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
Scientology in Belgium Scientology in Belgium Scientology has operated in Belgium since 1972, but the organization has encountered difficulties there in recent years. Belgium only officially recognizes six religions: Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Anglicanism, the Orthodox Church, Judaism and Islam (recently also Buddhism) and has denied Scientology's request to be included. Scientology opened an international office in 2003 near the European Union headquarters to lobby for recognition as an official religious group. The Belgian government denied Scientology the status of religion in 1997, and began investigating its practices and finances after ex-Scientologists said they had been subjected to intimidation and extortion. Concluding the ten-year