The Church of Scientology’s "spiritual headquarters" in the heart of downtown Clearwater may be one step closer to completion.
Over the past decade, the church has swiftly ramped up its development projects, fueling city planning and community concerns about downtown’s future.
The Clearwater City Council voted 3-2 last Thursday to hand the church one block of South Garden Avenue.
Scientology’s Flag Service Organization intends to build its long-planned flagship L. Ron Hubbard Hall, an all-glass auditorium and plaza, on the property.
The move means the general public may lose the legal right to drive, walk or travel on the road, but the church must open the hall within six years.
Scientology attorney Robert Potter insisted the venue hall and plaza planned for the site won't just be for parishioners.
"It will be pedestrian-friendly,” Potter said. “It will provide a lot of green space to downtown Clearwater, and it will be open to the public.”
“Governments that enable the monopolization of property were something our founding fathers spoke out against. It’s not only immoral; it’s un-American.”Brooks Gibbs, Save the Garden member
During a contentious public comment period during the council meeting, dozens of Clearwater residents pleaded their case for and against the handover.
Potter’s opening remarks emphasized the church’s taxpayer status — the Tampa Bay Times previously reported that while most of the church-owned properties in Pinellas County are tax-exempt, properties bought by LLCs tied to Scientology are not.
ALSO READ: How This Reporter Uncovered Scientology’s Clearwater Land Grab
Scientology members who spoke emphasized their dedication to Clearwater civic life.
Greg Norman, who owns a home remodeling company, said the venue would be a sanctuary for local Scientologists.
“I was the victim of a violent assault just for being a Scientologist,” Norman recounted. “When I think about L. Ron Hubbard Hall, I think about creating an environment where families, parishioners and families can gather safely and comfortably.”
Former church members had a different perspective on the development.
"I was born into this mess,” an unnamed resident said. “It destroyed everyone I know — their families, my family, everyone. So for a lot of people, it's not a pleasant thing to think of — ‘Oh, let’s drive by the new LRH Hall.’ ”
Former member opposition is rooted in allegations and experiences involving church practices, including policies toward critics and people who leave the organization.
Save the Garden is a grassroots group that formed in opposition to the proposal. Garden Avenue was once a hub for Clearwater’s Black business community, and activists say preserving this heritage means preventing Scientology expansion.
Save the Garden member Brooks Gibbs said Scientology’s downtown takeover is unconstitutional.
“Governments that enable the monopolization of property were something our founding fathers spoke out against,” Gibbs said. “It’s not only immoral; it’s un-American.”
Gibbs added that a Church of Scientology spokeswoman publicly stated the FSO owns over 200 downtown properties.
Ahead of the vote, Save the Garden collected 9,000 signatures asking for a ballot initiative to require public consent for future transfers. Now, it is suing the city after officials rejected the signatures.
The city council agreed to vacate South Garden Avenue in March in exchange for $1.375 million. However, after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier weighed in to say the church essentially owned the land and didn’t need to pay a fair market share, the proposal was scrapped.
Councilwoman Lina Teixeira voted against the transfer, saying city engineers had concerns about public transit access and future stormwater infrastructure on the road.
"The privatization of streets within an urban core runs fundamentally counter to the principles that guide a successful downtown development,” Teixeira said. “We should be careful that in our enthusiasm to support redevelopment, we do not begin pulling at the threads that weave downtown together.”
A spokeswoman for the Scientologists said the road averages 611 daily vehicles and 68 percent of them are church related.
The council will have its final say on South Garden Avenue on June 18.
ALSO READ: Entertainment complex planned for downtown Clearwater
The saga unfolds as the Scientology-affiliated Cleveland Street Alliance pushes its vision for a $50 million family entertainment complex about a half-mile north of Garden Avenue.
The EVO Entertainment project has yet to undergo a formal city review process, but developers said in a promotional video the seven-screen multiplex theater will soon be a “reality.”
Another former Scientologist said she was unimpressed with the church’s promises of a downtown renaissance.
“Who needs that?” she said about the multiplex. “Clearwater doesn’t.”
