Church of Scientology the "United Churches of Florida" the citizens and City Council of Clearwater did not realize that the building's owners were actually the Church of Scientology until after the building's purchase. Clearwater citizens' groups, headed by Mayor Gabriel Cazares, rallied strongly against Scientology establishing a base in the city (repeatedly referring to the organization as a cult), but Flag Base was established nonetheless. In the years since its foundation, the Flag Land Base has expanded as the Church of Scientology has gradually purchased large amounts of additional property in the downtown and waterfront Clearwater area. Scientology's largest project in Clearwater has
The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology his native County Cork, where he is studying for an arts degree. He currently regards Scientology as "unlicensed and unmonitored psychotherapy". In an interview on "Phantom FM" radio, Duignan said that "the readjustment after it has been tremendously difficult". Duignan recounts his time in the Scientology organization, and his experiences during his twenty-two years as a Scientologist. He discusses controversial Scientology practices which he refers to as sleep deprivation and brainwashing, and describes his experiences during the Scientology process called "Auditing". He describes Church of Scientology goals called "Clear the Planet" (referring to the Scientology state of "Clear") and "Get