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Tracey McManus, Pinellas County Commission, Scientology and Clearwater Reporter

Tracey McManus

Pinellas County Commission, Scientology and Clearwater Reporter

I cover Pinellas County with a focus on the workings and impacts of government, environmental issues, the City of Clearwater, the Church of Scientology, animal welfare and other topics. Before joining the Times in 2015, I spent five years with The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia. I've wanted to be a journalist pretty much since I was old enough to read the newspapers my dad kept stacked near the kitchen table every day. That's never changed. I was born in Brooklyn but grew up in south Florida and graduated from University of Florida in 2010 with degrees in journalism and Spanish. When not on deadline, I'm usually out running with my two dogs Tiger and Ollie, both strays I found in Georgia.

(727) 445-4151

Lawsuit accuses Scientology, David Miscavige of child abuse, human trafficking, libel.
June 19
• Scientology

The 380,000 square-foot Flag building is Scientology’s international spiritual headquarters in downtown Clearwater. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times (2011)]
Lawyers say more lawsuits will follow.The first, filed in Los Angeles for an unnamed Jane Doe, outlines her life of alleged abuse in the church, including at the international spiritual headquarters.

Vote on Clearwater condo fought by neighbors pushed to June due to city clerical error
May 20
• Clearwater

Valor Capital CEO Moises Agami, and his father-son partners Elias and Diego Jafif, is proposing a 7-story, 86-foot condo on the vacant lot at Edgewater Drive and Sunset Point Road. [photo courtesy Valor Capital]
Residents around the Edgewater Drive property are fighting the condo for its height but also question assurances from developers, who are Scientologists, the project isn't controlled by Scientology.

Neighbors protest height of Clearwater condo proposed by developers tied to Scientology
May 18
• Clearwater

Valor Capital CEO Moises Agami, and his father-son partners Elias and Diego Jafif, is proposing a 7-story, 86-foot condo on the vacant lot at Edgewater Drive and Sunset Point Road. [photo courtesy Valor Capital]
Residents are fighting the 86-foot-tall condo for its impact on surrounding homes. But they also doubt the developers' assurances that the Church of Scientology is not involved.

Clearwater rejects Scientology’s bid for former fire station
May 17
• Clearwater

The 40-year-old Fire Station on Franklin is expected to be demolished. [CLEARWATER FIRE & RESCUE]
The church was the only bidder, but the city says it wants a commercial development.

Clearwater Brewing Company hopes to jolt North Marina, Old Clearwater Bay north of downtown
May 1
• Clearwater

From left: Howie Shirley, F. Bowling and Keith Ford, co-owners of the Clearwater Brewing Co., settle in for a round of pints on Tuesday at their bar in the Old Clearwater Bay district north of downtown on N Fort Harrison Avenue in Clearwater. The microbrewery, which opens to the public on Saturday, is inching the city closer to its long struggling goal of luring breweries to downtown. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
The four business owners see Old Clearwater Bay and the N Fort Harrison Avenue strip as ripe with potential. Their brewery is the first in the vicinity and comes amid vast city investment.