None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. The church offered $15 million for the parcel. In summer 2017, Mark Searcy, a longtime Clearwater real estate agent who is not a Scientologist, assembled a 1-acre site by getting the owners of three adjoining properties to agree to sell. 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. That has led defectors from the church and city leaders to believe there is little chance parishioners are making significant real estate deals around Scientologys mecca without the churchs involvement. No one from the church dictates to me what to buy, what to sell, what to do., From the archives (May 2019):A supposed Scientology cruise ship is quarantined in St. Lucia over measles. But in the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. It is a big faux pas in business PR to bring up the subject of religion when it is absolutely unnecessary to do so. Visitors are expected to stay in Scientologys hotels and eat at private church restaurants. (SOUNDBITE OF CHICK COREA'S "RETURN TO FOREVER"). Non-Scientologists who get too close are a threat to the operation, said Mat Pesch, who spent 27 years in the Sea Org and worked as Flags treasury secretary before defecting in 2005. Its a business, Pesch said. The Church of Scientology and its members are rapidly buying up a vast downtown neighborhood in a Florida city, according to a major investigation by the Tampa Bay Times. I saw a business opportunity, he said. We are an equal opportunity employer and fully EEOC compliant. Andrus involvement in Scientology goes back decades and includes his participation in a plan during the 1970s to stop a church member who had spied on the federal government from turning himself in to the FBI. These workers sign billion year contracts, are paid very little, work around the clock. It also has to be someone who trusts the Epsteins enough to invest with them. Florida migrant flights lawsuit dismissed in wake of Legislature passing law, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Bucs new coordinator is confident! The memos were later seized by the FBI. On Sept. 7, Epsteins employee was removed from the corporate filings of the company that own the land. Then in 2017, companies controlled by parishioners began buying retail property at an unprecedented rate. Both have been there for decades. Businesses without ties to the church are moving into a few of those. On Sept. 7, Epsteins employee was removed from the corporate filings of the company that own the land. He owns Stonebridge Real Estate and served as president of the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors in 2017. The Church of Scientology has done many things at a remove or by a ruse, feint, or stratagem. I saw a business opportunity, Ezra said. He had committed to downtown in 1997. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Timeswith an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Scientologists annually contribute $87,867,000 to charitable endeavors, money that uplifts the quality of life in Clearwater. Looking at the Times map of the new ownership, City Council member David Allbritton recalled a moment from 2017 that now seems telling. The church requires followers to shun family members, friends and business contacts who defy it. CLEARWATER Ed Chesney had two rental homes and two vacant lots in the North Marina Area on the market for a year before his real estate agent called in late 2019 with good news. Be informed that their owners are local Scientologists who support the abuses of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Scientology spokesman Ben Shaw said in a statement that the church is not involved with the acquisitions. Longtime City Manager Bill Horne said he cant tell whether the church wants the same thing. Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. The city has no record yet of redevelopment plans being submitted for any of the North Marina properties since the purchases began, according to planning and development director Gina Clayton. Xenu Who? In a letter, the church said the Times is misinterpreting Scientology policy and that other religions also practice shunning. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. Write by: . Leading up to the waterfront, 22 of the first 33 buildings now have ties to Scientology. Fischler approached Bosi again in September. Of the $103 million spent, $99 million was paid in cash. (Guess he hasnt seen the game tapes), US Supreme Court refuses to block Florida execution of Donald Dillbeck, Red-hot USF women close out home schedule with explosive offensive showing. The lack of action from Scientology-tied buyers has precedent. He wanted the council to stop trying to buy a vacant lot on which the church was also bidding. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. Whats more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. The majority of this property now stands vacant, and given the Church's tax exempt status, has limitless potential for development. The city wants to turn downtown into a regional destination for food, drink and entertainment. Fair Game: Leah Remini & Mike Rinders Podcast, The Aftermath Foundation: Help for Those Who Want to Leave the Sea Org, Scientologys Membership Contract Goes Down in Flames in Court, Chris Shelton's Sensibly Speaking Podcast, Dr. Steven Hassan's Freedom of Mind Resource Center, Stefani Hutchison's Confront & Shatter Blog, The Aftermath Foundation: Helping Those Who Have Left the Sea Org, More Scientologists Getting Into Crypto: Alfreddie Johnson and Karilyn Youngman-Trammell and Their Solar Gold Cryptocurrency, More Grant Cardone Fraud: His Plan for Businesses to Use Credit Cards to Pay for Cardone Sales Training and then Declare Bankruptcy, Church of Scientology International(158), Scientology Fair Game: Cult Leader David Miscavige Orders Attacks on Marc Headley and His Business, US Federal Prosecutor Now Investigating Retired LAPD Cop & Scientology Pal Captain Cory Palka for Corruption, Subpoena-Evader and Thug Life Scientology Leader David Miscavige Served a Subpoena by a US Federal Court on Valentines Day 2023, Scientologist David Gentile Goes Down in Flames in the Pretrial Phase of His US Federal Criminal Case. 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. We interpret it as the Tampa Bay Times getting too close for Mr. Epsteins comfort. AMI's culture and team members truly make AMI an amazing place to work! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Osman Ozsan is of interest to us because he is connected to Rod Riley, a non-Scientologist realtor and real estate developer from Arizona. They paid $26 million. The church has shed no light on its plans. In late 2020, Terri Novitsky also was elected to the Downtown Development Board, an advisory group tasked with promoting downtown. City officials have long hoped for private investors to transform the North Marina Area, a 13-block district with undeveloped lots and 100-year-old bungalows overlooking Clearwater Harbor. Some of the parishioners have a history of working on Scientologys behalf. MCMANUS: The reason Scientology has such an outsized influence is because of the cash and assets it has, which is estimated to be $3 billion. A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. What Clearwaters City Council thinks, Scientologys 40 years of conflict with Clearwater, recapped, See a slideshow of all the churchs buildings. Im concerned, Mayor Frank Hibbard said. Riley had no reason to mention that he had worked with Mormons and will now work to communicate with the Scientologists in Clearwater. This reads like deliberately premanufactured PR to us. Tom De Vocht, a former Scientology executive who oversaw the churchs property in Clearwater from 1996 to 2001, said he believes Scientology is responding to the citys efforts by creating a buffer to keep the public away. That company has had no connection to Coldwell Banker for decades. City officials say their dedication to redeveloping the waterfront hasnt changed. Clearwater is the permanent home to more than 10,000 Scientology parishioners. TRACEY MCMANUS: Hi, Lulu. In 2017 the church acquired six downtown Clearwater retail properties through limited liability companies. February 1976: Scientology files a $1 million lawsuit against Cazares alleging he violated its constitutional rights with his public criticism. Thats not happening with almost any of these properties., But Tal Ezra, a Scientologist who recently bought four parcels of land in downtown Clearwater, told the Times that he has plans for an office space and a retail shop. It met his criteria: It was located in a warm climate near an international airport and had a hotel the Sea Org could turn into a base. Gulf Coast Marine and ClearwaterPlumbing. 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. Flag is what they call it, and it's the international spiritual headquarters of the church. ), Clear Takeover: How Scientology doubled its downtown Clearwater footprint in 3 years, Scientologys 40 years of conflict with Clearwater, recapped, What Clearwaters City Council thinks about Scientologys downtown takeover. The church, its members and companies they control now own 185 properties that cover 101 acres in the center of downtown. ( magazine) Applied Philosophy ARC Straightwire (ARC stands for affinity-reality-communication) ARC Fil Direct Audited NOTs (NOT stands for NED [New Era Dianetics] Operating Thetan) The Auditor By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. And yes, everyone that works here is asked to keep politics and religion out . The purchases totaled $11.8 million and were documented by the Tampa Bay Times in its November 2021 story: companies connected to the Church of Scientology are buying tracts of land within the 55-acre district and not disclosing what they plan to do with them. This is a story for another time. 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. Where did all that money come from? Searcy felt like hed created a canvas for a dream hotel, condo and retail project: near the bridge to Clearwater Beach, no height restrictions, all under $5 million. And it's all surrounding the city's downtown waterfront. However, we reserve our prior opinion and modify it by stating that some GPB Capital money may be in the Clearwater real estate purchases mix. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with reporter Tracey McManus. This makes no sense, except of course to a bigot.. Tal Ezra, a Scientologist who recently bought four parcels around an office where he has run his fuel management company since 2005, said hes considering office space and possibly a retail shop. Philip Kirkpatrick, Clearwaters senior economic development coordinator, said Stephen Epstein spoke with city officials in December about a potential commercial and multifamily project on the site. The Tampa Bay Times discovered them by reviewing more than 1,000 deeds and business records, then interviewed more than 90 people to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the transactions. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. For example, David Miscaviges personal lawyer of 35 years Monique Yingling has never been a Scientologist. Clearwater is the center of that revenue stream. The most recent deal came when a New York firm bought a former demolition yard on Nicholson Street for $593,400 on Oct. 20 and then flipped it two days later for $1 million in cash to one of the Scientology-tied limited liability companies, according to property records. Thats not happening with almost any of these properties., [ More reaction: What Clearwaters City Council thinks about Scientologys downtown takeover ]. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown.. Its members bought property on surrounding blocks. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have spent $103 million since 2017 buying about 100 properties. Council members were less delighted by the discovery, however especially since many of the lots and storefronts purchased by owners with Scientology ties are sitting vacant while the Clearwater City Council aims to turn the downtown waterfront into a dining and entertainment destination. Welcome. 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. His attorney, Louis Zaretsky, wrote in a letter to the Times that Zano is a businessman with vast real estate holdings in Israel, Germany, Poland, New York and Florida who makes investments based on his belief that they will appreciate or otherwise contribute to his long-term goals.. The family of Moises Agami, a developer whose companies bought 20 storefronts and a parking lot last year, has donated at least $10 million. They envisioned apartment buildings with ground-floor stores, winding paths with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and a concert venue that would draw visitors from across the region. It said information in parishioner folders is sacrosanct and claims of blackmail have long since been disproven.. LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: In Clearwater, Fla., there's been a quiet series of land purchases over the last three years, $103 million worth made by the Church of Scientology and its. "I do not want to be associated . I had to make a decision, Bosi said. There are 22 Church of Scientology facilities in downtown Clearwater. My plan is to keep renting, Huestler said. Lee sold when Fischler upped her offer to $410,000 cash for the building valued at $109,000 by the property appraiser. But the promised downtown revival never came. Why does this matter? businesses owned by scientologistsdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by Among them was to make Clearwater known as the first Scientology city in the world.. The Church takes seriously its responsibility and interest in the future of the area. How much of Clearwater is owned by Scientology? GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain to me why the paper has a Scientology reporter. Ive been waiting for this neighborhood to clean up for 30 years, and I still think its around the corner, Rice said. 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. Real estate agent David Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three times what a property was valued by the county property appraiser. 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. Return to FOREVER '' ) work around the corner, Rice said been a approached. 101 acres in the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme which! Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three Times what a property was valued by property! 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