He told Fischler that before Scientology bought the Fort Harrison Hotel in 1975 he worked there as a busboy. Copyright 2019 NPR. Then the council interfered with a land deal that Scientology demanded for its plan. This is a story for another time. and last updated 7:53 PM, Oct 21, 2019. But they werent ready to sell the building, which they had owned for 27 years. It teaches that expanding Scientology is key to saving the world, then wields a system of totalitarian policies to keep parishioners in line. Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter. In 2017 the church acquired six downtown Clearwater retail properties through limited liability companies. But far more non-Scientologists are moving out. "I do not want to be associated . His partner is Scientologist Maria Dolores Gregori Fuster. I mean, how big is the Church of Scientology where you are? 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. Almost all of the properties were quietly bought through limited liability companies required to disclose their operators but not their owners as is pretty standard in real estate. Gensler does all the architectural work for Scientologys Ideal Orgs. Getty. Can you give me a sense of the scale and how they have made this happen with the relatively little fanfare over the years? He has also lived in Hong Kong and South Korea. 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. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. Holding and president of Graymoss, Inc. [27] The architectural firm HOK was hired to deliver the project. What Clearwaters City Council thinks, Scientologys 40 years of conflict with Clearwater, recapped, See a slideshow of all the churchs buildings. High-ranking defectors provide an unprecedented inside look at Scientology, its leader and the Lisa McPherson case. The city wants to turn downtown into a regional destination for food, drink and entertainment. The other side of that is flag is run by the Sea Org, the Scientology's full-time workforce. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has bought 60 properties in Pinellas County under its name: 58 are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. Concerned he wouldnt be able to pay his mortgage, Argall said he deeded the building, appraised at $780,000, back to the previous owner. The origin story for the CB in CBRE does come from Coldwell Banker, but that was a very long time ago. The property wasnt on the market. This month, Shahab Emrani was elected to the Downtown Development Board, which helps promote downtown. Real estate agent David Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three times what a property was valued by the county property appraiser. Copyright 2023 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. In the world of scientologywhere anything goes and all laws in the wog world by damnedits Christmas 24/7. CONNIE HUMBURG, TRACEY McMANUS, ELI MURRAY, ELI ZHANG | Times. 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. They now own most commercial property on every block within walking distance of the waterfront, putting the secretive church firmly in control of the areas future. Inc. magazine's 2019 report on the 5,000 fastest-growing privately owned businesses in America cites 16 firms based in Clearwater. MCMANUS: Yeah, that's a good question. Companies tied to the Church of Scientology paid millions in cash for 45 properties near downtown with no major plans in sight. Take away the church footprint, a few condo towers and all buildings owned by the government. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it.. So we kept our eye on the downtown purchases. And inside those findings was a plan that Scientology operatives had created and written to establish area control. Scientology Fines OTs $100,000 if They Talk About Xenu or Body Thetans! She reported full-time for six months, interviewing more than 90 people and reviewing more than 1,000 documents, to bring you this story. Reached at their condo, his wife declined to comment. Xenu Who? 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. We will continue research on our new Trish Duggan theory. The analysis considered property within the general boundaries of Cedar Street to the north, Missouri Avenue to the east, Chestnut Street to the south and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west. A broker is trying to buy the building Peter and Emily Lares have owned for decades. He owns Stonebridge Real Estate and served as president of the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors in 2017. In her November 2021 article on Scientologists buying land in Clearwater, Tracey McManus wrote (emphasis ours): The city received an informal inquiry last year related to vacant land at the southeast corner of Seminole Street and North Fort Harrison Avenue. Business Outlook. Scientology spokesman Ben Shaw said in a statement that the church is not involved with the acquisitions. We believe it's important to shed light on a powerful institution that's very controversial and plays a big role in our community. I just was curious if this is possibly a decent job or if EVERY scientologist owned company is a recruiting scam. 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 said as he looked at a map of downtowns new ownership. Those six lots were bought in November 2020 by a limited liability company then-managed by an employee of CA South, a Nashville-based real estate firm founded by Megan Epstein and advised by her husband, Stephen Epstein, both members of Scientology. He was overseeing the religion from aboard a ship to avoid investigations into tax evasion and fraud when he selected Clearwater as a spiritual headquarters. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Who are they buying from, and how much were they offering? Clarification made on CBRE and thank you for pointing that out. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with reporter Tracey McManus. 2. Real estate agent Brian Andrus controls seven properties bought around the citys public boat ramp. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. Hayes, the attorney and parishioner involved in the rest of the North Marina purchases, was added as manager on the companies filings. How Riley made the jump from a regional Coldwell Banker slot in Arizona to suddenly handling a proposed $350 million Clearwater Marina District development is certainly interesting and raises questions we are looking into. A sign in front of the business says, "Notice: This is one of the only spas in downtown Clearwater not owned by a Scientologist .". Its members bought property on surrounding blocks. 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. Flag is what they call it, and it's the international spiritual headquarters of the church. Scientologists deal with useful non-Scientologists quite often. Made an offer. Here is a map showing the parcels in purple which Riley is acquiring: We have previously offered our opinion that the $102 million in Downtown Clearwater land purchases made by Scientologists came from GPB Capital Holdings. I think it throws a stake in it when one party owns 50 percent or so. The only record of redevelopment that has occurred among the 45 properties is a roof replacement on a vacant building on North Fort Harrison Avenue and internal demolition in a former flooring center two blocks north, according to notices in Pinellas County records. "You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear," he said, "so it's tough to make economic sense out . 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. A lot of them are vacant lots, vacant buildings, empty storefronts. Visit a quote page and your recently viewed tickers will be displayed here. Be informed that their owners are local Scientologists who support the abuses of Scientology leader David Miscavige. CLEARWATER An old jewelry store on the corner of Cleveland Street that welcomes visitors to the core of downtown sits empty, unchanged since a company managed by a Church of Scientology. He is linked to the Church of Scientology via the Epsteins and Trish Duggan. And he was going to recruit high-end retail to some of the empty storefronts because downtown Clearwater's pretty depressed. Coincident with this Riley-registered RSR Capital Advisors as an LLC in Florida on March 21, 2022. 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. Mayor Jane Castors partner vowed not to lobby the city. He had committed to downtown in 1997. Learn how your comment data is processed. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. Looking at the Times map of the new ownership, City Council member David Allbritton recalled a moment from 2017 that now seems telling. Steven Epstein took the unusual step of preparing an affidavit to tell the Tampa Bay Times that his client was not the Church of Scientology. Fischler approached Bosi again in September. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's the type of servitude. Cazares responds with an $8 million libel suit. And the Times found that in six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value. Companies controlled by Hayes have bought about half the property on Rices block and nearly the entire block directly south. In response to detailed memos summarizing the reporting, the church criticized the Times for portraying its members as mindless robots and for having a preconceived agenda to present every Scientology story in a false and unfavorable light.. . Story by TRACEY McMANUS Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard had written about doing away with governments and replacing them with a Scientology-run society. How much of Clearwater is owned by Scientology? In Mesa, its the Mormon Church that dominates the area and I was able to work in that environment. There's parishioners that come here from all over the world to take courses in high level auditing that's not offered anywhere else. That's the findings of a story in the Tampa Bay Times that's headlined clear takeover. 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.It is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., a subsidiary of the Church of Scientology International.. They have completed courses and spiritual counseling that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The Times described sales as cash transactions when they were paid without a mortgage filed in public records. After negotiations, Kerrs company paid Yarbrough $1.1 million in cash for the lots, then valued by Pinellas County at $331,000. (I'm in Clearwater). I dont mix my personal business with other areas in my life, said Terri Novitsky, a Scientologist who manages a company that bought two office buildings on Chestnut Street in 2017. I think it's comparable to say it's kind of, like, if there were to be a Vatican reporter in Vatican City. This means the total revenue of the "300" scientology businesses that are owned by the 9700 local scientologists is equivalent to 7.5 average car dealers. To reiterate our earlier point, Ozsan, Gregori And Company LLC has only two client accounts. Thirteen were existing tenants when he bought the properties. In those cases, four or more parcels purchased together clearly comprised a single piece of real estate. Im concerned, Mayor Frank Hibbard said. According to his resume, he started the firm in 2003. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. We also hold the distinction of being the first Scientology Church in the Southern Hemisphere. Then he would try again, with new council members. This is a big giveaway in our view. GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Tracey McManus, who reports on Scientology for the Tampa Bay Times, talking about the church's increased real estate footprint in Clearwater, Fla. Whats more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. Internal church documents detailed missions that planted spies in the state attorneys office, the Chamber of Commerce and the Clearwater Sun newspaper. But his offer had a catch. He saw the area improve when police cracked down on drugs and prostitution decades ago. Candidates and Scientologists Emrani, Kintzel and . Additional Clearwater real estate purchases began in 2019. Yarbrough never learned the buyers identity. Please! Where did all that money come from? 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) February 1976: Scientology files a $1 million lawsuit against Cazares alleging he violated its constitutional rights with his public criticism. Moreover, tens of thousands of Scientologists travel to the city each year from around the world to participate in religious services at the Church's spiritual home. The lack of action from Scientology-tied buyers has precedent. After FBI raids uncovered the infiltrations, city officials launched their own investigations. It has terrorized defectors with private investigators, smear campaigns and relentless litigation. #4 Best Company In Clearwater Company Description: Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., Senior Home Care is a privately held company operating nearly 50 branch locations with 1,800 employees through its Senior Home Care offices in Florida and Synergy Home Care offices in Louisiana. Melitta electrics and accessories are manufactured, marketed and distributed under a licensing agreement. Once we dug into the data and pulled records, we found that LLCs tied to the Church of Scientology had bought about 100 properties. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Jim Huestler is the blocks only holdout with a rental home on the northeast corner. Defectors have said they were paid less than $50 a week. An elevated walkway connects the building to the Fort Harrison Hotel, the churchs first purchase in the city in 1975. There is ZERO chance of me getting sucked in. Many of the properties werent on the market when the deals were made. Nearly two years after the properties were sold to a company run by two Scientologists, no redevelopment plans have been submitted. In the article cited, Riley makes an interesting comment (emphasis ours): The opportunity Riley is pursuing to activate the 21 acres is similar to his project in Mesa, Arizona, where he acquired and developed nine properties. They now own most commercial property on every block within walking distance of the waterfront. Then in 2017, companies controlled by parishioners began buying retail property at an unprecedented rate. 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. It appears that Project Normandy is still operational. Typically, when people buy commercial real estate, they move forward with construction or redevelopment. In both communities [comparing Mesa to Clearwater], there is a major presence of a church. 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. Times reporters built a database of hundreds of properties in the center of Clearwaters downtown. All they did was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc. And make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc that their owners are Scientologists! Not to lobby the city abuses of Scientology where you are, city council thinks, Scientologys years! 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