NIO stock swings lower after reporting losses that were much wider than expected, 3Ms stock surges after company says DOD data show 90% of earplug plaintiffs had normal hearing, Marc Benioffs Salesforce fairy tale is crumbling down around him. City officials plan to partner with a developer on ways to adapt the red brick schoolhouse, like turning it into a hub for restaurants, retail, or apartments. The few willing to answer questions said Scientology has no influence on their real estate dealings. The new owners also are sitting on about 30 undeveloped lots. 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. In 2016, city consultants began planning what has become a $64 million effort to reinvigorate the waterfront called Imagine Clearwater. 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. Everyone in KnowBe4 knows I'm a (proud) Scientologist. Zano did not respond to questions about what his plans for the properties. [ The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped ]. Please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation to the Tampa Bay Times Investigative Fund. Asked directly whether Scientology orchestrated or paid for any of the sales, the church did not answer. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Timeswith an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Story by TRACEY McMANUS 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) Church of Scientology website It is with great pride we welcome you to the Church of Scientology of Melbourne. Suspicion swirled. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has bought 60 properties in Pinellas County under its name: 58 are in the city of Clearwater and 49 are downtown. GARCIA-NAVARRO: Who are they buying from, and how much were they offering? My true love gave to me/Three French hens/Two turtle doves/And a partridge in a pear tree). 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. They started hosting concerts on the waterfront that now draw thousands. But Scientologist-controlled companies are also sitting on at least 26 vacant lots and 31 empty storefronts and offices. 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. Fischler approached Bosi again in September. If this is Trish Duggans money, and Scientologist Osman Ozsan manages her money, then that could very likely make Trish Duggan the Scientologist financier behind the scenes on the Clearwater land purchases. And the mayor at the time, Gabe Cazares, really raised the alarm. Where did all that money come from? This is a story for another time. synergy rv transport pay rate; stephen randolph todd. As a general rule, when someone makes an unsolicited statement, as Riley did by mentioning Mormons and Scientologists, it suggests to us hidden connections. More interesting is that the 15 parcels of land Riley plans acquire in Clearwater are owned by Scientologists. 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. 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. The Times counted each parcel that was assigned a value by the property appraiser as a single property with five exceptions. The Church of Scientology acquired the building in 2017 as part of its downtown redevelopment plan. There is no discrimination for or against *any* religion. Many of the properties werent on the market. Why does this matter? 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 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.. Rodney Riley is an interesting character in this whole thing. Now, companies connected to the Church of Scientology are buying tracts of land within the 55-acre district and not disclosing what they plan to do with them. 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. 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. 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. Can you give me a sense of the scale and how they have made this happen with the relatively little fanfare over the years? NIO's stock slumped toward a 2 1/2-year low, after the China-based EV maker reported a much wider-than-expected loss and revenue that fell short of forecasts. Hes starting to assemble properties, Allbritton said. Much of downtown Clearwater is now owned by people or companies tied to Scientology, a report finds. GARCIA-NAVARRO: What is the view of the local community? 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. 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. Melitta electrics and accessories are manufactured, marketed and distributed under a licensing agreement. 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. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. The church has shed no light on its plans. The main reason why developers didnt want it was they didnt want to be near the Church of Scientology, Searcy said. The gallery does not include properties bought by companies run by church members. He was overseeing the religion from aboard a ship to avoid investigations into tax evasion and fraud when he selected Clearwater as a spiritual headquarters. MCMANUS: Scientology arrived in downtown Clearwater in 1975. 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. Please! After his stint at CBRE, Riley worked for Caliber Wells in Scottsdale, Arizona and then left the firm. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Almost immediately, a decades-long trickle of purchases by church members turned into a flood. Terri Novitsky and Hayes did not return calls and emails requesting comment. Many of the properties werent on the market when the deals were made. Gentile also purchased several Clearwater companies owned by Scientologists who may have invested the proceeds into land deals. On Sept. 7, Epsteins employee was removed from the corporate filings of the company that own the land. But companies controlled by different parishioners bought neighboring properties that create clear assemblages of land. In the world of scientologywhere anything goes and all laws in the wog world by damnedits Christmas 24/7. 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. For the first time, a majority of the boards members will be Scientologists. Bosi wasnt interested. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has purchased 60 properties in Pinellas County under its name. Huestler said broker Terri Novitsky calls him every now and again to see if hed be interested in selling. Real estate agent Daphna Fischler, a Scientologist, called and showed up to the shop a handful of times in mid-2018. Soters comment evokes for us what Captain Renault said in Casablanca: Im shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!. Right now, at least 30 businesses owned by non-parishioners are renting from Scientologists. A uniformed member of Scientologys full-time work force, the Sea Org, walks along N Fort Harrison Avenue, passing a vacant restaurant. She estimated that around a quarter of the . Among them: make Clearwater known as the first Scientology city in the world.. But in the 70s, Andrus was named an unindicted co-conspirator in Scientologys government espionage scheme, which sent 11 Scientologists to federal prison. Howd that go? The church offered $15 million for the parcel. 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. His wife, parishioner and real estate agent, Terri Novitsky, represented the buyer in many of the deals, according to interviews with sellers. She said, Well, well have to invite you down for dinner, he recalled. ), 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. Yarbrough never learned the buyers identity. Tyler Rice has run Carillon Flooring Center on North Fort Harrison for 30 years, the business his father started there in 1964. CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) A newspaper report says the Church of Scientology and companies run by its members spent more than $100 million over the past . Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Over the next four decades, the church gradually amassed 58 properties in Clearwater under its name, 49 of them downtown. Nearly all of the roughly two dozen people listed as operating the companies are Scientologists. The churchs influence comes from the estimated $3 billion in cash and assets it has collected from its followers. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. These workers sign billion year contracts, are paid very little, work around the clock. He is linked to the Church of Scientology via the Epsteins and Trish Duggan. We also hold the distinction of being the first Scientology Church in the Southern Hemisphere. Good luck on that. City leaders spent tens of millions improving streets, subsidizing residential projects and hiring consultants. This gallery shows all 60 properties Scientology owns under its name in Pinellas county and the six retail properties the church acquired through limited liability companies in 2017. He took over Bob Lees Auto to continue the business legacy and served on the Downtown Development Board for a decade. Andrus did not respond to an email, phone message, a note left at his office or a certified letter. Welcome. The more its isolated and doesnt have people who are non-Scientologists around the area, the better.. 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. In Florida, limited liability companies that buy property are required to disclose administrative operators but not their owners. . He publicly asked why there were security cards with billy clubs and mace on the roof. David Gentile is creative with money and had hundreds of bank accounts and sub-funds when he ran GPB Capital. Tal Ezra, a Scientologist who recently bought four parcels around an office where he has run his fuel management company since 2005, said hes considering office space and possibly a retail shop. Tampa Bay Times reporter Tracey McManus has spent the last four years writing about Scientology and the churchs relationship with the city of Clearwater. There are 22 Church of Scientology facilities in downtown Clearwater. They keep their operations going. 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. After leaving Caliber Wells, Rodney Riley began working with Megan and Stephen Epstein. Businesses without ties to the church are moving into a few of those. Rod Riley has no background in Scientology. In 2017 the church acquired six downtown Clearwater retail properties through limited liability companies. Gentile also purchased several Clearwater companies owned by Scientologists who may have invested the proceeds into land deals. Four high-ranking defectors describe bizarre behavior and physical beatings inflicted by Scientology leader David Miscavige. (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. Scientologists annually contribute $87,867,000 to charitable endeavors, money that uplifts the quality of life in Clearwater. Block after block, vacant lots sit untouched, and storefronts remain empty: A former jewelry store. About 72 percent of those properties are tax exempt for religious uses. He had committed to downtown in 1997. We interpret it as the Tampa Bay Times getting too close for Mr. Epsteins comfort. The 2017-2019 Downtown Clearwater land purchases made by Scientologists totaled $103 million. Melitta coffee filters are manufactured in Clearwater, Florida. The purchases totaled $11.8 million and were documented by the Tampa Bay Times in its November 2021 story: companies connected to the Church of Scientology are buying tracts of land within the 55-acre district and not disclosing what they plan to do with them. Its like they are trying to control the whole thing.. (On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that since 2017, companies run by members of Scientology bought another 86 downtown commercial properties. You have some buyers here that their motivations are not really clear, he said, so its tough to make economic sense out of it.. That company has had no connection to Coldwell Banker for decades. The goal was to capture the area immediately surrounding both Scientologys headquarters, City Hall and the city-owned waterfront. Half the sales were for more than double what the properties were valued at by the county property appraiser. Once we dug into the data and pulled records, we found that LLCs tied to the Church of Scientology had bought about 100 properties. businesses owned by scientologists. Concerned he wouldnt be able to pay his mortgage, Argall said he deeded the building, appraised at $780,000, back to the previous owner. A few weeks later, John Yarbrough sold the building where he had run his electrical services business for 22 years. If the council in 2020 isnt on board with doing something his way, hes going to do it himself.. And half the sales were for more than double what the properties were valued by the county property appraiser, the Times found. 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. 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. I saw a business opportunity, he said. In North America, Melitta is the leading brand of coffee filters. Candidates and Scientologists Emrani, Kintzel and . Copyright 2023 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. And he was going to recruit high-end retail to some of the empty storefronts because downtown Clearwater's pretty depressed. Assistant City Manager Michael Delk said the citys priority is turning the spectacular land it owns into a community destination, no matter who owns the private property around it. 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. In recent puff piece media coverage in Clearwater, we are told that Riley: is in the process of buying 15 tracts in the Clearwater Marina area to develop what he is calling the Clearwater Marina District a connected walkable community with modern offices, retail, luxury condos and a boutique hotel, as well as affordable housing. But the promised downtown revival never came. 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. It is all so convenient for Rodney that it appears to be scripted. Local TV station WTSP reports. Half the properties were bought since January 2017. No one from the church dictates to me what to buy, what to sell, what to do.. Thirteen were existing tenants when he bought the properties. 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. Its members bought property on surrounding blocks. And it's all surrounding the city's downtown waterfront. The church attracts members through a theology of self improvement and understanding. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email along with 7129 other subscribers. I dont know what their plan is.. Scientologys extraordinary influence over its members has been documented in government investigations and testimony from former parishioners throughout its 65-year history. 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. Then walk down Cleveland Street downtowns main artery. Of the $103 million spent, $99 million was paid in cash. 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. 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. I believe its irrational to buy property and not fully utilize it.. Over the past two years, the properties surrounding the shop have been sold to Scientologist-controlled companies. Clearwater is the center of that revenue stream. . After the Times reported the purchases, Miscavige acknowledged the properties were bought for a second revitalization strategy one devised by the church. In an interview with Scientology-owned "Freedom Magazine" Gendusa said that she moved to Clearwater to study Scientology more than 25 years ago. It teaches that expanding Scientology is key to saving the world, then wields a system of totalitarian policies to keep parishioners in line. Tracey McManus is a Scientology reporter for the paper, and she joins us now. Most of the new owners have done little with their acquisitions. And inside those findings was a plan that Scientology operatives had created and written to establish area control. Fischler did not respond to phone messages, a certified letter or a note left at her condo. Epsteins employee was removed from the Timeswith an affidavit declaring it was the! Name his client but responded to questions from the Timeswith an affidavit it. 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