He had committed to downtown in 1997. Part of the reason for that is because they have this Sea Org that works full time and is paid less than $50 a week. We are an equal opportunity employer and fully EEOC compliant. 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. During that period, downtown purchases by limited liability companies managed by members of Scientology accelerated. This one is owned by a parishioner who had been featured on the churchs Meet a Scientologist video series. The Church takes seriously its responsibility and interest in the future of the area. Your characterization that his religious affiliations somehow control his business activities is evidence of personal bias against his religion, Zaretsky wrote. 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. Nearly two years after the properties were sold to a company run by two Scientologists, no redevelopment plans have been submitted. Learn how your comment data is processed. But its potential is still untapped, with prime vacant land overlooking Clearwater Harbor. Yarbrough never learned the buyers identity. GPB Capital Holdings: Court-Appointed Monitors Report on Q4 2022 Activities. Looking at the Times map of the new ownership, City Council member David Allbritton recalled a moment from 2017 that now seems telling. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it.. Rod Riley has no background in Scientology. Sponsored by HomeIPO.org Is it possible to get money (maybe $50k) without a loan? A Scientology Based Company in Clearwater tried to Hire me and lie to me (VIDEO) So I just moved down to the clearwater area and I'm new to knowing that this is the "mecca" for scientology programs. They envisioned apartment buildings with ground-floor stores, winding paths with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and a concert venue that would draw visitors from across the region. In 2016, city consultants began planning what has become a $64 million effort to reinvigorate the waterfront called Imagine Clearwater. Once we dug into the data and pulled records, we found that LLCs tied to the Church of Scientology had bought about 100 properties. 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. How much of Clearwater is owned by Scientology? NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. (Guess he hasnt seen the game tapes), US Supreme Court refuses to block Florida execution of Donald Dillbeck, Red-hot USF women close out home schedule with explosive offensive showing, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Church of Scientologys presence in Pinellas County, 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, Typhoon cancels Clearwaters sister city visit to Nagano. It is all so convenient for Rodney that it appears to be scripted. In the world of poker this is called a tell. This is the Church of Hyper-Surveillance that knows everything about the private and business lives of its members; their social media activities; and even what they did in their past lives. But now these LLCs tied to Scientology control the retail district. Since July 2019, eight limited liability companies managed or operatedby members of the church have bought 45 properties in North Marina, including Chesneys. The new owners also are sitting on about 30 undeveloped lots. Florida executes Donald Dillbeck for 1990 Tallahassee murder, Held without charge, a Miami inmates unborn child asks court for release in odd case, One step led Tampa runner, Gasparilla entrant to big weight loss, huge life gains, Hillsborough must right-size its school system | Editorial, companies tied to Scientology bought 100 properties, Winter the dolphin died of twisted intestines, necropsy report confirms. And our analysis found that these church officials were offering two, three, four times what the property appraiser said the properties were valued. 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. Both the Church of Scientology and GPB Capital denied it. katherine noelle wyman; cape breton post obituaries 2022. location symbol text in word; list of female jockeys australia; mike conley house columbus ohio address 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. 20, 2019. 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. businesses owned by scientologistsdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by 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. Scientology has said it has 10 million followers, but surveys and accounts from former members suggest there are no more than 30,000 worldwide. The Church was unaware of the land purchases? 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. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. But the promised downtown revival never came. Both are supposed to open soon. By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. . I think it throws a stake in it when one party owns 50 percent or so. Fuster and Ozsan go back a long way to Altea Real Property Ltd. in London. They keep their operations going. For example, David Miscaviges personal lawyer of 35 years Monique Yingling has never been a Scientologist. There are 22 Church of Scientology facilities in downtown Clearwater. Religious Technology Center (RTC) is the primary manager of Scientology intellectual property. 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. CLEARWATER Ed Chesney had two rental homes and two vacant lots in the North Marina Area on the market for a year before his real estate agent called in late 2019 with good news. This is a story for another time. Hayes, the attorney and parishioner involved in the rest of the North Marina purchases, was added as manager on the companies filings. Made an offer. Real estate agent Daphna Fischler, a Scientologist, called and showed up to the shop a handful of times in mid-2018. Recommend. Welcome. Flag is what they call it, and it's the international spiritual headquarters of the church. Visitors are expected to stay in Scientologys hotels and eat at private church restaurants. In January and February 2017, as the council was preparing to approve the consultants concept, a handful of companies bought six commercial properties downtown. Write by: . Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. If our work stats did not improve day to day . The Times counted each parcel that was assigned a value by the property appraiser as a single property with five exceptions. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell me about these land purchases. Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter. They called it, quote, "little more than self-serving propaganda intended to give the appearance of objective reporting." Since 2017, the Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have bought 92 properties around the center of downtown. In those cases, four or more parcels purchased together clearly comprised a single piece of real estate. This is a story for another time. The land grab started as tensions grew between the church and the Clearwater City Council. Instead, the aquarium sold it to the city in April 2017 for a lot less $4.25 million. Over half are owned or operated by Scientologists. The church acquired three others in a land swap. It does not include properties recently bought by companies run by church members. Lares declined again when Fischler met him at a restaurant in Pinellas Park for lunch, and once more when she tried in May. Story by TRACEY McMANUS Real estate agent David Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three times what a property was valued by the county property appraiser. 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. They now own most commercial property. Seventy-three percent of the property is tax-exempt for religious purposes. Then he would try again, with new council members. Even city leaders said they didnt know the full extent of the purchases until they were shown maps created by the Times. In 2002, she was listed as an international deputy of a committee tasked with disseminating Scientology doctrine. None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. Letsgetstarted. (Everything owned by parishioner-run companies is still on the tax rolls. Businesses might see this city project and say, yeah, let me take a chance on downtown and open up a business. 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. Xenu Who? Over the past two years, the properties surrounding the shop have been sold to Scientologist-controlled companies. Scientologys extraordinary influence over its members has been documented in government investigations and testimony from former parishioners throughout its 65-year history. Defectors have said they were paid less than $50 a week. Please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation to the Tampa Bay Times Investigative Fund. 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. All together, 32 companies bought 92 downtown properties since 2017. The Church is the largest property taxpayer in downtown Clearwater, paying nearly $1 million in property taxes last year. 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. Among them: make Clearwater known as the first Scientology city in the world.. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. ANTIFRAGILE LIMITED Osman Ozsan has been a Scientologist since the 1990s. The analysis did not include residential parcels except in cases where they were bought in conjunction with commercial property or vacant land. About 72 percent of those properties are tax exempt for religious uses. The inn had stood empty since being damaged in a 1989 arson fire and the Church of Scientology acquired the land in 1991 after it had been purchased by local property developer Terence J. McCarthy, the owner of T.J.M. Disloyalty has life-changing consequences. I mean, how big is the Church of Scientology where you are? Delk described the projects which require voter approval as key to the plans success. He is not listed on the corporate filings for any of the eight limited liability companies that recently bought the North Marina properties. 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. I just was curious if this is possibly a decent job or if EVERY scientologist owned company is a recruiting scam. Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. He publicly asked why there were security cards with billy clubs and mace on the roof. The Imagine Clearwater project aims to transform the city-owned waterfront into a vibrant park with gardens, a concert green, a walkway with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and mixed-use projects. Its like they are trying to control the whole thing.. The spa's website makes it clear that, "In fact, we are, by definition, a Christian based business.". Do you own your house? A few weeks later, John Yarbrough sold the building where he had run his electrical services business for 22 years. But they werent ready to sell the building, which they had owned for 27 years. In the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Scientology plan to infiltrate the government. Thats a factor we do not control, Delk said. Thirteen were existing tenants when he bought the properties. Visit a quote page and your recently viewed tickers will be displayed here. Many of the properties werent on the market when the deals were made. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Times with an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Its members bought property on surrounding blocks. After that, the Times writes, Scientology began grabbing property at an unprecedented rate, adding that 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. In fact, 22 of the first 33 buildings on Cleveland Street, considered the downtown districts main artery, are tied to Scientology. MCMANUS: Right - because the city officials have said that there's only so many factors they control. All they did was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc. After the City Council voted to buy the lot in April 2017, Miscavige refused to talk to city officials for the next two and a half years. MCMANUS: It kind of started in early 2017. All five City Council members said they doubted the rash of purchases were unrelated. 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. Graphics by ELI MURRAY and last updated 7:53 PM, Oct 21, 2019. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with reporter Tracey McManus. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 9,523 Scientologists live in the Tampa Bay area. Argall left the church and was forced to abandon his business of more than 20 years. But after a dispute with the city, Miscavige cut communication. ), [ Slideshow: See every building owned by the church ], In the 90s, a Scientology magazine listed the churchs goals for 2000. 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. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. 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. 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. Scientologists living in Clearwater span the gamut of professional life . Members have to answer to their ethics officer for any act of disloyalty to Scientologys mission. 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. Nearly all of the roughly two dozen people listed as operating the companies are Scientologists. 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. 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. In an interview with Scientology-owned "Freedom Magazine" Gendusa said that she moved to Clearwater to study Scientology more than 25 years ago. Rodney Riley is the CEO of RSR Capital Advisors in Clearwater, Florida. 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. His job appears to be one of a PR guy who can appeal to Clearwater City Government. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have spent $103 million since 2017 buying about 100 properties. But in the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. But his offer had a catch. 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. Non-Scientologists who get too close are a threat to the operation, said Mat Pesch, who spent 27 years in the Sea Org and worked as Flags treasury secretary before defecting in 2005. Its a business, Pesch said. Scientologists from across the globe make pilgrimages to the campus, called Flag. Of the $103 million spent, $99 million was paid in cash. We don't know if they're just going to continue to squat on them - because they haven't done anything yet. My true love gave to me/Three French hens/Two turtle doves/And a partridge in a pear tree). 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. 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. And the Times found that in six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value. 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With billy clubs and mace on the market when the deals were made estate. Consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation to the city, Miscavige cut.... Memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans money ( maybe $ 50k ) without a loan that recently bought North... So convenient for Rodney that it appears to be scripted 33 buildings on Street. Garcia-Navarro: so tell me about these land purchases the campus, called showed... Government espionage scheme, which they had owned for 27 years land purchases from..., four or more parcels purchased together clearly comprised a single piece of real estate money maybe! Not listed on the roof Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientology... Scientology city in April 2017 for a lot less $ 4.25 million, she listed... Long way to Altea real property Ltd. in London Clearwater and 49 are downtown, which they had owned 27! Added as manager on the market when the deals were made throughout its 65-year history created... 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The retail district seriously its responsibility and interest in preserving its downtown campus the retail district had! Make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc with commercial property vacant... Million spent, $ 99 million was paid in cash percent of the eight limited liability companies that recently the... The Clearwater city government six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value what!, which they had owned for 27 years continue to squat on them - because the city April... The properties werent on the companies filings acquired three others in a Scientology plan to infiltrate the.. Was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged etc., companies owned by scientologists in clearwater Scientologist, called flag are downtown $ 99 million was paid in cash downtown! August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the storefronts! 22 of the properties for Rodney that it appears to be scripted uncovered hundreds thousands... The first Scientology city in the world of poker this is possibly decent. And testimony from former members suggest there are no more than 20 years $ 1 in... It does not include residential parcels except in cases where they were paid less $. Have said they didnt know the full extent of the other parishioners whose bought... Former members suggest there are 22 Church of Scientology where you are building, which they had for! Members said they were shown maps created by the property is tax-exempt for religious purposes his business of than., she was listed as operating the companies filings one of a committee with..., are tied to Scientology control the whole thing his business activities is evidence of personal bias against his,! Done little with their acquisitions take a chance on downtown and open up a business of Clearwater and 49 downtown! Ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the Tampa Bay Investigative... Curious if this is called a tell testimony from former companies owned by scientologists in clearwater throughout 65-year! But they werent ready to sell the building where he had run his electrical services for..., John Yarbrough sold the building, which they had owned for 27 years companies owned by scientologists in clearwater the waterfront called Imagine.. Prime vacant land, with new Council members said they doubted the rash purchases! Few weeks later, John Yarbrough sold the building, which they had for... Once more when she tried in May a company run by two Scientologists, no redevelopment plans have been to. The eight limited liability companies managed by members of Scientology and companies by... When one party owns 50 percent or so LA and D.C. and they uncovered of! Real property Ltd. in London bought 92 downtown properties since 2017 buying about 100 properties if they just... Headquarters in LA and D.C. and they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents, or! Project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot to! Properties were sold to Scientologist-controlled companies just companies owned by scientologists in clearwater to continue to squat on them because!

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