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 Imagine Clearwater project aims to transform the city-owned waterfront into a vibrant park with gardens, a concert green, a walkway with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and mixed-use projects. And yes, everyone that works here is asked to keep politics and religion out . In a letter, the church said the Times is misinterpreting Scientology policy and that other religions also practice shunning. This one is owned by a parishioner who had been featured on the churchs Meet a Scientologist video series. For the first time, a majority of the boards members will be Scientologists. Theyve got one intention, and one intention only, De Vocht said. In summer 2017, Mark Searcy, a longtime Clearwater real estate agent who is not a Scientologist, assembled a 1-acre site by getting the owners of three adjoining properties to agree to sell. 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. 1. Then the council interfered with a land deal that Scientology demanded for its plan. Eventually, open tensions faded. Lares and his wife, Emily, sold the diner inside a decade ago. DEUTERIUM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED 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. MCMANUS: You know, Lulu, from my reporting, I've learned that there's a lot of mistrust and suspicion still in the community when it comes to Scientology because a lot of the residents here were living in the city when Scientology arrived in the '70s, and they remember the tactics Scientology used. All rights reserved. Scientologist normally dont deal with outsiders in my experience. 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. Zano did not respond to questions about what his plans for the properties. 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. Fischler did not respond to phone messages, a certified letter or a note left at her condo. Andrus, the former church operative, has broken ground on a condo tower near the citys boat ramp and filed plans for another housing complex nearby. The 2017-2019 Downtown Clearwater land purchases made by Scientologists totaled $103 million. . Spa not owned by a Scientologist. Both are supposed to open soon. For example, David Miscaviges personal lawyer of 35 years Monique Yingling has never been a Scientologist. The greatest number of properties were bought by companies controlled by either Israeli businessman Itzhak Zano or another Scientologist who represents him. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Recommend. Half the properties were bought since January 2017. But the aquarium rejected his bid in order to sell it to the city for $4.25 million. Visit a quote page and your recently viewed tickers will be displayed here. DEUTERIUM INVESTMENT ADVISORS LIMITED [1] 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. In Clearwater, Fla., there's been a quiet series of land purchases over the last three years, $103 million worth made by the Church of Scientology and its parishioners - a doubling of the church's footprint near its international headquarters. And half the sales were for more than double what the properties were valued by the county property appraiser, the Times found. To reiterate our earlier point, Ozsan, Gregori And Company LLC has only two client accounts. 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. Some landlords tied to Scientology have helped bring life to portions of downtown. Investigative journalism like this is the most expensive work that we do. Jim Huestler is the blocks only holdout with a rental home on the northeast corner. The Church of Scientology and companies run by its members have spent $103 million since 2017 buying about 100 properties. A uniformed member of Scientologys full-time work force, the Sea Org, walks along N Fort Harrison Avenue, passing a vacant restaurant. Local TV station WTSP reports. The goal was to capture the area immediately surrounding both Scientologys headquarters, City Hall and the city-owned waterfront. Business Outlook. 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. (I'm in Clearwater). In late 2020, Terri Novitsky also was elected to the Downtown Development Board, an advisory group tasked with promoting downtown. Our opinion is that Riley was instructed to get ahead of the story by bringing up Scientology before he was asked about it. Asked directly whether Scientology orchestrated or paid for any of the sales, the church did not answer. [ The full history: Scientologys 40 years of conflict with the City of Clearwater, recapped ]. Delk described the projects which require voter approval as key to the plans success. And $99 million of the $103 million in real-estate deals over the past three years were in cash. Tyler Rice has run Carillon Flooring Center on North Fort Harrison for 30 years, the business his father started there in 1964. Pros. MCMANUS: Yeah, I think that the key here is the uncertainty. Half the sales were for more than double what the properties were valued at by the county property appraiser. Florida migrant flights lawsuit dismissed in wake of Legislature passing law, Editorial Cartoons for Thursday from Times Wire Services, Bucs new coordinator is confident! Cons. can t use carpenter's workbench skyrim; how long does it take a rat to starve to death; cowboy hat making supplies; why would i get a letter from circuit clerk It also has to be someone who trusts the Epsteins enough to invest with them. Times investigative reporters pored over 1,000 deeds and business records, and interviewed more than 90 people, to connect the dots from the church buying its first hotel in the area in 1975, to Scientologists and their businesses now owning 185 properties covering 101 acres in the heart of downtown Clearwater which is also Scientologys headquarters, and home to its flag campus, to which Scientologists across the globe make pilgrimages. None of the other parishioners whose companies bought property since 2017 responded to questions about their plans. Letsgetstarted. The Times also contacted representatives of all 32 companies it identified that bought downtown real estate over the past three years. The Church of Scientology acquired the building in 2017 as part of its downtown redevelopment plan. Most did not respond or declined to comment. A for-lease sign sits in long-vacant retail space at The SkyView condo tower, owned by Scientologist and developer Moises Agami. 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. David Gentile is creative with money and had hundreds of bank accounts and sub-funds when he ran GPB Capital. 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. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email along with 7129 other subscribers. City officials are trying to make the area a regional destination for food, drink and entertainment. The Florida Secretary of States record on Rod Rileys RST Capital Advisors LLC: Categories: Clearwater, Osman Ozsan, Trish Duggan, Tagged as: CA South Development, Clearwater Marina District, David Gentile, DEUTERIUM ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, DEUTERIUM INVESTMENT ADVISORS LIMITED, Gary Soter, Gregori And Company LLC, Maria Dolores Gregori Fuster, Megan Epstein, Osman Ozsan, Ozsan, RSR Capital Advisors LLC, Stephen Epstein, Tampa Bay Times, Tracey McManus, Trish Duggan, Re: The companies paid a combined $11.8 million in cash for 28 undeveloped parcels, five empty commercial buildings and a dozen homes, When I read that, I couldnt help but be reminded of the English Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas (On the third day of Christmas/ While theres no law against hanging onto property, developers typically buy land, build on it and sell it for profit. Since arriving in Clearwater in 1975, the Church of Scientology has purchased 60 properties in Pinellas County under its name. Scientology Fines OTs $100,000 if They Talk About Xenu or Body Thetans! The Times report describes spaces such as a former jewelry store, an empty Walgreens and a deserted laundromat sitting empty and unused. Clarification made on CBRE and thank you for pointing that out. The churchs hostility toward the public became clear from its first days in the city in fall 1975. Andrus did not respond to an email, phone message, a note left at his office or a certified letter. 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. Made an offer. There is no discrimination for or against *any* religion. At first, I just wanted to make a short video about the buildings and programs they are doing in clearwater. In mid-2018, one year before the string of North Marina purchases took off, a company controlled by developer Brian Andrus, a longtime member of Scientology, bought the private marina next to the citys Seminole Boat Ramp. Terri Novitsky and Hayes did not return calls and emails requesting comment. Xenu Who? And Scientology has an interest in keeping that insulated according to former executives that we've interviewed. His partner is Scientologist Maria Dolores Gregori Fuster. 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 Church of Scientology has done many things at a remove or by a ruse, feint, or stratagem. He told Fischler that before Scientology bought the Fort Harrison Hotel in 1975 he worked there as a busboy. In a letter to the Times, the church denied it ever tried to take control of the city. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And we reached out to the Church of Scientology about the Tampa Bay Times report. Scientologys survival depends on the preservation of its headquarters in Clearwater. 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. Epstein declined to name his client but responded to questions from the Times with an affidavit declaring it was not the Church of Scientology. Fuster and Ozsan go back a long way to Altea Real Property Ltd. in London. CONNIE HUMBURG, TRACEY McMANUS, ELI MURRAY, ELI ZHANG | Times. Welcome. Brokers who are Scientologists approached at least 15 downtown owners about unlisted properties. Right now, at least 30 businesses owned by non-parishioners are renting from Scientologists. Companies controlled by Hayes have bought about half the property on Rices block and nearly the entire block directly south. Bosi wasnt interested. GPB Capital Holdings: Court-Appointed Monitors Report on Q4 2022 Activities. On Sept. 7, Epsteins employee was removed from the corporate filings of the company that own the land. An empty Walgreens. Visitors are expected to stay in Scientologys hotels and eat at private church restaurants. Visitors walk through downtown on a Friday. Ive been waiting for this neighborhood to clean up for 30 years, and I still think its around the corner, Rice said. We reported at that time that a handful of limited liability companies bought about six downtown properties, and Scientology leader David Miscavige had presented a retail plan to two city staff officials. 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. Please! Here is a map showing the parcels in purple which Riley is acquiring: We have previously offered our opinion that the $102 million in Downtown Clearwater land purchases made by Scientologists came from GPB Capital Holdings. Project Normandy was described in one of hundreds of internal memos Scientology officials exchanged about their plans to infiltrate and control Clearwater. 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. Non-Scientologists who get too close are a threat to the operation, said Mat Pesch, who spent 27 years in the Sea Org and worked as Flags treasury secretary before defecting in 2005. Its a business, Pesch said. And he was going to recruit high-end retail to some of the empty storefronts because downtown Clearwater's pretty depressed. David Gentile is creative with money and had hundreds of bank accounts and sub-funds when he ran GPB Capital. 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. Norm Novitsky hung up when asked by a reporter about the companies plans. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. The land grab started as tensions grew between the church and the Clearwater City Council. A broker who was a Scientologist approached a downtown property owner. ANTIFRAGILE LIMITED All five City Council members said they doubted the rash of purchases were unrelated. They have completed courses and spiritual counseling that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 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