Scientology has been accused of using the information as blackmail. While theres no law against hanging onto property, developers typically buy land, build on it and sell it for profit. All 45 North Marina properties were purchased by companies managed or operated by two longtime members of Scientology: Steven Hayes, an attorney who has done legal work on behalf of church related organizations for more than two decades, and Norm Novitsky, a businessperson who has donated at least $5 million to Scientology. New Pasco County commissioner accused of faking his residency, Guide to Plant Citys Strawberry Festival, one of the largest festivals in the nation, Gov. Oddly enough, half of those properties werent on sale and half of the sales went for more than double the propertys actual value. Letsgetstarted. At least eight businesses that got new landlords tied to Scientology moved out and have not been replaced. 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. by. The Scientology leader had offered the Clearwater Marine Aquarium $15 million for that 1.4-acre grass lot on Pierce Street. This makes no sense, except of course to a bigot.. Many of their properties weren't listed for sale. MCMANUS: Scientology arrived in downtown Clearwater in 1975. Through a spokesperson, Epstein said in an email that CA South looked into developing the properties on behalf of a client but walked away when the city did not relax a rule prohibiting a parking lot level facing North Fort Harrison Avenue. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell me about these land purchases. The city received an informal inquiry last year related to vacant land at the southeast corner of Seminole Street and North Fort Harrison Avenue. Clearwater also has more vagrants. Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter. hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater. Hes still holding out. 21 day forecast key west, florida. Did you check your W-2? The Times also contacted representatives of all 32 companies it identified that bought downtown real estate over the past three years. The Times used the date that transactions were recorded in Clerk of Courts official record as the date of sale. There is nothing unnatural about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that houses the international spiritual headquarters of their church, said a letter signed by Scientology attorney Gary Soter. In addition to a park and amphitheater, Imagine Clearwater also calls for several new projects on the waterfront with residences and retail. Over the past two years, the properties surrounding the shop have been sold to Scientologist-controlled companies. In those cases, four or more parcels purchased together clearly comprised a single piece of real estate. Businesses might see this city project and say, yeah, let me take a chance on downtown and open up a business. Local Scientology spokesman Ben Shaw and international spokeswoman Karin Pouw did not respond to repeated requests by the Times for an interview with Scientology leader David Miscavige. CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) A newspaper report says the Church of Scientology and companies run by its members spent more than $100 million over the past three years buying up huge sections of downtown Clearwater. Osman Ozsan is, in our opinion, one of the more notable Scientologists you've never heard of. Block after block, vacant lots sit untouched, and storefronts remain empty: A former jewelry store. in positive and negative effects of coca cola. wolf trace homes for sale; Half the properties were bought since January 2017. The analysis did not include residential parcels except in cases where they were bought in conjunction with commercial property or vacant land. Accuracy and availability may vary. These are the companies and names on this list (put into alphabetical order, I also added what are probably the largest scientology owned businesses in the area KnowB4, NTC, Consumer Sales Solutions and Energy Professionals: Axiom Bahia Property Management (Raul Aleman) Blue Streak Docs (Sam Gendusa) Buzzazz Business Solutions (Keanan Kintzel) Theres no such thing in Scientology. And he was going to recruit high-end retail to some of the empty storefronts because downtown Clearwater's pretty depressed. Scientologists make up a diverse group in Clearwater. And the properties cover about 100 acres. Anonymous "members" have stated it was a great success with at least 3 Scientology members being arrested for assault, when the scientologists grabbed and attempted to remove protesters' masks. But on the notice filed with Pinellas County for the roof replacement at 801 N Fort Harrison Ave., Andrus signed his name as a manager of the company that owns the building. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. Your characterization that his religious affiliations somehow control his business activities is evidence of personal bias against his religion, Zaretsky wrote. Suspicion swirled. Tracey McManus is a Scientology reporter for the paper, and she joins us now. ), 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. Conspiracy theories are nothing new when it comes to the Church of Scientology. ), [ Slideshow: See every building owned by the church ], In the 90s, a Scientology magazine listed the churchs goals for 2000. 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. The acquisitions mirror the pattern that unfolded downtown between 2017 and 2019, when companies tied to Scientology bought 100 properties within walking distance of the waterfront and the churchs international spiritual headquarters, then left many of those buildings vacant and lots undeveloped. 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. Just make more income with Scientology. So we kept our eye on the downtown purchases. Thank you guys , Hello Mike, during the live chat you mentioned your first encounter with Mark Bunker back in the LMT years. But many of those purchased properties remain shuttered or in disuse. But in the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. The Fort Harrison Hotel is located in Clearwater, Florida, and besides being an exclusive Scientology hotel, it is a high-level training center and the church's spiritual headquarters. Mike Rinder, who led the churchs intelligence arm before defecting in 2007, said that when it comes to property around Flag, theres no real distinction between whether its owned by the church or a parishioner. But after he forwarded an email critical of the organization in 2012 to another parishioner, the church began an excommunication process that would have forced his partner of 24 years to stop working with him and his tenants to move out. When the council voted to buy the property, the chamber erupted in applause. City leaders spent tens of millions improving streets, subsidizing residential projects and hiring consultants. He promoted the site to about 75 hoteliers and developers across the country. Defectors have said they were paid less than $50 a week. He demanded to see their financials, their board of directors. Thirteen were existing tenants when he bought the properties. You are a fundamentalist Scientologist, or youre not one at all.. They haven't submitted redevelopment plans. 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 pattern of Scientology-tied companies buying so many properties and sitting on them flies in the face of most land economics, said Tobias, who has been appraising property in Pinellas County for 50 years. Weve spent a lot of happy years here, Lares said. ! Charles 'will NEVER build real relationship with Archie and Lili unless Harry and Meghan get new royal 'Putin has STOLEN our Ukrainian children': Distraught parents tell how THOUSANDS of youngsters never EMILY PRESCOTT: Sarah Ferguson 'confused' after seeing photos from goddaughter's wedding she thought she was Joe Biden is 'unlikely' to attend King Charles' coronation due to Ireland trip - despite promising to A 14-year-old autistic boy's naive prank. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. We profile several of them here. Clearwater has been home to fellow Scientologists Tom Cruise, who lives in a downtown penthouse, and Kirstie Alley, who owns a multi-residence waterfront compound in the area. The Tampa Bay Times reports that recent purchases doubled the combined real estate footprint of the church and its followers. Whether you're traveling with friends, family, or even pets, Vrbo vacation homes have the best amenities for hanging out with the people that matter most, including swimming pools and air conditioning. But they werent ready to sell the building, which they had owned for 27 years. Members have to answer to their ethics officer for any act of disloyalty to Scientologys mission. Llmenos para una consulta. Aaron Smith-Levin, a former Sea Org member, said a church ethics officer in 1993 pressured Smith-Levins father-in-law to sell Scientology a downtown property it wanted for expansion. 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. City officials are suspicious that the church could be planning to do something with the land they now posses. My plan is to keep renting, Huestler said. ', Freedom Magazine is a Scientology produced publication. You will discover the facts for yourself when you read that article; it provides the real answer as to what has happened with downtown revitalizationand how that revitalization was torpedoed by the Times. And Clearwater is home to one of the Church's most important bases, a campus called Flag, which established Scientologists from across the globe make pilgrimages to. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. Clearwater, FL is the town literally owned by Scientologists, so checks out Reply . ( magazine) Applied Philosophy. It bought a hotel and wrote plans to take control of the city. Both are supposed to open soon. Facebook. Police were quick to respond. But far more non-Scientologists are moving out. The main reason why developers didnt want it was they didnt want to be near the Church of Scientology, Searcy said. Hes starting to assemble properties, Allbritton said. 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. About 72 percent of those properties are tax exempt for religious uses. Clearwater is home to one of the Church's most important bases, a campus called Flag (above), which Scientologists across the globe make pilgrimages to. I'm glad you brought this up! It's GRAYGATE! the Church of Scientology and Clearwater is incapable of being an honest hard-working partner with the city of Clearwater in revitalizing this town it's not possible because it's against their fundamental best interests this is the reason all of the Scientologists in the in Clearwater were instructed by the Office of Special Affairs to . I thought this person was a cult member immediately . The church, its members and companies they control now own 185 properties that cover 101 acres in the center of downtown. Fuster and Ozsan go back a long way to Altea Real Property Ltd. in London. According to a new report by The Tampa Bay Times, the Church of Scientology and related entities now own over $260 million of property in downtown Clearwater. Your email address will not be published. In Florida, limited liability companies that buy property are required to disclose administrative operators but not their owners. He is not listed on the corporate filings for any of the eight limited liability companies that recently bought the North Marina properties. Disloyalty has life-changing consequences. A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. Concerned he wouldnt be able to pay his mortgage, Argall said he deeded the building, appraised at $780,000, back to the previous owner. Hotel in Clearwater. By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. Real estate offices, vitamin shops and vacant storefronts fill prime locations that in a more vibrant downtown might hold breweries, restaurants and boutiques. Thats not happening with almost any of these properties. Published: 04:56 GMT, 22 October 2019 | Updated: 08:39 GMT, 22 October 2019. 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. Agami also signed two more leases on the same block with restaurants owned by people not connected to the church. And Scientology has an interest in keeping that insulated according to former executives that we've interviewed. In January and February 2017, a handful of limited liability companies bought six prime downtown parcels. In 2018, Peter Lares got a call from Fischler, asking if hed sell the prominent building in the center of downtown that houses Emilys Restaurant. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it..