companies owned by scientologists in clearwatercompanies owned by scientologists in clearwater

These workers sign billion year contracts, are paid very little, work around the clock. Originally founded in 1955, we are the oldest Scientology Church in Australia. Osman Ozsan is, in our opinion, one of the more notable Scientologists youve never heard of. EMPIRICAL PROSPECTING COMPANY LIMITED. GARCIA-NAVARRO: What do you mean billion year contracts? In both communities [comparing Mesa to Clearwater], there is a major presence of a church. Over half are owned or operated by Scientologists. Fischler did not respond to phone messages, a certified letter or a note left at her condo. It has to be somebody with the money to invest in a real estate development deal. None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. By then, he had found an auto garage he could buy in Dunedin. Since July 2019, eight limited liability companies managed or operated by members of the church have bought 45 properties in North Marina, including Chesneys. The main reason why developers didnt want it was they didnt want to be near the Church of Scientology, Searcy said. Companies controlled by Hayes have bought about half the property on Rices block and nearly the entire block directly south. Miscavige cut off communication with the city. CLEARWATER An old jewelry store on the corner of Cleveland Street that welcomes visitors to the core of downtown sits empty, unchanged since a company managed by a Church of Scientology. Xenu Who? This is a very interesting report. Copyright 2023 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. Thats a factor we do not control, Delk said. The church, its members and companies they control now own 185 properties that cover 101 acres in the center of downtown. 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. 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. 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. GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is the view of the local community? How much of Clearwater is owned by Scientology? Fischler, a local real estate agent, negotiated at least 10 of the downtown deals, according to interviews with sellers. They posted guards wielding billy clubs and mace. Members have to answer to their ethics officer for any act of disloyalty to Scientologys mission. Times Staff WritersOct. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have spent $103 million since 2017 buying about 100 properties. And the Times found that in six cases buyers paid quadruple a propertys value. Letsgetstarted. Weve spent a lot of happy years here, Lares said. It is a big faux pas in business PR to bring up the subject of religion when it is absolutely unnecessary to do so. Whats more, the Times found a Scientology magazine from the 1990s that listed goals for the new millennium. Rice said hes been surprised that he has not been approached by brokers trying to buy his 10,000-square-foot building. In late 2020, Terri Novitsky also was elected to the Downtown Development Board, an advisory group tasked with promoting downtown. I saw a business opportunity, he said. That's the findings of a story in the Tampa Bay Times that's headlined clear takeover. 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.. 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. In 2016, city consultants began planning what has become a $64 million effort to reinvigorate the waterfront called Imagine Clearwater. I dont mix my personal business with other areas in my life, said Terri Novitsky, a Scientologist who manages a company that bought two office buildings on Chestnut Street in 2017. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Explain to me why the paper has a Scientology reporter. And yes, everyone that works here is asked to keep politics and religion out . Norm Novitsky hung up when asked by a reporter about the companies plans. The hotel has 11 stories and features 220 rooms, three restaurants, a swimming pool and a . Hes starting to assemble properties, Allbritton said. 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. Accuracy and availability may vary. In response to detailed memos summarizing the reporting, the church criticized the Times for portraying its members as mindless robots and for having a preconceived agenda to present every Scientology story in a false and unfavorable light.. 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. Nearly all of the roughly two dozen people listed as operating the companies are Scientologists. It said information in parishioner folders is sacrosanct and claims of blackmail have long since been disproven.. Hes still holding out. Osman Ozsan has been a Scientologist since the 1990s. And inside those findings was a plan that Scientology operatives had created and written to establish area control. Disloyalty has life-changing consequences. AMI's culture and team members truly make AMI an amazing place to work! Scientologists from across the globe make pilgrimages to the campus, called Flag. Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. ANTIFRAGILE LIMITED Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. Most of the sales have not previously been reported. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard had written about doing away with governments and replacing them with a Scientology-run society. It teaches that expanding Scientology is key to saving the world, then wields a system of totalitarian policies to keep parishioners in line. They haven't started construction - or are they going to redevelop them and bring businesses in and contribute to a vibrant downtown? But that is where it ends. Rodney Riley is an interesting character in this whole thing. This month, Shahab Emrani was elected to the Downtown Development Board, which helps promote downtown. Melitta electrics and accessories are manufactured, marketed and distributed under a licensing agreement. Spa not owned by a Scientologist. The Times report describes spaces such as a former jewelry store, an empty Walgreens and a deserted laundromat sitting empty and unused. Eventually, open tensions faded. Osman Ozsan is of interest to us because he is connected to Rod Riley, a non-Scientologist realtor and real estate developer from Arizona. In San Diego, Taylor Guitars and Deering Banjo Company. 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. MCMANUS: Yeah, I think that the key here is the uncertainty. 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. High-ranking defectors provide an unprecedented inside look at Scientology, its leader and the Lisa McPherson case. The Church of Scientology acquired the building in 2017 as part of its downtown redevelopment plan. 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. The greatest number of properties were bought by companies controlled by either Israeli businessman Itzhak Zano or another Scientologist who represents him. Taking into account these denials, we now have a new opinion to offer our readers. They called it, quote, "little more than self-serving propaganda intended to give the appearance of objective reporting." A few months after Yarbrough relocated, a new electrical company moved into his old building. Visitors are expected to stay in Scientologys hotels and eat at private church restaurants. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So the fact that the church is now buying up these properties through proxy organizations would maybe ring some alarm bells for the community because of what has happened in the past. Real estate agent Daphna Fischler, a Scientologist, called and showed up to the shop a handful of times in mid-2018. They were very secretive, he said. The origin story for the CB in CBRE does come from Coldwell Banker, but that was a very long time ago. However, we reserve our prior opinion and modify it by stating that some GPB Capital money may be in the Clearwater real estate purchases mix. 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. 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. 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. 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. Times reporters built a database of hundreds of properties in the center of Clearwaters downtown. Operatives framed the mayor in a staged hit-and-run and spread false rumors he was having an extramarital affair. In the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a Scientology plan to infiltrate the government. 20, 2019. There's parishioners that come here from all over the world to take courses in high level auditing that's not offered anywhere else. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it.. 2. He had committed to downtown in 1997. Theres no such thing in Scientology. The city has no record yet of redevelopment plans being submitted for any of the North Marina properties since the purchases began, according to planning and development director Gina Clayton. In the world of scientologywhere anything goes and all laws in the wog world by damnedits Christmas 24/7. A for-lease sign sits in long-vacant retail space at The SkyView condo tower, owned by Scientologist and developer Moises Agami. GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell me about these land purchases. 1. She estimated that around a quarter of the . A few months later, the newcomers admitted they were actually Scientology. They came in under a fake name to buy the Fort Harrison Hotel, a historic hotel right in the center of downtown. Its designed not for recruiting new members but for hosting established followers. 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. Thats not happening with almost any of these properties., But Tal Ezra, a Scientologist who recently bought four parcels of land in downtown Clearwater, told the Times that he has plans for an office space and a retail shop. It does not include properties recently bought by companies run by church members. Epstein could have simply told the reporter his client was not the Church of Scientology and left it at that. Investigative journalism like this is the most expensive work that we do. And he was going to build an entertainment complex with Tom Cruise. 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. Rabid Cult: Scientology Bites Dog Food Company; Attacks Cream Cheese; and Screams at Rolling Stone Magazine, Podcast with Aaron Smith-Levin: Grant Cardone Lawsuit Update & David Gentile Criminal Case. 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. For example, David Miscaviges personal lawyer of 35 years Monique Yingling has never been a Scientologist. The Times described sales as cash transactions when they were paid without a mortgage filed in public records. Everyone in KnowBe4 knows I'm a (proud) Scientologist. 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. On Sept. 7, Epsteins employee was removed from the corporate filings of the company that own the land. The church has amassed 60 properties in Pinellas County since arriving in 1975. Advance! 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. 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