A rare-coin business that was the subject of a seven-month undercover investigation by the Internal Revenue Service has links through several company officials to the Church of Scientology. A spokeswoman for Bernstein, McCaffrey & Lee at 401 Cleveland St. in downtown clearwater said this fall that the owners were Scientologists. A lawyer whose address is given as the corporate address for the business is listed as a Scientologist in a directory published by the organization. A former employee of the business ...

CLEARWATER — The Gray Moss Inn, a turn-of-the-century hotel that is a downtown landmark, is for sale. The old gray hotel, surrounded by century-old, moss-covered oaks, has been shown to several prospective buyers, said Gerald S. "Jerry" Rehm and Barbara Holland, who are handling the sale. The asking price for the hotel at 215 S Fort Harrison Ave. is $1.5-million, said Ms. Holland, a real-estate agent. The owners of the property are John and Darlene Van Harlingen of Sherman Oaks, Calif. ...

CLEARWATER — Complaints about the Church at Scientology unexpectedly surfaced again before the City Commission on Thursday, and some commissioners think they've heard enough. The commissioners two weeks ago presided over a stormy session in which a group of people spoke against the Scientologists, claiming the organisation is a cult. Scientologists denied those claims, and said they were offended by what they called attacks on their religion. On Thursday, commissioners heard a dialogue that was shorter, but similar. A Tampa couple, ...

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The City Commission here has approved a site plan for a three-story addition on Clearwater Harbor property owned by the Church of Scientology, now the city's fourth largest property owner. The preliminary document was sent to city planners late Thursday after a testy public hearing involving proponents and opponents. Scientologists moved their religious headquarters to Clearwater in 1975 when they bought the old For Harrison Hotel. The group has since bought 11 other Clearwater properties, bringing total ...

CLEARWATER — City commissioners presided over a debate Thursday on a thorny topic that had not raged in City Hall for years — whether the Church of Scientology helps or hurts Clearwater. And in a side issue, a Scientology official said the organization would rather renovate its existing buildings in downtown Clearwater and possibly consolidate them, rather than buy more local land. The organization owns 12 parcels, mostly in downtown Clearwater, worth more than $21-million. A Scientology planning official said the ...

CLEARWATER — A group of former Scientologists wants to speak to city commissioners about what they say is the "hypnotic and satanic content" of Scientology. Former member Margery Wakefield wrote a letter to Mayor Rita Garvey saying she and a small group of former Scientologists would like to demonstrate various practices the organisation uses among followers. Ms. Wakefield said she was prompted to make the suggestion because city commissioners next week are expected to consider a site plan for a $3.5-million ...

[This is a reprint of an article published on December 23, 1988 in the St. Petersburg Times.]

Seattle lawyer Walter D. Palmer says it was strictly "a business decision." But a result of an investment he made with business associate John G. Ritchie could result in a forced sale of Church of Scientology buildings in downtown Clearwater. And holding the auction for the men would be the Pinellas County government. Scientology lawyer Paul B. Johnson said he will seek an injunction to stop the sale. The proposed auction, which Palmer suggested two weeks ago, relates to Scientology's annual ...

A Pinellas judge presiding over a Scientology tax dispute has removed himself from the case because of a newspaper report that cited a real estate transaction between the judge and the Church of Scientology. The St. Petersburg Times reported in December that Circuit Judge Howard P. Rives, who was presiding over a lawsuit concerning taxes on Scientology properties, sold one of those properties to the church in 1979. Rives said in December that there was no conflict in his role because ...

NEWKIRK, OK – A proposed drug treatment and rehabilitation center which could be in operation on Indian land at the former Chilocco Indian School north of Newkirk by June 15th may be part of a notorious religious cult. Narconon was approved for a 75-bed facility by the State Health Planning Commission in January of this year as part of The Chilocco Development Authority. The projected cost is $400,000 for renovation and the five Indian tribes involved are projected to receive $16,000,000 ...

After years of sparring with the townsfolk and veiling itself in secrecy, the Church of Scientology has succeeded in turning Clearwater into its spiritual mecca. Scientologists quietly run teen nightclubs, schools, day-care centers, management consulting firms and other businesses, records and interviews show. Now the strategy of the organization, longtime observers say, is to confront controversy, gain converts and make money - lots of it. Scientology's Clearwater operation brings in $1.5-million to $2-million a week, say church watchers who include Clearwater ...

CLEARWATER — The outbreak of measles reported by county health officials this week has been traced to the True School, a private school in Clearwater that uses the teachings of L. Run Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. A Health Department official said Tuesday that 40 of the 100 students at the school had not been immunized. But Sherry Payson, a spokeswoman for the school, said she thinks the figure is lower. She said neither the school nor Scientology discourages ...

DUNEDIN — The body of an unidentified man was found floating in Clearwater Harbor Thursday morning by an off-duty police officer. [...]

The caller dialed in secret access codes to the computer, codes assigned to the building inspectors for reporting inspection results. According to the information the caller dialed into the computer about 11 p.m. April 14, a new art gallery in Clearwater had passed final inspections. But building officials became suspicious. The building inspector who supposedly did the inspections was on vacation when the calls were made. And the inspector had made no final inspections at the gallery. The secret computer access ...

CLEARWATER — In 1975 the Church of Scientology, cloaked in secrecy, made this waterfront city its international headquarters. A lengthy outcry ensued when the public became aware the sect — under another name — bought a Clearwater landmark, the Fort Harrison Hotel. The Scientologists subsequently bought many other parcels of downtown Clearwater property, posting guards to keep the curious at bay. When the public and press asked questions about the aims of the Church of Scientology, sect leaders became mum about ...

CLEARWATER — A Clearwater man died Friday morning after his small car slammed into the side of a flatbed truck owned by the Pinellas County Department of General Services. The accident occurred just before 9 a.m, at one of Clearwater's busiest intersections — Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road. Alain Priouzeau, who police said was in his mid-20s, was flown by helicopter to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and died an hour and a half later of head injuries, police said. ...

Description of video is in italics. VO=VOICEOVER shot of Church of Scientology, Los Angeles; apparently group of ex-members VOICEOVER: The Church of Scientology, one of the largest and richest new religious movements, is being sued for a billion dollars by former members for fraud and breach of trust. They regard Scientology as a dangerous cult. group of Scientologists VO: Yet the church goes on expanding, making converts and claiming it is "The Road to Total Freedom". ''"Panorama" opening credits; while music ...

CLEARWATER — A local school student council could win $5,000 in a contest — if the school follows the offical guidelines outlined in Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book "The Way to Happiness." At least one Pinellas school principal received a flier advertising the contest sponsored nationally by the Concerned Businessmen's Association of America, an organization that has been tied to the Church of Scientology. School principals are asked to fill out a request form to enter their school in the ...

CLEARWATER — What was thought to be a roofing job under way on the Fort Harrison Hotel's 10th-floor sundeck turned out to be gutter repairs, building officials confirmed Tuesday. So Chief of Building Inspections Dave Christiansen said he's not sure whether the Church of Scientology needed a permit for such minor repair work or even a licensed contractor. A pot of hot tar burst into flames about 4 p.m. Sunday at the sect's Clearwater retreat at 210 N. Fort Harrison Ave. ...

CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology paid $4.6 million Friday for a 200-unit Skycrest apartment complex to house its growing staff. The church now owns 11 pieces of property — five of which are used as dormitories. And while sect staff members are getting new lodgings, residents at Hacienda Gardens Apartments, 551 N. Saturn Ave., are being shown the door. They can stay at the complex until their current leases expire — but no longer. "We purchased it to provide additional ...