Scientology came to Clearwater 44 years ago today 'wearing a cloak of secrecy' - 2019-10-27
Scientology came to Clearwater 44 years ago today 'wearing a cloak of secrecy' October 27, 2019,
The following is one in a series of stories that won the then-St. Petersburg Times the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. In it, reporter Charles Stafford, who won the prize along with Bette Orsini, details how the Church of Scientology moved into Clearwater with big plans under a false name. The story, originally titled "Church entered Clearwater on path of deceit," was published on December 20, 1979.
The Church of Scientology came to Florida's Suncoast in late 1975 wearing a cloak of secrecy that concealed a dagger of deceit.
The mystery began Oct. 27. The Fort Harrison Hotel was purchased by Southern Land Sales and Development Corp. for $2.3-million hard cash, and then a few days later the old Bank of Clearwater building for $550,000. For whom? And why?
- 1975
- 1979
- 1980
- 2007
- 2019
- Apollo
- Bette Orsini
- Charles Stafford
- Church of Scientology of California
- Clearwater
- Clearwater Sun
- Congress
- Flag Building
- Florida
- Fort Harrison
- Gabriel Cazares
- Guardian's Office
- Henning Heldt
- IRS
- L. Ron Hubbard
- Los Angeles
- News article
- Project Power
- Pulitzer Prize
- Quicky
- Sorel Allen
- Southern Land Sales and Development
- St. Petersburg Times
- Tampa Bay Times
- Tax exempt
- United Churches
- United Churches of Florida
- Washington
