{"id":313256,"date":"2026-06-19T16:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/313256\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T16:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T16:49:17","slug":"scientologists-approved-to-build-large-auditorium-in-florida-community-as-residents-weigh-lawsuits-to-stop-the-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/313256\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientologists approved to build large auditorium in Florida community as residents weigh lawsuits to stop the project"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Florida<\/a> city has handed control of a downtown street to the Church of Scientology<\/a> for a planned auditorium, drawing backlash and threats of legal action<\/a> from residents.<\/p>\n

In a vote this week, the Clearwater<\/a> City Council approved vacating South Garden Avenue, a short road beside the church\u2019s Flag Building, which spans an entire city block. The church, which boasts a large share of members in the Gulf Coast city, plans to build an event space on the site named after its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.<\/p>\n

Before the vote, dozens of community residents flooded into a city council meeting, with some forced to wait outside. During a public comment period, reactions ranged from fervent support for the project to fierce opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many of us, this isn\u2019t just another building project. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve worked toward for years,\u201d one church member told officials. The woman, who described herself as both a Scientologist<\/a> and a Jew, said she wants a safe space to worship, citing a rise in anti-Semitism.<\/p>\n

Another church member recalled being singled out for her religion as a child growing up in Clearwater.<\/p>\n

\"Officials<\/p>\n

Officials in Clearwater, Florida, approved a Church of Scientology request to vacate a downtown avenue so it can erect L. Ron Hubbard Hall. The move sparked pushback from some local residents. Pictured here is the church’s Flag Building in Clearwater (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to think that those days are over, but in reality they\u2019re not,\u201d she said. \u201cVacating Garden Avenue would create that opportunity of creating consecutive space and an appropriate buffer to keep event attendees free from harassment and danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some opponents of the development project said they’re not against Scientology, but against closing off a public space, which one described as a betrayal of taxpayers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t care about what other religions believe,\u201d a spokesperson for the group called Save the Garden, told officials. \u201cBut they do care about the property, the place that they live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all free to believe whatever we want, but we\u2019re also all welcome members of one community, and we need to keep the grid open, we need to keep the buildings open,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that his group remains “committed to action,\u201d including by filing a suit against the city.<\/p>\n

Jose Estigarribia, an attorney representing a local business owner, said he is already in the process of taking legal action in order to determine who \u201cthe rightful owner\u201d of the road.<\/p>\n

After about an hour of commentary, the city council voted 3-2 to vacate South Garden Avenue.<\/p>\n

\"During<\/p>\n

During a city council meeting, community members expressed both support and opposition to the project (Clearwater City Council)<\/p>\n

The Church of Scientology, founded in 1954, has millions of adherents worldwide, including several thousand in the Clearwater area, according to its website. Beyond the Flag Building, it owns nearly two dozen other downtown properties, making it the area’s largest property taxpayer.<\/p>\n

The church’s substantial portfolio has created tension in the city<\/a>, in part because many of the buildings it owns have remained empty despite years of urging from city officials, The Independent previously reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really are seeing momentum and would love for them to activate the properties,\u201d Mayor Bruce Rector said earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The church has faced multiple allegations over the years, including that it mistreats its members<\/a> and engages in predatory financial practices.<\/p>\n

A number of celebrities have been associated with the church, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta<\/a>. Leah Remini<\/a>, who left the organization over a decade ago, said in 2024 that her life has been a \u201cconstant struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Independent has reached out to a church representative for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Florida city has handed control of a downtown street to the Church of Scientology for a planned…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2302,130399,116647,832,1339,130400,28,30,29,130398,10448],"class_list":["post-313256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-church","tag-church-member","tag-church-of-scientology","tag-city-council","tag-clearwater","tag-community-residents","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-l-ron-hubbard","tag-legal-action"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}