Clearwater is seeing momentum downtown. Is Scientology helping?
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Clearwater officials say the city is finally experiencing an urban renaissance.
A slew of projects are happening downtown, including a hotel, a long-awaited Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority station and a new City Hall that’s scheduled to open in October.
City officials told the Tampa Bay Times they are excited about the moment the city is experiencing. But they remain unsure about the Church of Scientology’s role in Clearwater’s transformation, as downtown properties tied to the church have sat vacant for years.
“We really are seeing momentum and would love for them to activate the properties,” Mayor Bruce Rector said.
Companies with ties to the church own more than 200 mostly empty properties in the downtown area, the Times has reported. In downtown, where Scientology has its international spiritual headquarters, the church itself owns dozens of parcels.
Read more https://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater/2026/03/10/clearwater-church-of-scientology-downtown-construction/
Content retrieved from: https://www.tampabay.com/news/clearwater/2026/03/10/clearwater-church-of-scientology-downtown-construction/.
