Florida’s Controversial 50 Years of History With Scientology
By Senior Staff Writer, Edmond Thorne: 09/06/2025 14:30 EST

Fla. News Network — In 1975, a group calling itself the United Churches of Florida quietly purchased the historic Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater. The name was a front. Behind it stood the Church of Scientology, which had chosen this Gulf Coast city as the site for its spiritual headquarters, later dubbed the Flag Land Base. The move was strategic, secretive, and, as it turned out, deeply disruptive and divisive.

Within months, city officials began to suspect something was off. Clearwater’s then-mayor, Gabe Cazares, became one of the first vocal critics. What followed was a bizarre and disturbing campaign: Cazares was targeted in a staged hit-and-run, and false rumors about his personal life were circulated. These tactics were later revealed in FBI investigations into Scientology’s covert operations, including “Operation Freakout,” which aimed to silence critics through intimidation and disinformation.