Real estate agent David Kerr represented a buyer that paid more than three times what a property was valued by the county property appraiser. Dozens of residents showed up to speak. The city received an informal inquiry last year related to vacant land at the southeast corner of Seminole Street and North Fort Harrison Avenue. Huestler said broker Terri Novitsky calls him every now and again to see if hed be interested in selling. The church now completely controls the heart of the city, save for a few condominium tower and buildings owned by the government, the Tampa Bay Times discovered after reviewing 1,000 deeds and business records, shocking city leaders and residents at the scope of the churchs dominance. And the mayor at the time, Gabe Cazares, really raised the alarm. (Which, actually, all Scientologists are under pressure to do. You'll find plenty of sites, activities, and attractions to explore near our pet-friendly Clearwater hotel, including downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg, which is only 30 minutes away, Celebration Station, Honeymoon Island State Park, Clearwater Beach, Caladesi Island State Park, and Busch Gardens. Rebecca and Uri's father is Dr. David Minkoff, a physician and Church of Scientology member, who was partly implicated in Lisa McPherson's 1995 death. Religious Technology Center (RTC) is the primary manager of Scientology intellectual property. I believe its irrational to buy property and not fully utilize it.. I mean, how big is the Church of Scientology where you are? Hes still holding out. The few that chose to speak on selling their property said they were approached by a Scientologist who made offers and paid in cash. The Tampa Bay Times reports that recent purchases doubled the combined real estate footprint of the church and its followers. The DeNunzio Group is affiliated with Maine Course Hospitality Group, which owns and operates 24 hotels in five states. But the couple isnt ready to let go. The other side of that is flag is run by the Sea Org, the Scientology's full-time workforce. We've got 2511 hotels to choose from within 5 miles of Church of Scientology. In this way Scientologists were able to buy properties without companies knowing they were behind it. Rice said hes been surprised that he has not been approached by brokers trying to buy his 10,000-square-foot building. 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. Trending; . The Times described sales as cash transactions when they were paid without a mortgage filed in public records. A few months after Yarbrough relocated, a new electrical company moved into his old building. They paid $26 million. Review. 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. Trump congratulates Justin Trudeau on winning a second term Three soldiers died when their tank fell off a bridge into a Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, TN residents say Jack Daniel's distillery spews black mold, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Can you give me a sense of the scale and how they have made this happen with the relatively little fanfare over the years? After a workout in our fitness center, begin your morning with our free hot breakfast, free hot coffee and free weekday newspaper in our . In a letter, the church said the Times is misinterpreting Scientology policy and that other religions also practice shunning. As a Designed to Dream property, we've created a relaxing environment so that you can start your day well-rested. 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). Argall left the church and was forced to abandon his business of more than 20 years. Scientology came to downtown Clearwater in 1975. 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. When I have to go to that area, and see them in crowds moving from building to building doing their work ( whatever that is) I think of cockroaches, like whatever you do . 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. 'There is nothing unnatural about Scientologists wanting to live in the same city that houses the international spiritual headquarters of their church,' a letter signed by Scientology attorney Gary Soter to the Times said. The Church has not revealed any motive behind their domination of downtown Clearwater. 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. The reason lies in rising tensions between the church and the Clearwater City Council. Inc. magazine's 2019 report on the 5,000 fastest-growing privately owned businesses in America cites 16 firms based in Clearwater. The churchs influence comes from its massive wealth, estimated around $3billion in cash and assets, collected from devoted followers. When you stay with us at the Sleep Inn Clearwater-St Petersburg hotel, you can expect stylish accommodations for an affordable rate. hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater. Hillsborough forms had errors, companies tied to Scientology bought 100 properties, Winter the dolphin died of twisted intestines, necropsy report confirms. The campus collects millions each week through fundraising and payments for expensive courses and high-level religious counseling not offered anywhere else. The Tampa Bay Times discovered them by reviewing more than 1,000 deeds and business records, then interviewed more than 90 people to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the transactions. I saw a business opportunity, Ezra said. New Pasco County commissioner accused of faking his residency, Guide to Plant Citys Strawberry Festival, one of the largest festivals in the nation, Gov. How Boris Johnson's Partygate tormentor Sue Gray is now enmeshed in her own row - as it is DAN HODGES: This grubby Sue Gray recruitment annihilates all pretence that Sir Keir Starmer is a man of 'He was a natural leader': Mourners gather for the funeral of Thai cave survivor who died aged 17 after 'You'll be missed forever': Elizabeth Hurley and son Damian share heartfelt tribute to her late ex Shane Mamma Mia! 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) He demanded to see their financials, their board of directors. The WORST care homes in England: Interactive map reveals the lowest-rated 2,530 residences - so is there one 'I can still hear their cruel laughter': Dr Alex George bravely reveals he suffered with an eating disorder Matt Hancock discussed 'deploying' new virus variant to 'frighten the pants off everyone' as former Health 'So many dead. They posted guards wielding billy clubs and mace. The Church's celebrity members Tom Cruise and John Travolta are known to have estates near Clearwater as well. Hubbard had a vision of making Clearwater a spiritual home for his Church of Scientology. In addition, more is planned to occur on the "Ides of march" (March 15th) Which also happens to be L. Ron Hubbard's . Thats not happening with almost any of these properties. A few months later, the newcomers admitted they were actually Scientology. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Tracey McManus is a Scientology reporter for the paper, and she joins us now. Im concerned, Mayor Frank Hibbard said. The only thing you see is the Scientology minions ." Irwin said the church members are spotted wearing "brown dress . By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. A deserted coin laundry. It's not clear how many followers are based in Clearwater. The more its isolated and doesnt have people who are non-Scientologists around the area, the better.. But on days with no events, downtown feels deserted. Charles 'will NEVER build real relationship with Archie and Lili unless Harry and Meghan get new royal 'Putin has STOLEN our Ukrainian children': Distraught parents tell how THOUSANDS of youngsters never EMILY PRESCOTT: Sarah Ferguson 'confused' after seeing photos from goddaughter's wedding she thought she was Joe Biden is 'unlikely' to attend King Charles' coronation due to Ireland trip - despite promising to A 14-year-old autistic boy's naive prank. Investigative journalism like this is the most expensive work that we do. what does holetta mean in polish renault clio steering wheel controls not working hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater. Police were quick to respond. 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. 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 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. And half the sales were for more than double what the properties were valued by the county property appraiser, the Times found. But on the notice filed with Pinellas County for the roof replacement at 801 N Fort Harrison Ave., Andrus signed his name as a manager of the company that owns the building. 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. Its too soon to say how the shift in ownership will affect downtown. Wayne E. Lee ran his Auto Parts Distributors business on Park Street since 1982. They started hosting concerts on the waterfront that now draw thousands. 'The true story of downtown development is presented in an article in that Freedom, 'Who Is The Real Block To Downtown Revitalization?' We don't know what they're planning to do with the properties. They also pointed to the latest edition of their Freedom magazine for what they called an accurate portrayal of the church and its members in Clearwater. In 2018, Peter Lares got a call from Fischler, asking if hed sell the prominent building in the center of downtown that houses Emilys Restaurant. 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. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 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.