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David Miscavige Is Doing Business in Florida

January 16, 2023 By Mike Rinder 21 Comments

A new article by Tracey McManus reports on the contacts between David Miscavige (Mr. Mickiewicz to his friends) and the former and the interim City Manager of Clearwater.

Remember, on 27 December, William J. Schifino (former head of the Florida Bar) and 2 Washington DC lawyers from powerhouse lawfirm Williams and Connolly (Joseph Terry and Krystal Durham) made “special appearances” (cost is no object when it comes to defending the COB, why use one lawyer when you can hire 3?) filed a motion claiming that Miscavige has not been properly served in the Baxter/Paris lawsuit. They claim he was never at any of the numerous scientology buildings where service was attempted, and that he is not a Florida Man, but instead a resident of California, even though when the Masterson victims sought to serve him in California, the lawyers there claimed he was in Florida of course.

Part of their argument is that Miscavige is “not doing business in Florida.”

 

Yet, just 4 days after they filed this, Miscavige was definitely doing business — appearing in person to conduct the New Year’s/IAS Patron celebration at the Ft. Harrison Hotel (one of the addresses where he “isn’t located”).

Almost certainly, when this is raised in the hearing, these lawyers are going to claim this only proves he was there one day.

Which is why Tracey’s latest article is so relevant. Here are some highlights:

The day after the City Council fired City Manager Jon Jennings and appointed Jennifer Poirrier as his interim successor, a series of blocked calls appeared on Poirrier’s cell.

She picked up on the fourth “No ID” call in a row. It was Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige.

“He called my personal phone, so I don’t know how he got that number,” she said.

Miscavige called on Jan. 6, Poirrier said, to explain he would soon arrange a meeting to catch her up on the discussions he’d been having with Jennings about the church’s plans for its downtown real estate.

The show of urgency from Scientology’s leader comes in contrast to the lack of progress on those plans despite 14 months of negotiations between Jennings and Miscavige.

Dozens of downtown properties are being held vacant by companies tied to Scientology, a situation Jennings said he was trying to remedy through a land swap with the church. But council members have expressed frustration that a deal has yet to materialize. They also said they are in the dark about the status of the negotiations with Miscavige because Jennings never disclosed details with them.

“Until I see some kind of something from the church … I just don’t think I can really trust them,” council member David Allbritton said at a work session on Monday.

“If they really wanted to have a vibrant downtown, why aren’t they doing something?” Allbritton said. “Are they waiting for us? I mean look what we’ve done. We’ve got Imagine Clearwater, and we’ve got development on the bluff planned. There’s a lot of things that are happening on our end, nothing on their end.”

Jennings spoke regularly on the phone with Miscavige, in some periods on a weekly basis, he told the Tampa Bay Times in previous interviews. It was a new era, since Miscavige went years without talking to city officials consistently before Jennings’ arrival in November 2021.

Jennings and Miscavige had six in-person meetings, the last held at Scientology’s Fort Harrison Hotel on May 29, 2022, according to public records. For their other five meetings, which took place between November 2021 and March 2022, Jennings and Miscavige met at a church office on Drew Street and North Fort Harrison Avenue, always after 5 p.m.

Jennings did not respond to voicemail on Friday asking for an update on those discussions. But he previously said the swap the two were negotiating potentially included the church receiving a 1.4-acre city lot on the downtown waterfront and Clearwater receiving Scientology-owned land that could help the city’s downtown revitalization efforts.

Any land swap would require City Council approval, and council members expressed frustration that Jennings never updated them about his talks with Miscavige. They said Jennings did not tell them which city properties he was suggesting to trade or which church parcels the Scientology leader was offering.

“I’ve asked repeatedly, ‘What’s being discussed? What’s on the table?’” council member Lina Teixeira said. “It’s always like, ‘We’re working on it, we’re working on it.’”

In an interview last February, Jennings said he and Miscavige agreed on a partnership where the church would renovate three parishioner-controlled buildings on Cleveland Street and recruit high-end retail to the storefronts. He called it a show of “good faith to the community” by Miscavige while the two negotiated the land swap.

Jennings characterized the church’s renovation of the three Cleveland Street buildings as the first phase of a broader activation for other downtown properties controlled by Scientology.

I think the court is going to be a little peeved at the game playing Miscavige is engaging in.  I suspect his run of avoiding lawsuits is about to come to a close.

Just as a final note of humor, right at the outset of their filing with the court, Mickie’s lawyers (no doubt at his insistence, because they don’t have a clue who I am) claimed that I “sponsored” this lawsuit. Hahaha. It is good to know they think I am so powerful and that everything that happens must somehow come from me… It’s a nice compliment, but as with virtually everything else they say, not true.

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Filed Under: David Miscavige Tagged With: David Miscavige, Jennifer Poirrier, Jon Jennings, Joseph Terry, Krystal Durham, Tracey McManus, William Schifino, Williams and Connolly

Comments

  1. AnonymousWog says

    January 17, 2023 at 9:00 pm

    I would like to know which three buildings on Cleveland street and which members of the church own them. Since PUBLIC funds would be used for their private property. Can someone please find out?

    Reply
  2. gorillavee says

    January 17, 2023 at 1:23 pm

    Isn’t that the ultimate in irony – the organization that is labeling former members as “disgraced” is the organization that is on par with satanism in the public’s eye.

    Reply
  3. L Ron Hubbard says

    January 17, 2023 at 11:47 am

    David Miscavige can you see the light?
    https://scientologylronhubbard.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/mike-rinder-light.gif

    Reply
    • Stevie says

      January 18, 2023 at 11:48 am

      Hahaha! Good one. I’m not sure if you use the same name on Aaron/Marc’s livestreams but, if that’s you I want to commend you on your humor!

      Reply
  4. Linear13 says

    January 17, 2023 at 1:04 am

    This is one of several things about the US justice system that has gotten out of control. Here we have 3 very high priced lawyers with friends in high places. They are standing in front of a judge whining that there is no way that their client has been served a legal subpoena. Every where the subpoena shows up Mickiewicz disappears. Then he pays these lawyers to whine and complain to a judge that he hasn’t been served ‘properly’. I don’t understand why the judge don’t say something to the effect of this:

    “Lawyers for Mr. Miscavige it’s obvious that your client is unreachable by any normal means. He travels in entourages surrounded by security details and rarely makes public appearances. You have come into the courtroom time and time again stating he hasn’t been served ‘properly’ therefore the trial cannot proceed. Now you say he has no business dealings in Florida even though he is the ‘ecclesiastical head’ of the Scientology religion and it is headquartered here in Clearwater Florida. It is obvious that one or more of you lawyers are in contact with Mr. Miscavige on what I suspect is a daily if not hourly basis in regards to this case. Since you represent Mr. Miscavige and will have communication with Mr. Miscavige in reference to todays case please tell him to consider himself served. This has reached the heights of absurdity.”

    I mean how is it that being served a subpoena has gotten this out of control. YOU can’t come to court but you can send 3 high priced lawyers instead? Give me a break.

    Reply
  5. Ellanorah Wilson says

    January 16, 2023 at 10:43 pm

    Does anyone have Xenu personalized license plates? What if lots of folks got them with numbers in front/behind. 1Xenu, 2Xenu, Xenu1, Xenu2, etc. Imagine cars all over Florida & California with plates… what a world it would be!

    Reply
  6. xTeamXenu75to03chuckbeatty says

    January 16, 2023 at 6:10 pm

    Mike,

    Do you think Miscavige has gone out of state again?

    ====================

    Has anyone ever asked the Aftermath Foundation to do some PI hiring to track down Miscavige professionally?

    ======================

    I think crowd source fund raising for some law firm to hire some top notch pro PIs to locate Miscavige at all times, would be doable, correct?

    In fact a Go Fund Me to raise the funds to hire some pro PIs to find Miscavige, at all times, to do the process serving, that could conceivably happen, or what might be the problem with that?

    Reply
    • Mike Rinder says

      January 16, 2023 at 9:54 pm

      The lawyers have PIs

      Reply
  7. PeaceMaker says

    January 16, 2023 at 5:43 pm

    That’s another problem with the secret meetings, the council doesn’t even know what is going on, and if something happens to whoever was in the room with Mr. Mickiewicz-Myszkiewicz, there’s no continuity, either.

    This just goes to show why public bodies shouldn’t have have secret dealings: the whole point of the “sunshine” laws that Clearwater officials have been skirting, which were passed because back room dealings turned out not to serve the public interest in the past, or even produced scandal and corruption. I think city council should go ahead and schedule public hearings with the CofS, and then if Mr. Mickiewicz-Myszkiewicz doesn’t show up or send anyone in a position of authority to represent him, publicize how they are being uncooperative and secretive.

    The CofS also has a long history of uncooperative furtiveness, starting with the “Operation Normandy” covert takeover of the Fort Harrison and other properties. Attempts at negotiations with them seem like dealing with the North Koreans and now the Russians, who mostly use it as a bad faith strategy to buy time and gain advantage, with those who try to play along with them getting little if anything out of their efforts.

    Reply
  8. xTeamXenu75to03chuckbeatty says

    January 16, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    Seriously, L. Ron Hubbard’s two policies make the Scientology organization anti-social in a city where Scientologists walk and do their group’s business, next to regular citizens:

    1) Scientology’s extremist shunning policy, disallows Scientologists even be near people they deem “SP”, a well known, and unchanging controversial extremist position Clearwater is the effect of that extremist policy, the most.

    2) Xenu. Hubbard created two taboo words, which any citizen, should they speak these words, or show these words on T Shirts or protest signs, cause Scientology knee jerk unusual behavior, so much so, they react irrationally. (The other word is a special TWO word word: “body-thetans” pronounced BODY THAY TONS)

    THAT IS seriously the two at present, permanent problems, behind Scientology/Miscavige’s real estate strategy in Clearwater.

    Hubbard would have solved these two issues, were he around, but Miscavige, and likely anyone of Miscavige’s mould who fills Miscavige’s shoes in the future, will face these same two issues:

    a) Scientology’s extremist shunning, which is worse than even the Mormons or JW’s and a “new religion” academic I wish to heck would do their homework, and back me up, they could if they did the homework.

    b) Xenu (and body-thetans)

    Scientology’s extremist rules, can be end run by citizens, just tell the Xenu story to all, and explain Scientology’s OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 steps are exorcism, which they are a form of locating souls (body-thetans are just messed up souls, messed up badly by Xenu), and exorcising those souls (these body-thetans) off of their human Scientologist bodies.

    ——————————-

    Scientologists react unlike normal other traditional citizens of other religions who are NOT bound by extremist shunning rules and by the taboo words they cannot allow to even hear spoken or explained.

    ———————————-

    A comparison simple layman readable study needs be done on extremist rules of religions, which adversely affect a city’s plans for growth.

    The above will be true for until Miscavige is gone, and possibly a saner set of leaders review and discover the Hubbard policy loopholes to remove the extremist shunning, and remove the taboo on explaining the “secret” (not any longer, due to South Park and all the ex’s who got that going) exorcism theory of Scientology.

    (The secret simply explained is that Xenu mass murdered and dumped humanoid souls onto earth, and those souls infest all humans today, and Scientology’s OT 3, 4 5, 6 and 7 supposedly exorcise those souls off of a Scientologist’s human body, causing spiritual relief for the Scientologist.)

    It’s the extremist shunning, and Xenu/body-thetans taboo, which is the crux.

    (Also Scientology needs to inject some Precept 20 from their Way to Happiness precepts into a full review of their operation. ARC and Precept 20 could reform Scientology, but not under Miscavige’s watch.)

    Reply
  9. toni says

    January 16, 2023 at 2:52 pm

    To paraphrase Winston Churchill,

    ‘Never in the field of human conflict was a group so disliked by so many to so few’

    Reply
  10. vǝda says

    January 16, 2023 at 12:38 pm

    Dave, is it worth it?

    Reply
  11. Lili R says

    January 16, 2023 at 12:22 pm

    I find it galling that David Miscavige’s obvious Florida activities haven’t already led to a determination that he has been served.
    This is an egregious example of how those with deep pockets get away with murder. And human trafficking. And failing to report sexual abuse. And enslaving minors to do hard physical labor. And denying a public education to the minors they have enslaved. I could go on but I’d get writer’s cramp.
    The law is there to protect citizens, minors, and human-trafficked persons.
    It’s time for the judges to stop allowing the wealthy cult leader to dodge justice. David Miscavige has many crimes to answer for. Let the reckoning begin.

    Reply
  12. Glenn says

    January 16, 2023 at 11:01 am

    Wow!
    Your status has been raised to “principal declarant”!
    Woo hoo!!!
    Hip, hip hurray; hip, hip hurray; hip, hip, hurray.

    Reply
  13. safetyguy says

    January 16, 2023 at 10:48 am

    Tick Tock. I think time is running out.

    Reply
    • Mreppen says

      January 16, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      I doubt it, the clock has been tick to toking for decades with the C of S. Expect it to drag on for a very long time.

      Reply
    • WWW : Wisdom of the Wog World says

      January 17, 2023 at 12:08 am

      You got it 👍

      So what it is all about ?

      It seems they are trying to copy a concept of Religious Tourism like Vetican , Rome , Israel, India, Saudi Arabia and Tibet.
      But they grossly mistaken that it’s all done by followers ,out numbeing the number of visitors. People look at the massess performing rituals in public in open environment.

      If its other way round and crowd out numbered them , it’s may led to series of tiktok vedios and you may visualize the embarrassment it may create for their ,diminishing, population.

      Better alternative!

      Find land in MidWest and start community in agrarian set up doing farming, poultry and dairy farming.
      Claiming products are from animals free from psychosomatics….clear Milk…..super power butter etc etc etc
      This way they may raise intellect of parishioners, free from Wogs influence.
      Bring innovation by adopting Harry Porter series as Tech and teach then spells to fight Wogs.

      Again , who I am to advise, I just read what’s written on the wall.🤔

      Reply
  14. otherles says

    January 16, 2023 at 10:29 am

    If I may make a suggestion, to clear Scientologists from Clearwater members of Anonymous (or people just wearing Guy Fawkes masks) should stand in front of the apartment of Tom Cruise and sing the Monty Python song Sit On My Face.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkJnd9rSAQ8

    This is only a suggestion.

    Reply
    • GL says

      January 16, 2023 at 4:02 pm

      If you really want to get up their noses and assault their ears and minds then you can’t go past (played very loudly and repeatedly) –

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbRyH6fkee0

      Much to my enjoyment I found this song can drive people to utter distraction. Another song that can have almost the same effect was from 1982, Da Da Da by Trio –

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNYcviXK4rg

      Reply
    • xTeamXenu75to03chuckbeattyCW75to83 says

      January 16, 2023 at 7:18 pm

      Exactly. Like mentioned for years, Xenu clears the streets, and did, and always will.

      Xenu and extremist shunning are Scientology’s Achilles Heels.

      Citizens, wearing a XENU Tshirt have real power to clear.

      In fact, were the citizens of Clearwater, to group en masse, engage in XENU wearing “SP” acts, then Scientology might have to consider the town SP, and then Scientology, per the rules, would disconnect, and maybe vacate town and leave!

      That’s the right “flow” against Hubbard’s dumb rules they are stuck with, and which make them act so bizarre and untraditional, and fanatical.

      They have to give up and let their members understand XENU and “body-thetans” theory, from day one, and just reveal the secrets of their OT 3, 4, 5 6 and exorcism.

      And declare what they call an “Amnesty” and undeclare ALL SPs, and make a new rule, “no more declaring anyone SP” and that’d be huge to their benefit, and make them integrate into Clearwater.

      Until then, Xenu to me is the best backfiring word to use in Clearwater, 24/7 until Scientology changes their XENU/body-thetans taboo words to normal words their members are allowed to discuss.

      Plus “undeclare” all SPs, and no longer declare any SPs, and they’d transform overnight.

      Plus, completely disband OSA and stop all OSA programs.

      Reply
  15. Todd Cray says

    January 16, 2023 at 10:20 am

    Anyone who’s ever attempted to do even a minor home renovation knows of the pains of having to go to the city and solicit permissions to do something to your own property. And then jump through each and every hoop they put before you, whenever they choose to.

    Apparently, not so for scientology! Like a penitent Jennings showed up at the beck and call of the “church” whenever they wanted him to. They didn’t have to come calling. He went to them. And their interests prevailed over the public’s right to transparency. Even the city council was kept out of the loop.

    No wonder, dave is anxious to keep the interim city manager abreast about how business is done in his city, on his terms!

    Reply

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