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. No one from the church dictates to me what to buy, what to sell, what to do., From the archives (May 2019):A supposed Scientology cruise ship is quarantined in St. Lucia over measles. 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. The land grab started as tensions grew between the church and the Clearwater City Council. 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. City officials are trying to make the area a regional destination for food, drink and entertainment. We interpret it as the Tampa Bay Times getting too close for Mr. Epsteins comfort. [ The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped ]. 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. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it.. 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.. He took over Bob Lees Auto to continue the business legacy and served on the Downtown Development Board for a decade. Candidates and Scientologists Emrani, Kintzel and . Looking at the Times map of the new ownership, City Council member David Allbritton recalled a moment from 2017 that now seems telling. Tracey McManus is a Scientology reporter for the paper, and she joins us now. 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. . By then, he had found an auto garage he could buy in Dunedin. Buy up as much property as they can for the church whether they use it or not, whether they let it sit there and rot so no one else can be there.. 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. After leaving Caliber Wells, Rodney Riley began working with Megan and Stephen Epstein. Riley thereafter became a Regional Manager forCB Richard Ellis. 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. Then he would try again, with new council members. Scientology members fuel another land-buying surge in Clearwater Companies tied to the Church of Scientology paid millions in cash for 45 properties near downtown with no major plans in. Huestler said broker Terri Novitsky calls him every now and again to see if hed be interested in selling. In a letter to the Times, the church denied it ever tried to take control of the city. These workers sign billion year contracts, are paid very little, work around the clock. He is not listed on the corporate filings for any of the eight limited liability companies that recently bought the North Marina properties. Clarification made on CBRE and thank you for pointing that out. Rodney Riley is an interesting character in this whole thing. businesses owned by scientologistsdoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by Shahab and Catherine Emrani who manage companies that purchased four commercial buildings, retail space in a condo and vacant land have given at least $1.75 million to the church. In those cases, four or more parcels purchased together clearly comprised a single piece of real estate. TRACEY MCMANUS: Hi, Lulu. 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 . Concerned he wouldnt be able to pay his mortgage, Argall said he deeded the building, appraised at $780,000, back to the previous owner. It also has to be someone who trusts the Epsteins enough to invest with them. This makes no sense, except of course to a bigot.. 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. I just was curious if this is possibly a decent job or if EVERY scientologist owned company is a recruiting scam. (I'm in Clearwater). Originally founded in 1955, we are the oldest Scientology Church in Australia. 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. VIDEO: Finally, Scientific Proof that Scientologys Body Thetans Cannot Exist! 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. To reiterate our earlier point, Ozsan, Gregori And Company LLC has only two client accounts. CEO Approval. Why does this matter? GARCIA-NAVARRO: Just out of curiosity, when you say the tactics that they used in the '70s, what were those? 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 impact is clearest in the heart of downtown. GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is the view of the local community? They now own most commercial property on every block within walking distance of the waterfront. City leaders spent tens of millions improving streets, subsidizing residential projects and hiring consultants. We also hold the distinction of being the first Scientology Church in the Southern Hemisphere. Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Times with an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Asked directly whether Scientology orchestrated or paid for any of the sales, the church did not answer. He wanted the council to stop trying to buy a vacant lot on which the church was also bidding. In January and February 2017, as the council was preparing to approve the consultants concept, a handful of companies bought six commercial properties downtown. This is a story for another time. And in 1977, the FBI raided Scientology's headquarters in LA and D.C. And they uncovered hundreds of thousands of memos and documents. Since July 2019, eight limited liability companies managed or operatedby members of the church have bought 45 properties in North Marina, including Chesneys. But that is where it ends. and last updated 7:53 PM, Oct 21, 2019. My sister is always struggling with money and drugs: I own a house with my husband and mother. They keep their operations going. Even city leaders said they didnt know the full extent of the purchases until they were shown maps created by the Times. Mayor Jane Castors partner vowed not to lobby the city. DEUTERIUM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED If the council in 2020 isnt on board with doing something his way, hes going to do it himself.. 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. Lares and his wife, Emily, sold the diner inside a decade ago. His job appears to be one of a PR guy who can appeal to Clearwater City Government. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. 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. Gentile also purchased several Clearwater companies owned by Scientologists who may have invested the proceeds into land deals. Rice said hes been surprised that he has not been approached by brokers trying to buy his 10,000-square-foot building. That has led defectors from the church and city leaders to believe there is little chance parishioners are making significant real estate deals around Scientologys mecca without the churchs involvement. But now these LLCs tied to Scientology control the retail district. Scientology has said it has 10 million followers, but surveys and accounts from former members suggest there are no more than 30,000 worldwide. Hes still holding out. An empty Walgreens. 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. Thank you for having us. A sign in front of the business says, "Notice: This is one of the only spas in downtown Clearwater not owned by a Scientologist .". Osman Ozsan has been a Scientologist since the 1990s. 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. Scientologists living in Clearwater span the gamut of professional life . Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. 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. About 72 percent of those properties are tax exempt for religious uses. Nearly two years after the properties were sold to a company run by two Scientologists, no redevelopment plans have been submitted. Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter. At first, I just wanted to make a short video about the buildings and programs they are doing in clearwater. Scientology leader David Miscavige told city officials the properties were part of the churchs proposed retail redevelopment plan. For the first time, a majority of the boards members will be Scientologists. In a letter, the church said the Times is misinterpreting Scientology policy and that other religions also practice shunning. 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. Scientologys international spiritual headquarters is anchored by the Flag Building, on left. He publicly asked why there were security cards with billy clubs and mace on the roof. The Times counted each parcel that was assigned a value by the property appraiser as a single property with five exceptions. After the Times reported the purchases, Miscavige met with city officials and acknowledged the church acquired them as part of his plan to spend $55 million renovating downtown buildings and recruiting high-end retail to empty store fronts. Scientology leader David Miscavige had his own redevelopment plan. We previously reported on CA South Development. Four high-ranking defectors describe bizarre behavior and physical beatings inflicted by Scientology leader David Miscavige. 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. In 2017 the church acquired six downtown Clearwater retail properties through limited liability companies. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. Eventually, open tensions faded. Almost immediately, a decades-long trickle of purchases by church members turned into a flood. Tampa Bay Times reporter Tracey McManus has spent the last four years writing about Scientology and the churchs relationship with the city of Clearwater. 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. Half the properties were bought since January 2017. Delk described the projects which require voter approval as key to the plans success. But they werent ready to sell the building, which they had owned for 27 years. None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. All together, 32 companies bought 92 downtown properties since 2017. 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. AMI's culture and team members truly make AMI an amazing place to work! Church officials used a straw corporation to buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel and moved in under a fake name. 20, 2019. Soters comment evokes for us what Captain Renault said in Casablanca: Im shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!. And inside those findings was a plan that Scientology operatives had created and written to establish area control. Mike Rinder, who led Scientologys intelligence arm before defecting in 2007, said any property owned by a parishioner is in the churchs control. Council members were less delighted by the discovery, however especially since many of the lots and storefronts purchased by owners with Scientology ties are sitting vacant while the Clearwater City Council aims to turn the downtown waterfront into a dining and entertainment destination. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Timeswith an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. More interesting is that the 15 parcels of land Riley plans acquire in Clearwater are owned by Scientologists. Typically, when people buy commercial real estate, they move forward with construction or redevelopment. Fischler offered Bosi $1.4 million, almost three times what the property was valued. . GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell me about these land purchases. Many of their properties weren't listed for sale. A broker is trying to buy the building Peter and Emily Lares have owned for decades. If our work stats did not improve day to day . EMPIRICAL PROSPECTING COMPANY LIMITED. I think it's comparable to say it's kind of, like, if there were to be a Vatican reporter in Vatican City. Much of downtown Clearwater is now owned by people or companies tied to Scientology, a report finds. All they did was act like children and make crude sex/homophobic/racial jokes about being raped, gangbanged, etc. Internal church documents detailed missions that planted spies in the state attorneys office, the Chamber of Commerce and the Clearwater Sun newspaper. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has bought 60 . He promoted the site to about 75 hoteliers and developers across the country. Today, 10 years later, the economic influence of Scientologists in the community is commensurately higher. City officials have long hoped for private investors to transform the North Marina Area, a 13-block district with undeveloped lots and 100-year-old bungalows overlooking Clearwater Harbor. The Church of Scientology has done many things at a remove or by a ruse, feint, or stratagem. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. 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. 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. After buying eight buildings on and around Cleveland Street in 2018, Moises Agami, a parishioner and developer, now has restaurants, shops and other businesses in 16 of those 20 storefronts. Fifty-eight are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown.. The church acquired three others in a land swap. David Gentile is creative with money and had hundreds of bank accounts and sub-funds when he ran GPB Capital. 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