Welcome. Asked directly whether Scientology orchestrated or paid for any of the sales, the church did not answer. However, it hasnt always been clear to me as to just what does that actually mean.. In mid-2018, one year before the string of North Marina purchases took off, a company controlled by developer Brian Andrus, a longtime member of Scientology, bought the private marina next to the citys Seminole Boat Ramp. Since July 2019, eight limited liability companies managed or operated by members of the church have bought 45 properties in North Marina, including Chesneys. I saw a business opportunity, he said. Andrus did not respond to a phone message or email inquiring if he was involved in the 45 purchases in the blocks surrounding his condo project. She said, Well, well have to invite you down for dinner, he recalled. Clearwater is the permanent home to more than 10,000 Scientology parishioners. MCMANUS: Brokers representing these companies were approaching downtown property owners. Seventy-one percent of the 60 parcels the Church of Scientology owns under its name in Pinellas County are tax-exempt for religious purposes. 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. Fifty-three of those are for properties owned by companies run by himself with fellow Scientologist Emrani, a candidate in this election. 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. My sister is always struggling with money and drugs: I own a house with my husband and mother. Local TV station WTSP reports. Paid in cash. The Times also contacted representatives of all 32 companies it identified that bought downtown real estate over the past three years. The Church is the largest property taxpayer in downtown Clearwater, paying nearly $1 million in property taxes last year. 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. The Florida Secretary of State records show the firm went dormant in 2012. It was owned by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Dozens of residents showed up to speak. MCMANUS: Scientology arrived in downtown Clearwater in 1975. (I'm in Clearwater). 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. The impact is clearest in the heart of downtown. 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. Any property owned by a Scientologist or linked to a Scientologist is owned by the church, because the church owns its parishioners, said De Vocht, the former executive in charge of real estate, who reported directly to Miscavige. Business Outlook. 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. And $99 million of the $103 million in real-estate deals over the past three years were in cash. Ive been waiting for this neighborhood to clean up for 30 years, and I still think its around the corner, Rice said. Nearly all of the properties were bought through limited liability companies, which are required to disclose their operators but not their owners. [1] 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. 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. Fuster and Ozsan go back a long way to Altea Real Property Ltd. in London. And our analysis found that these church officials were offering two, three, four times what the property appraiser said the properties were valued. Made an offer. We built a graphic demonstrating just how little is left. How much of Clearwater is owned by Scientology? Some have donated millions to the church. Members have to answer to their ethics officer for any act of disloyalty to Scientologys mission. Block after block, vacant lots sit untouched, and storefronts remain empty: A former jewelry store. This month, Shahab Emrani was elected to the Downtown Development Board, which helps promote downtown. 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. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with reporter Tracey McManus. His wife, parishioner and real estate agent, Terri Novitsky, represented the buyer in many of the deals, according to interviews with sellers. Real estate agent Daphna Fischler brokered at least 10 downtown sales on behalf of seven buyers. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Times with an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Riley thereafter became a Regional Manager forCB Richard Ellis. Gulf Coast Marine and ClearwaterPlumbing. Seven businesses have left following recent purchases, and at least three more are leaving this year, including Clearwater Plumbing and Gulf Coast Marine. It has to be somebody with the money to invest in a real estate development deal. 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. But Scientologist-controlled companies are also sitting on at least 26 vacant lots and 31 empty storefronts and offices. To reiterate our earlier point, Ozsan, Gregori And Company LLC has only two client accounts. He wanted the council to stop trying to buy a vacant lot on which the church was also bidding. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has bought 60 . Although Zano is not well known in Clearwater, the companies spent $16.7 million acquiring 26 commercial properties 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. In San Diego, Taylor Guitars and Deering Banjo Company. The new owners also are sitting on about 30 undeveloped lots. They paid $26 million. Riley is also working with Gensler on the development. TRACEY MCMANUS: Hi, Lulu. This gallery shows all 60 properties Scientology owns under its name in Pinellas county and six additional retail properties the church acquired through limited liability companies in 2017. I mean, do they view it as helpful for the community at large to have a major religious organization centered in their town or not? Half the properties were bought since January 2017. And it's also basically the financial nucleus of the entire organization. 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. There is no discrimination for or against *any* religion. The church stopped communicating with the city. 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. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has purchased 60 properties in Pinellas County under its name. ( 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 Its designed not for recruiting new members but for hosting established followers. Disloyalty has life-changing consequences. While theres no law against hanging onto property, developers typically buy land, build on it and sell it for profit. 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. Huestler said broker Terri Novitsky calls him every now and again to see if hed be interested in selling. #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. Weve spent a lot of happy years here, Lares said. Additional Clearwater real estate purchases began in 2019. But they werent ready to sell the building, which they had owned for 27 years. Even city leaders said they didnt know the full extent of the purchases until they were shown maps created by the Times. Thank you very much. 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. MCMANUS: You know, Lulu, from my reporting, I've learned that there's a lot of mistrust and suspicion still in the community when it comes to Scientology because a lot of the residents here were living in the city when Scientology arrived in the '70s, and they remember the tactics Scientology used. It was a very turbulent time. Where did all that money come from? Purchases in the North Marina Area took off in July 2019, three months after the City Council voted to buy the historic North Ward Elementary School across the street from the Seminole ramp and Andrus condo. The Times counted each parcel that was assigned a value by the property appraiser as a single property with five exceptions. In North America, Melitta is the leading brand of coffee filters. 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. 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. When asked by the Tampa Bay Times about the 2017-2018 land purchases totaling $103 million made by Scientologists, Church attorney Gary Soter wrote a letter in which he stated: 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. This is a story for another time. My true love gave to me/Three French hens/Two turtle doves/And a partridge in a pear tree). They came in under a fake name to buy the Fort Harrison Hotel, a historic hotel right in the center of downtown. Graphics by ELI MURRAY In Florida, limited liability companies that buy property are required to disclose administrative operators but not their owners. 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. 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. Four high-ranking defectors describe bizarre behavior and physical beatings inflicted by Scientology leader David Miscavige. 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 the tactics they were using to establish area control included infiltration, spying, smearing enemies. 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. The total of all Scientology-connected Clearwater real estate purchases $114.8 million. Scientologists living in Clearwater span the gamut of professional life . Lee sold when Fischler upped her offer to $410,000 cash for the building valued at $109,000 by the property appraiser. For the first time, a majority of the boards members will be Scientologists. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. Scientologists Brett Miller and Joanie and Steve Sigal recommended Frank Hibbard for Mayor. Richard Tobias, an independent real estate appraiser in Pinellas County, said vast purchases of downtown real estate by entities tied to Scientology have cast confusion over the market. More interesting is that the 15 parcels of land Riley plans acquire in Clearwater are owned by Scientologists. 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 spa's website makes it clear that, "In fact, we are, by definition, a Christian based business.". Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I would assume hes a Scientologist or involved with them in some fashion. 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. Unrestrained 5-year-old child falls out of truck, run over in Tampa, troopers say, Hundreds of USF students join statewide walkout to protest DeSantis education policies, Rays Shane McClanahan already hitting upper 90s nice to see, Estimates vary widely on cost to expand school vouchers in Florida, Food company A Good Human is opening a vegan cooking school in St. Petersburg, Bucs new coordinator is confident! 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. In both communities [comparing Mesa to Clearwater], there is a major presence of a church. He walked away with nothing. CEO Approval. 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. 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. I think it's comparable to say it's kind of, like, if there were to be a Vatican reporter in Vatican City. Andrus helped carry out a plan to stop a Scientologist who had spied on the federal government from turning himself in to the FBI. We don't know if they're just going to continue to squat on them - because they haven't done anything yet. 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 . 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. Flag is supposed to be an insulated oasis. Fischler did not respond to phone messages, a certified letter or a note left at her condo. Investigative journalism like this is the most expensive work that we do. Nearly all of the roughly two dozen people listed as operating the companies are Scientologists. In 2016, city consultants began planning what has become a $64 million effort to reinvigorate the waterfront called Imagine Clearwater. 1. Im concerned, Mayor Frank Hibbard said. Andrus did not respond to an email, phone message, a note left at his office or a certified letter. He owns Stonebridge Real Estate and served as president of the Florida Gulfcoast Commercial Association of Realtors in 2017. Delk described the projects which require voter approval as key to the plans success. And the Times found that in six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value. Whats more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. 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