Clearwater set to hand downtown street over to Scientologists for ‘flagship venue’
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With a 3-2 Clearwater City Council vote approving a street handover, the Church of Scientology’s Flag Services Organization won a tentative victory in its downtown expansion efforts.
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.”
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.
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Content retrieved from: https://www.wusf.org/economy-business/2026-06-09/clearwater-set-to-hand-downtown-street-over-to-scientologists-for-flagship-venue.
