Scientology wants more Clearwater land. Some residents have another idea.
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A grassroots campaign to memorialize African American history in Clearwater — and thwart the Church of Scientology from purchasing another piece of downtown land — has picked up backers and detractors ahead of a key vote.
Dubbed #SaveTheGarden, local residents organized in recent weeks to create an alternative to the proposed sale of city-owned land on a portion of South Garden Avenue, between Franklin and Court streets.
They want to use this roadway for a green space with historical displays. It would serve as launchpad for a mile-long walking tour. The effort falls under a nonprofit called Reconnect Clearwater, which was created specifically for the effort.
In March, the Clearwater City Council voted to move forward with proposed plans from the Church of Scientology to purchase the land for a plaza.
The street segment has parking spots, but isn’t very big. Some locals say they use it every day — other’s say it’s a nuisance for traffic cut-through.
At the March meeting, Barbara Sorey-Love, president of the Clearwater African American Foundation, recommended the land be used to memorialize the city’s Black history instead.
Brooks Gibbs, who runs a local investment committee, didn’t know the land was up for sale until he read about it in the Tampa Bay Times. He then worked with Sorey-Love to bring her vision to life and presented it to the council in April.
The council chose to delay its decision last month and will vote on the sale Thursday.
Nearly 100 supporters and members of the Save the Garden coalition rallied Saturday morning to promote their idea, walk to Garden Avenue and pray over their journey to Thursday’s vote.
“We’re out here to create a new vision for downtown Clearwater,” Sorey-Love said Saturday. One that will “include all of our stories.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater/2025/05/14/scientology-wants-more-clearwater-land-some-residents-have-another-idea/.
