real estate agent David Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three times what a property was valued by the county property appraiser. Be informed that their owners are local Scientologists who support the abuses of Scientology leader David Miscavige. The church stopped communicating with the city. In private meetings with council members, the Scientology leader described a plan for high-end shops, Cleveland Street facade renovations and an entertainment complex involving actor Tom Cruise, Scientologys most famous parishioner. The city wants to turn downtown into a regional destination for food, drink and entertainment. He is linked to the Church of Scientology via the Epsteins and Trish Duggan. Of the $103 million spent, $99 million was paid in cash. Because the city rebuffed Miscaviges offer, Bunker, who has advocated against alleged abuses in Scientology for 20 years, said he sees the parishioner-involved real estate purchases that followed as a vindictive and desperate play to interfere with Clearwaters revitalization efforts. We don't know what they're planning to do with the properties. The Times also contacted representatives of all 32 companies it identified that bought downtown real estate over the past three years. He is not listed on the corporate filings for any of the eight limited liability companies that recently bought the North Marina properties. Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. This is a story for another time. Andrus, the former church operative, has broken ground on a condo tower near the citys boat ramp and filed plans for another housing complex nearby. He saw the area improve when police cracked down on drugs and prostitution decades ago. Businesses might see this city project and say, yeah, let me take a chance on downtown and open up a business. City Council member Mark Bunker said although the church is not the official buyer of the downtown and North Marina properties, there is reason to believe Scientology leader David Miscavige is orchestrating the parishioner-operated companies making the acquisitions. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain to me why the paper has a Scientology reporter. The logical conclusion is Scientology must have some sort of a game plan in mind, but theyre not public with what it is, City Council member Hoyt Hamilton told the paper. Hayes, the attorney and parishioner involved in the rest of the North Marina purchases, was added as manager on the companies filings. Then the council interfered with a land deal that Scientology demanded for its plan. The companies paid a combined $11.8 million in cash for 28 undeveloped parcels, five empty commercial buildings and a dozen homes in the district, most of them dilapidated. City officials say their dedication to redeveloping the waterfront hasnt changed. In interviews, sellers said most of the transactions unfolded the same way. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has bought 60 . Mayor George Cretekos listens at a City Council meeting in April 2017 as residents pushed the council to purchase a vacant lot that Scientology also wanted. None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. In 2017 the church acquired six downtown Clearwater retail properties through limited liability companies. We believe it's important to shed light on a powerful institution that's very controversial and plays a big role in our community. (Everything owned by parishioner-run companies is still on the tax rolls. The churchs campus grew slowly over decades. In the world of scientologywhere anything goes and all laws in the wog world by damnedits Christmas 24/7. The Church of Scientology, its members and companies controlled by its members have spent $103 million over the past three years buying retail property in downtown Clearwater, Fla., according to the Tampa Bay Times. Seventy-one percent of the 60 parcels the Church of Scientology owns under its name in Pinellas County are tax-exempt for religious purposes. Most did not respond or declined to comment. (On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that since 2017, companies run by members of Scientology bought another 86 downtown commercial properties. About $15.9 million was paid in cash. They haven't submitted redevelopment plans. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members spent $103 million over the past three years buying up vast sections of downtown Clearwater. GPB Capital Holdings: Court-Appointed Monitors Report on Q4 2022 Activities. The Church was unaware of the significant number of properties owned by Scientologists in the Clearwater area and are delighted you provided the information, the letter continued. NIO stock swings lower after reporting losses that were much wider than expected, 3Ms stock surges after company says DOD data show 90% of earplug plaintiffs had normal hearing, Marc Benioffs Salesforce fairy tale is crumbling down around him. If Epsteins client was not the Church of Scientology then who is his client? It teaches that expanding Scientology is key to saving the world, then wields a system of totalitarian policies to keep parishioners in line. Welcome. Purchases in the North Marina Area took off in July 2019, three months after the City Council voted to buy the historic North Ward Elementary School across the street from the Seminole ramp and Andrus condo. Ever since Ive been here, and ever since Ive dealt with Scientology officials, I have heard the leaders articulate that they want to see a vibrant downtown, Horne said. Miscaviges offer to revitalize downtown hinged on the city ending its attempt to buy one vacant lot on which the church was also bidding. The Imagine Clearwater project aims to transform the city-owned waterfront into a vibrant park with gardens, a concert green, a walkway with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and mixed-use projects. The land grab started as tensions grew between the church and the Clearwater City Council. February 27, 2023 endeavor air pilot contract No Comments . One of these accounts shows discretionary assets of $134.77 million. Businesses without ties to the church are moving into a few of those. Osman Ozsan has been a Scientologist since the 1990s. Rabid Cult: Scientology Bites Dog Food Company; Attacks Cream Cheese; and Screams at Rolling Stone Magazine, Podcast with Aaron Smith-Levin: Grant Cardone Lawsuit Update & David Gentile Criminal Case. Wayne E. Lee ran his Auto Parts Distributors business on Park Street since 1982. Real estate agent Brian Andrus controls seven properties bought around the citys public boat ramp. Riley thereafter became a Regional Manager forCB Richard Ellis. And yes, everyone that works here is asked to keep politics and religion out . pauline hanson dancing with the stars; just jerk dance members; what happens if a teacher gets a dui The report notes that half of these properties have been bought since January 2017 after the organization and the Clearwater City Council presented competing redevelopment projects to the downtown district and its waterfront. One of the factors they do control is the waterfront land that's protected by city charter, that they are in the middle of a $64 million plan right now to redesign and develop into a park with gardens and a concert venue. The property wasnt on the market. Part of the reason for that is because they have this Sea Org that works full time and is paid less than $50 a week. Richard Tobias, an independent real estate appraiser in Pinellas County, said vast purchases of downtown real estate by entities tied to Scientology have cast confusion over the market. Additional Clearwater real estate purchases began in 2019. However, this tactic can backfire when it comes across as answering a question no one has asked. His partner is Scientologist Maria Dolores Gregori Fuster. But the aquarium rejected his bid in order to sell it to the city for $4.25 million. Do I spend another 10 years and see what happens in downtown Clearwater?, Scientology, Pinellas County and Clearwater Reporter. Our opinion is that Riley was instructed to get ahead of the story by bringing up Scientology before he was asked about it. Rileys Clearwater Marina District development has a $350 million price tag on it. In her bombshell 2019 news story Clear Takeover, Tracey McManus revealed that $103 million in Downtown Clearwater land purchases were made by a series of LLC's owned by Scientologists. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. The Times used the date that transactions were recorded in Clerk of Courts official record as the date of sale. Osman Ozsan is, in our opinion, one of the more notable Scientologists youve never heard of. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email along with 7129 other subscribers. What's more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. The church also targeted the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice and scores of foreign governments. All they did was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc. Dozens of residents showed up to speak. Another Scientologist, Rick Argall, owned a building on downtowns Garden Avenue that housed six Scientologist-run businesses, including a chiropractic clinic he operated with a fellow church member. Ive been waiting for this neighborhood to clean up for 30 years, and I still think its around the corner, Rice said. While theres no law against hanging onto property, developers typically buy land, build on it and sell it for profit. We don't know if they're just going to continue to squat on them - because they haven't done anything yet. They now own most commercial property on every block within walking distance of the waterfront. 9,523 Scientologists live in the Tampa Bay area. The campus collects millions each week through fundraising and payments for expensive courses and high-level religious counseling not offered anywhere else. Hormel says inflation, supply chain issues and weak sales hit earnings, Macy's shares surge as retailer posts earnings well ahead of forecasts, A supposed Scientology cruise ship is quarantined in St. Lucia over measles, Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman says Lorne Michaels gave her the best financial advice, As Republicans further intensify Hunter Biden focus, Attorney General Garland insists hes remained hands-off in years-old investigation, Teslas stock falls 5% as Elon Musks Master Plan 3 is short on details about both cars and finances, What's next for bonds in 2023 after the worst year in history. Along with 7129 other subscribers block within walking distance of the waterfront found a Scientology.... Were recorded in Clerk of Courts official record as the date of sale story by bringing Scientology! 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