Clearwater candidates weigh in on land purchases tied to Scientology

In campaign literature and public forums so far, few of the eight candidates running for Clearwater City Council have brought up the impact that the Church of Scientology has had on downtown.

But the winners in the March 19 election will likely face a decision with major implications for the church and the city.

Since 2017, limited liability companies controlled by Scientology parishioners have gradually purchased at least 200 properties in the downtown core and nearby North Marina area. They have spent about $163 million, almost all in cash, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of property records.

The vast majority of those buildings, storefronts and lots have remained vacant while the city is investing aggressively to revitalize downtown. Clearwater spent $84 million to renovate Coachman Park last summer, while the waterfront destination is surrounded by block after block of empty commercial buildings owned by companies tied to the church.

For much of 2022, city and Scientology officials were in negotiations for a land swap. But last year the council balked at the parcels the church put on the table for a trade.

Now, City Manager Jennifer Poirrier said she is in discussions with church representatives for another kind of deal. She said Scientology leader David Miscavige is asking the city to vacate a portion of Garden Avenue for construction of L. Ron Hubbard Hall, a long-planned 3,600-seat auditorium honoring the group’s founder on the campus of its international spiritual headquarters downtown.

Poirrier said she is still negotiating what the city could receive in exchange for vacating the street. She declined to detail the options being discussed until more progress is made but said the deal may not include a land swap. Instead, she said it may involve the city asking Scientology to activate some parishioner-controlled properties currently sitting vacant.

Scientology spokesperson Ben Shaw did not respond to a request for comment about the talks or the vacant properties.

Any deal will require approval by the City Council at a public meeting. Poirrier is talking to sitting council members one on one about options, but a deal may not come to a vote until after the election.

The Tampa Bay Times asked all eight council candidates how the city should respond to Scientology’s coordinated acquisition of vast tracts of real estate. Their answers showed a range of perspectives and knowledge about the church’s actions in downtown.

The mayor’s race

Both candidates for mayor, council member Kathleen Beckman and lawyer Bruce Rector, said that the companies’ acquisition of the 200 parcels appears to be an organized effort with Scientology.

But Beckman said the city’s ability to address the issue is complicated because “people can buy property and decide to do whatever they want with it within legal parameters.”

“What we as a city can do is look to engage property owners in discussions about activating their vacant buildings or open lots,” Beckman said.

In previous statements to the Times, church officials have denied involvement in acquiring the properties.

Although the use of limited liability companies creates a degree of separation for the church, Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty said the pattern of purchases shows “a coordinated effort to assemble land” by Scientology and its parishioners.

A number of parishioner companies have bought land on single blocks to create assemblages. In addition to being almost entirely cash deals, many have been for three to six times the value of the land, showing an “atypical motivation” by buyers working toward a unified goal, Twitty said.

Beckman said the city should continue negotiating with Scientology to pursue a land swap or activation of properties.

“I fully support this tactic and think we should start with smaller parcels or a single property and let an agreement be fully executed and realized before we embark on other trades,” Beckman said. “Let’s start small and establish a trusting, working relationship as we look to activate our downtown.”

Pinellas County officials are considering a plan to move operations out of downtown and work with Clearwater to redevelop the roughly 12 government properties. Rector said he wants the city to use this as an opportunity to spur development on nonchurch-related properties.

He said the city must also “engage Scientology in direct and frank discussions about the size of its growing real estate footprint and specifically address all properties that are being held vacant.”

“Most Clearwater residents I speak with about the future of the city share with me that the dominant presence of Scientology in the downtown core is their greatest concern,” Rector said. “They understand that Scientology will continue to have a presence in the downtown core but strongly desire for there to be a much better balance of property owners, businesses and activities that are not affiliated with Scientology.”

Seat 2 candidates

Incumbent council member Mark Bunker, who has been advocating against alleged fraud and abuse by Scientology for 25 years, said, “David Miscavige has been holding our downtown hostage” by keeping dozens of properties bought by limited liability companies vacant.

“I have been and will continue reaching out to state and federal authorities for assistance,” Bunker said.

He said he is open to considering a deal with Scientology to activate properties. But he said Miscavige cannot be trusted, so he’d insist on Scientology’s side of the agreement being executed first.

“Miscavige shouldn’t get anything until he comes through with what he’s promising,” Bunker said. “He caused this problem downtown and he has to be at least part of the solution.”

Bunker said the city has made progress “despite Miscavige’s sabotage” with efforts like the redevelopment of Coachman Park and should continue working around the vacant church properties by developing the county parcels.

Candidate Mike Mastruserio, a marketing executive, also said it appears the property purchases are a coordinated effort with Scientology. But he added that brick-and-mortar vacancies “are not a new problem for Clearwater” and that “post-pandemic, other cities are facing a similar challenge.”

He said he is skeptical that any negotiations with Scientology would result in a benefit for the city, and he does not want any deal to provide more land to the organization.

“My first inclination is they don’t want to do anything that’s better for the city, they want to do what’s better for Scientology,” Mastruserio said. “We don’t need to enlarge their footprint.”

Mastruserio wants the city to look at ways of working around Scientology, like putting retail shops in airstream trailers or double decker buses in front of empty storefronts.

“Once we start to make things happening in the city, I’m hoping they say, ‘It’s time we get on board, too,’” Mastruserio said of Scientology. “I’m not going to stand around and wait.”

Lealman Fire District Capt. Ryan Cotton said he could not answer whether he believes Scientology was involved with the 200 property purchases.

Cotton, the son-in-law of sitting council member David Allbritton, said he will “not back down from making decisions that benefit the city.”

“As a member of BLDG28 Church near Enterprise Road, I cannot speak to the number of properties the Church of Scientology or its members own as I do not know,” Cotton said. “I believe you have to treat the Church of Scientology like any other organization the city deals with. Work with them when you can and work around them when you cannot.”

Seat 3 candidates

Freelance journalist Jared Leone said he cannot say for sure whether the property purchases have been coordinated by the church. But he said the owners are stakeholders in the success or failure of a vibrant downtown. He proposes a commercial property vacancy tax to address empty buildings.

The City Council discussed the idea of a tax on vacant properties in 2020, but Assistant City Attorney Michael Fuino said the Florida Constitution prohibits cities from creating such a measure.

“We can’t sit by and say there’s nothing we can do about a downtown filled with empty buildings in an area with a special designation to target blight,” Leone said.

Mike Mannino, owner of an athletic event management company, said that he also cannot be sure that Scientology is behind the 200 purchases.

“I don’t think I can definitively draw the conclusion that it’s a cooperated plan,” Mannino said. “I see it as a handful of individual investors that have purchased properties around a desired area for investment.”

Scientology has a high degree of influence over its members, according to former church executives and parishioners interviewed by the Times and other news organizations. Some have said no parishioner would be permitted to assemble property around the Scientology’s international headquarters without church involvement.

The church has denied that characterization.

Regardless of the ownership, Mannino said he supports working on an agreement with Scientology for a land swap or activation of properties.

“It’s vitally important that our officials have open and collaborative discussions with all of our community stakeholders regarding Clearwater’s long-term strategic planning,” Mannino said.

Javante Scott, a Clearwater neighborhoods coordinator, said no matter how the purchases appear, individuals and organizations have a right to buy properties “that meet their needs.” He said he would work to ensure the city acquires property that meets residents’ needs.

He said he supports the city negotiating a deal with the church to make downtown vibrant but said residents must have a voice.

“The City Council must first determine how it wants to move forward when collaborating with the owners of said vacant properties,” Scott said. “Residents must be informed of such plans and have the ability to provide input in their downtown area.”