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. Times Staff WritersOct. You have well connected, https://m.facebook.com/jobs/job-opening/332924608432320/, Scientology a cult of lies scientology a cult of lies, https://www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-businesses-in-clearwater/, Dealing With Scientology Critics - L Ron Hubbard Playbook, Buzzazz Business Solutions (Keanan Kintzel), Consumer Sales Solutions (Tom Cummins and Jim Bridgeforth), MGE Management Experts (Luis Colon, Greg Winteregg), Nelson Construction and Renovations (Gregory Nelson), NTC Nationwide Title Clearing (John Hillman, Todd Kugler, Norm Novitsky), Root Cause Medical Clinic (Rick and Vikki Petersen), Ted McGrath Brands (Jasmin Napier daughter-in-law of Mike Napier), The Tub Guy (Randy and Molly Baxter, she is the former CO FOLO EUS), Silkin Management Group (located in Portland OR), USA Tree Service LLC (Jim and Karen Kettner). Most religions have a fundamentalist wing, Rinder said. We reported at that time that a handful of limited liability companies bought about six downtown properties, and Scientology leader David Miscavige had presented a retail plan to two city staff officials. An elevated walkway connects the building to the Fort Harrison Hotel, the churchs first purchase in the city in 1975. According to court records, Andrus accompanied two guards as they handcuffed and gagged the man, dragged him into a car and drove him to a hideout, where he was held for a month before escaping. And the mayor at the time, Gabe Cazares, really raised the alarm. But Lee assumed the church was involved. Clearwater is the permanent home to more than 10,000 Scientology parishioners. Fischler, a local real estate agent, negotiated at least 10 of the downtown deals, according to interviews with sellers. The Jerry Maguire star recently purchased a two-storey penthouse in downtown Clearwater, Floridaclose to the Scientology HQ. Born in Germany, he began his career at the Hotel Restaurant Melber, followed by the Four Seasons in Munich and the Hotel Kempinski in Berlin. It was owned by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Times described sales as cash transactions when they were paid without a mortgage filed in public records. hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater The Scientology leader had offered the Clearwater Marine Aquarium $15 million for that 1.4-acre grass lot on Pierce Street. Members have to answer to their ethics officer for any act of disloyalty to Scientologys mission. New Pasco County commissioner accused of faking his residency, Guide to Plant Citys Strawberry Festival, one of the largest festivals in the nation, Gov. hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater What Clearwaters City Council thinks, Scientologys 40 years of conflict with Clearwater, recapped, See a slideshow of all the churchs buildings. Answer (1 of 12): Openly, they tend to congregate around the area of downtown where they work and own most of the real estate. CLEARWATER, Fla. In this small beachside community sits a 1.4-acre patch of dirt that has become a flash point in a fight between church and state. san jose state basketball recruiting; 5 types of imagery in the pedestrian. 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. Has the Church of Scientology ever killed anyone? Share. hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater 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. in positive and negative effects of coca cola. Brian Andrus controls companies that last year bought a marina on N Osceola Avenue and six nearby properties, all bordering a redevelopment project at the citys public boat ramp. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So the fact that the church is now buying up these properties through proxy organizations would maybe ring some alarm bells for the community because of what has happened in the past. It is headed by David Miscavige [1] . wikipedia.en/Scientology_in_the_United_States.md at main chinapedia And our analysis found that these church officials were offering two, three, four times what the property appraiser said the properties were valued. More reaction: What Clearwaters City Council thinks about Scientologys downtown takeover, The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped, Slideshow: See every building owned by the church, Scientologys 40 years of conflict with Clearwater, recapped, See a slideshow of all the churchs buildings. He owns Stonebridge Real Estate and served as president of the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors in 2017. 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. The dowtown area of Clearwater is dominated by buildings owned by the Scientologists. Take away the church footprint, a few condo towers and all buildings owned by the government. Clearwater leaders growing impatient with Church of Scientology The campus collects millions each week through fundraising and payments for expensive courses and high-level religious counseling not offered anywhere else. Yarbrough never learned the buyers identity. (Everything owned by parishioner-run companies is still on the tax rolls. TRACEY MCMANUS: Hi, Lulu. Inc. magazine's 2019 report on the 5,000 fastest-growing privately owned businesses in America cites 16 firms based in Clearwater. However, it hasnt always been clear to me as to just what does that actually mean.. They have completed courses and spiritual counseling that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Argall left the church and was forced to abandon his business of more than 20 years. Almost immediately, a decades-long trickle of purchases by church members turned into a flood. The Fort Harrison Hotel is located steps from Clearwater City Hall, close to the downtown waterfront area,. Ever since then the church stopped communicating with the city, and the rapid land grab commenced. A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. 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. Never seen anything like it': Medics and care workers hits back at Matt Hancock by revealing Rishi Sunak told Matt Hancock that Dominic Cummings' time in Downing Street was 'a nightmare', new WhatsApp Madonna's Skid Row brother: For years the superstar, 64, was accused of shunning him. The Tampa Bay Times reports that members of the church have spent $103 million on property in the city of Clearwater known as "The first Scientology city" since 2016. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. Now, 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. (SOUNDBITE OF CHICK COREA'S "RETURN TO FOREVER"). Leading up to the waterfront, 22 of the first 33 buildings now have ties to Scientology. srini devadas linkedin The Fort Harrison Hotel serves as the flagship building of the Flag Land Base, the Church of Scientology 's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, US. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists of professing to believe what he does not believe." Scientologists from across the globe make pilgrimages to the campus, called Flag. hornitos tequila vs patron. Discover a selection of more than 10,000 vacation rentals near Church of Scientology, Clearwater that are perfect for your trip. Minkoff had his medical license suspended for a year after it . Your email address will not be published. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. While theres no law against hanging onto property, developers typically buy land, build on it and sell it for profit. I dont know what their plan is.. 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. But,so far, there have been only 4 comments posted to, It was fantastic stream! Nearly all of the properties were bought through limited liability companies, which are required to disclose their operators but not their owners. It has terrorized defectors with private investigators, smear campaigns and relentless litigation. Scientologys extraordinary influence over its members has been documented in government investigations and testimony from former parishioners throughout its 65-year history. 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 goal was to capture the area immediately surrounding both Scientologys headquarters, City Hall and the city-owned waterfront. Visit hotel website. The property wasnt on the market. 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. [ The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped ]. Weve spent a lot of happy years here, Lares said. Clearwater also has more vagrants. Church officials used a straw corporation to buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel and moved in under a fake name. Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. Has the Church of Scientology ever killed anyone? Flag is run by thechurchs notorious full-time workforce, the Sea Org, whose members sign billion-year contracts. Clearwater is the center of that revenue stream. It said information in parishioner folders is sacrosanct and claims of blackmail have long since been disproven.. Thank you guys , Hello Mike, during the live chat you mentioned your first encounter with Mark Bunker back in the LMT years. Thats not happening with almost any of these properties., [ More reaction: What Clearwaters City Council thinks about Scientologys downtown takeover ]. 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. I thought this person was a cult member immediately . There's parishioners that come here from all over the world to take courses in high level auditing that's not offered anywhere else. Scientologists Increase Their 'Mecca' on Florida Waterfront They started hosting concerts on the waterfront that now draw thousands. L Ron Hubbard Lecture 31 Dec 1960, "Personal integrity is knowing what you know. 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. Of the 100 properties bought by parishioner-managed companies near the downtown waterfront from 2017 to 2019, 24 storefronts and buildings remain empty, including a former Walgreens, an old jewelry store and prominent buildings along the North Fort Harrison corridor.