THE BREAKDOWN: The Clearwater City Council has voted 3-2 to hand control of a downtown street to the Church of Scientology for a new auditorium. The decision has sparked immediate backlash from local residents and business owners, who are now threatening legal action to block the closure of the public road.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Clearwater officials have officially approved a request by the Church of Scientology to vacate a downtown street, clearing the way for a new event space but sparking fierce pushback and threats of legal action from local residents.
In a tight 3-2 vote this week, the Clearwater City Council decided to hand over control of South Garden Avenue. The short road sits right next to the church’s massive Flag Building, which occupies an entire city block. Scientology plans to use the newly acquired land to build an event venue named after its founder, L. Ron Hubbard…