Theyve got one intention, and one intention only, De Vocht said. Gulf Coast Marine and ClearwaterPlumbing. In the world of poker this is called a tell. Since 2017, the Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have bought 92 properties around the center of downtown. Today, 10 years later, the economic influence of Scientologists in the community is commensurately higher. Church officials used a straw corporation to buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel and moved in under a fake name. Whats more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. But after a dispute with the city, Miscavige cut communication. The gallery does not include properties bought by companies run by church members. 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. We are an equal opportunity employer and fully EEOC compliant. I believe its irrational to buy property and not fully utilize it.. All they did was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc. As a general rule, when someone makes an unsolicited statement, as Riley did by mentioning Mormons and Scientologists, it suggests to us hidden connections. 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. Business Outlook. The church stopped communicating with the city. But Scientologist-controlled companies are also sitting on at least 26 vacant lots and 31 empty storefronts and offices. Fischler approached Bosi again in September. 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.. 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. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And we reached out to the Church of Scientology about the Tampa Bay Times report. Nearly all of the roughly two dozen people listed as operating the companies are Scientologists. Based upon on our new hypothesis that Trish Duggan may be the financier of the land purchases, the logic of bringing in non-Scientologist Rod Riley to act as the frontman makes sense as it can serve to counter any accusation that Scientology is taking over Clearwater. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So clearly they wanted these properties a great deal. Clearwater 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. It is a big faux pas in business PR to bring up the subject of religion when it is absolutely unnecessary to do so. [ The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped ]. 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. When the council voted to buy the property, the chamber erupted in applause. After his stint at CBRE, Riley worked for Caliber Wells in Scottsdale, Arizona and then left the firm. Its too soon to say how the shift in ownership will affect downtown. Sep 19, 2022 - Anonymous Employee in Clearwater, FL. 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. In the world of scientologywhere anything goes and all laws in the wog world by damnedits Christmas 24/7. 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. 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. "You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear," he said, "so it's tough to make economic sense out . Epstein could have simply told the reporter his client was not the Church of Scientology and left it at that. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And I guess the larger concern is that this could really thwart the city's plans for redevelopment if the Scientologist organizations are going to have all this property that they're going to keep for their own purposes. Each had proposed major redevelopment projects, designed to lure new business into the empty storefronts that surround the city-owned waterfront and the churchs spiritual headquarters. The Florida Secretary of State records show the firm went dormant in 2012. 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. City officials plan to partner with a developer on ways to adapt the red brick schoolhouse, like turning it into a hub for restaurants, retail, or apartments. They now own most commercial property. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with reporter Tracey McManus. And he was going to recruit high-end retail to some of the empty storefronts because downtown Clearwater's pretty depressed. The Times used the date that transactions were recorded in Clerk of Courts official record as the date of sale. The memos were later seized by the FBI. Fuster and Ozsan go back a long way to Altea Real Property Ltd. in London. Want more of our free, weekly newslettersinyourinbox? In September, Andrus completed construction there on Marina Bay 880, two towers that hug the marina with 87 luxury condos and amenities like an Olympic-sized pool and sauna. Even as Scientologys footprint expanded, and nearby Clearwater Beach became one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, downtown businesses struggled to stay open. It set aside $10 million for secret real estate purchases in Clearwater. Terri Novitsky and Hayes did not return calls and emails requesting comment. Over the next four decades, the church gradually amassed 58 properties in Clearwater under its name, 49 of them downtown. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Although Zano is not well known in Clearwater, the companies spent $16.7 million acquiring 26 commercial properties downtown. He called the Tampa Bay Times questions about parishioners activity not just stupid, false and offensive, but un-American., You talk out of both sides of your mouth: If redevelopment is being done by the city or a member of another religion, not Scientology, it is good; if redevelopment is being done by a Scientologist, it is bad, Shaw said. I would assume hes a Scientologist or involved with them in some fashion. ), [ Slideshow: See every building owned by the church ], In the 90s, a Scientology magazine listed the churchs goals for 2000. The city and the church fought in court for years. 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. 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. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address Defectors have said they were paid less than $50 a week. According to his resume, he started the firm in 2003. Where did all that money come from? So we kept our eye on the downtown purchases. Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. However, it hasnt always been clear to me as to just what does that actually mean.. This month, Shahab Emrani was elected to the Downtown Development Board, which helps promote downtown. 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. Our opinion is that Riley was instructed to get ahead of the story by bringing up Scientology before he was asked about it. 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.. Everyone in KnowBe4 knows I'm a (proud) Scientologist. In an interview with Scientology-owned "Freedom Magazine" Gendusa said that she moved to Clearwater to study Scientology more than 25 years ago. All rights reserved. A for-lease sign sits in long-vacant retail space at The SkyView condo tower, owned by Scientologist and developer Moises Agami. Write by: . The church promised to spend $55 million. Columnist Stephanie Hayes will share thoughts, feelings and funny business with you every Monday. 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. They started hosting concerts on the waterfront that now draw thousands. 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. 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. By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. Scientology leader David Miscavige had his own redevelopment plan. Visitors walk through downtown on a Friday. 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. 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. A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. The city, meanwhile, moved ahead on its now-$84 million Imagine Clearwater project, a plan to transform the city-owned downtown waterfront with an outdoor amphitheater, a garden, bluff walk and plaza. However, this tactic can backfire when it comes across as answering a question no one has asked. Click here to read the story. 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. Flag is run by the churchs full-time workforce, the Sea Org, whose members sign billion-year contracts and work around the clock. Thank you very much. Howd that go? Thank you for having us. We will continue research on our new Trish Duggan theory. Argall left the church and was forced to abandon his business of more than 20 years. And the properties cover about 100 acres. 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. About 72 percent of those properties are tax exempt for religious uses. Accuracy and availability may vary. Since July 2019, eight limited liability companies managed or operated by members of the church have bought 45 properties in North Marina, including Chesneys. Taking into account these denials, we now have a new opinion to offer our readers. "I do not want to be associated . The main reason why developers didnt want it was they didnt want to be near the Church of Scientology, Searcy said. And the Times found that in six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value. The church, its members and companies they control now own 185 properties that cover 101 acres in the center of downtown. Copyright 2023 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. About $15.9 million was paid in cash. Some of the parishioners have a history of working on Scientologys behalf. Soters comment evokes for us what Captain Renault said in Casablanca: Im shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!. His wife, parishioner and real estate agent, Terri Novitsky, represented the buyer in many of the deals, according to interviews with sellers. 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 parishioners - a doubling of the church's footprint near its international headquarters. Lares and his wife, Emily, sold the diner inside a decade ago. 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. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. If this is Trish Duggans money, and Scientologist Osman Ozsan manages her money, then that could very likely make Trish Duggan the Scientologist financier behind the scenes on the Clearwater land purchases. I saw a business opportunity, he said. The Church takes seriously its responsibility and interest in the future of the area. February 1976: Scientology files a $1 million lawsuit against Cazares alleging he violated its constitutional rights with his public criticism. Eventually, open tensions faded. Tyler Rice has run Carillon Flooring Center on North Fort Harrison for 30 years, the business his father started there in 1964. After FBI raids uncovered the infiltrations, city officials launched their own investigations. No one from the church dictates to me what to buy, what to sell, what to do.. A few months later, the newcomers admitted they were actually Scientology. An elevated walkway connects the building to the Fort Harrison Hotel, the churchs first purchase in the city in 1975. TRACEY MCMANUS: Hi, Lulu. Church of Scientology website It is with great pride we welcome you to the Church of Scientology of Melbourne. Hibbard previously served as Mayor from 2005 until 2012, leaving office because of term limits. Flag is what they call it, and it's the international spiritual headquarters of the church. In response, the Tampa Bay Times received a letter signed by Scientology attorney Gary Soter that read: There is nothing unnatural about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that houses the international spiritual headquarters of their church. Times Staff WritersOct. New details about the case of Lisa McPherson, who died in the care of Scientologists, from the executive who directed the Church of Scientologys handling of the case. A few weeks later, John Yarbrough sold the building where he had run his electrical services business for 22 years. 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. Investigative journalism like this is the most expensive work that we do. MCMANUS: Scientology arrived in downtown Clearwater in 1975. In 2016, city consultants began planning what has become a $64 million effort to reinvigorate the waterfront called Imagine Clearwater. Spa not owned by a Scientologist. and last updated 7:53 PM, Oct 21, 2019. Scientologists Brett Miller and Joanie and Steve Sigal recommended Frank Hibbard for Mayor. Internal church documents detailed missions that planted spies in the state attorneys office, the Chamber of Commerce and the Clearwater Sun newspaper. 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. When the city was considering buying the aquariums lot, Miscavige threatened to stop communicating until the 2020 election, when term limits would force most of the council out of office. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. She said, Well, well have to invite you down for dinner, he recalled. Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. They haven't submitted redevelopment plans. Four high-ranking defectors describe bizarre behavior and physical beatings inflicted by Scientology leader David Miscavige. Longtime City Manager Bill Horne said he cant tell whether the church wants the same thing. I would ask that you clarify the reference to CBRE. 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. Osman Ozsan has been a Scientologist since the 1990s. Cazares responds with an $8 million libel suit. ), 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. Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. And the tactics they were using to establish area control included infiltration, spying, smearing enemies. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have spent $103 million since 2017 buying about 100 properties. . Getty. Agami also signed two more leases on the same block with restaurants owned by people not connected to the church. Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter. I mean, how big is the Church of Scientology where you are? Its like they are trying to control the whole thing.. But his offer had a catch. (I'm in Clearwater). GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is the view of the local community? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Although that arrangement is standard in real estate, it makes it impossible to know whether the properties are owned by the Scientologists who manage the companies, the wealthy church or another hidden party. Over the past two years, the properties surrounding the shop have been sold to Scientologist-controlled companies. 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. 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 . City leaders spent tens of millions improving streets, subsidizing residential projects and hiring consultants. Xenu Who? We don't know what they're planning to do with the properties. Some have donated millions to the church. 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. 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. Seventy-three percent of the property is tax-exempt for religious purposes. 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. They adopted a master plan in 2016 that envisioned housing, a hotel and shopping to complement what they hope will be Clearwaters revitalized downtown less than a mile to the south. David Gentile is creative with money and had hundreds of bank accounts and sub-funds when he ran GPB Capital. 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. But companies controlled by different parishioners bought neighboring properties that create clear assemblages of land. Limited liability companies managed by Hayes, the attorney whos done work on behalf of the church, bought almost the entire square block directly east of the North Ward school. Clarification made on CBRE and thank you for pointing that out. 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