(Everything owned by parishioner-run companies is still on the tax rolls. Copyright 2019 NPR. Toxic trauma expert Gabor Mate diagnoses Prince Harry with attention deficit disorder but tells him it CAN 'I felt different to the rest of my family - and my mum felt the same': Prince Harry opens up on his 'broken 'He's completely beige drained of all his feisty ginger life-blood': JULIE BURCHILL'S verdict on Prince 'I was a bit of a mess': Amanda Abbington reveals she considered suicide after split from ex Martin Freeman DR ELLIE CANNON: My breast has not got lumps but it's itchy, should I be concerned about cancer at age 72? Toni Says: What is Medicares creditable prescription drug coverage? Did you do your taxes? 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.. how to create a signature in outlook 365; hotels owned by scientologists in clearwater. Did you do your taxes? 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. 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. 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. CLEARWATER, Fla. In this small beachside community sits a 1.4-acre patch of dirt that has become a flash point in a fight between church and state. . That's the findings of a story in the Tampa Bay Times that's headlined clear takeover. Norm Novitsky hung up when asked by a reporter about the companies plans. The Times counted each parcel that was assigned a value by the property appraiser as a single property with five exceptions. 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. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. 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. Looking at the Times map of the new ownership, City Council member David Allbritton recalled a moment from 2017 that now seems telling. From $150.62 per night. 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. ( magazine) Applied Philosophy. 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. Clearwater, FL is the town literally owned by Scientologists, so checks out Reply . They have control over what businesses, if any, come in. And the properties cover about 100 acres. Theyve got one intention, and one intention only, De Vocht said. The project broke ground in August and is aimed at helping bring businesses and foot traffic to the empty storefronts in the surrounding blocks. Gulf Coast Marine and ClearwaterPlumbing. Hubbard had a vision of making Clearwater a spiritual home for his Church of Scientology. Real estate agent Daphna Fischler brokered at least 10 downtown sales on behalf of seven buyers. Operatives framed the mayor in a staged hit-and-run and spread false rumors he was having an extramarital affair. Take away the church footprint, a few condo towers and all buildings owned by the government. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Times with an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. 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. 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. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Not so shipshape! Agami also signed two more leases on the same block with restaurants owned by people not connected to the church. 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. 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. Scientology is all I have to say, There are no pros that unless you are a Scientologist. What you know is what you know and to have the courage to know and say what you have observed".- LRH from Personal Integrity, "It is necessary to happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. Hubbard had a vision of making Clearwater a spiritual home for his Church of Scientology. Ever since then the church stopped communicating with the city, and the rapid land grab commenced. Scientologists in Clearwater. 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. Over half are owned or operated by Scientologists. But,so far, there have been only 4 comments posted to, It was fantastic stream! Paid in cash. A scuffed copy of the Koran. Audited NOTs (NOT stands for NED [New Era Dianetics] Operating Thetan) Instead, the aquarium sold it to the city in April 2017 for a lot less $4.25 million. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain to me why the paper has a Scientology reporter. Its like they are trying to control the whole thing.. ', Freedom Magazine is a Scientology produced publication. Closed now : See all hours. 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. 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. Share. And the mayor. Almost immediately, a decades-long trickle of purchases by church members turned into a flood. In six cases, buyers made four times the propertys value deemed by the county property appraiser. By then, the churchs intelligence unit was already deploying an elaborate scheme to establish area control in the city. 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 views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Once we dug into the data and pulled records, we found that LLCs tied to the Church of Scientology had bought about 100 properties. One of the factors they do control is the waterfront land that's protected by city charter, that they are in the middle of a $64 million plan right now to redesign and develop into a park with gardens and a concert venue. Hes still holding out. An elevated walkway connects the building to the Fort Harrison Hotel, the churchs first purchase in the city in 1975. Its designed not for recruiting new members but for hosting established followers. The Church of Scientologyh first landed in Clearwater in 1975 with one hotel property to its name, but the organization had elaborate plans to spread its reach across the entire downtown area, In just three years, starting with a frantic land grab in January 2017, Scientology doubled its footprint in the city, The Church of Scientology doubled its footprint in Clearwater, Florida in a matter of just three years after shelling out $103million to snatch up 185 properties that cover 101 acres of the city's downtown area. There's parishioners that come here from all over the world to take courses in high level auditing that's not offered anywhere else. I agree, the blog has a limited purpose, Super excellent, really great chemistry, so enjoyable to watch. I had to make a decision, Bosi said. Tom Cruise is moving to Clearwater, Florida to live just blocks away from the Church of Scientology headquarters. Scientology leader David Miscavige pictured above. 0. They started hosting concerts on the waterfront that now draw thousands. Brian Andrus controls companies that last year bought a marina on N Osceola Avenue and six nearby properties, all bordering a redevelopment project at the citys public boat ramp. We profile several of them here. You might want to consider one of these options that are popular with our guests: Clearwater Beach Hotel - 1.8 mi (2.9 km) away 4-star hotel Free WiFi 3 restaurants Spa Central location Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach - 1.9 mi (3 km) away The lack of action from Scientology-tied buyers has precedent. and last updated 7:53 PM, Oct 21, 2019. But its potential is still untapped, with prime vacant land overlooking Clearwater Harbor. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Just out of curiosity, when you say the tactics that they used in the '70s, what were those? Jim is a nationally known artist. GARCIA-NAVARRO: What do you mean billion year contracts? You will discover the facts for yourself when you read that article; it provides the real answer as to what has happened with downtown revitalizationand how that revitalization was torpedoed by the Times. Businesses without ties to the church are moving into a few of those. When you stay with us at the Sleep Inn Clearwater-St Petersburg hotel, you can expect stylish accommodations for an affordable rate. Times reporters built a database of hundreds of properties in the center of Clearwaters downtown. Then in 2017, companies controlled by parishioners began buying retail property at an unprecedented rate. And the mayor at the time, Gabe Cazares, really raised the alarm. The Church told DailyMail.com: 'The Times article is simply the latest in its continuing and unending obsession with Scientology and is little more than self-serving propaganda intended to give the appearance of objective reporting without reporting the actual facts to the reader.'. Defectors have said they were paid less than $50 a week. At least eight businesses that got new landlords tied to Scientology moved out and have not been replaced. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. The family of Moises Agami, a developer whose companies bought 20 storefronts and a parking lot last year, has donated at least $10 million. In a letter to the Times, the church denied it ever tried to take control of the city. But Lee assumed the church was involved. 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? L Ron Hubbard Lecture 31 Dec 1960, "Personal integrity is knowing what you know. Many of the properties werent on the market. You are a fundamentalist Scientologist, or youre not one at all.. Delk described the projects which require voter approval as key to the plans success. 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. We believe it's important to shed light on a powerful institution that's very controversial and plays a big role in our community. in positive and negative effects of coca cola. Though most of the representatives of the 32 companies who purchased the downtown real estate in the past few years, few gave comment on their purchase and claimed Scientology wasnt a factor in the land buy. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. He publicly asked why there were security cards with billy clubs and mace on the roof. In six cases, buyers paid quadruple the propertys value. Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater.

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