Florida City Accepts Status As Scientology Stronghold
Sunday, September 23, 2007

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Sure, says Mayor Frank Hibbard. It can be a little unsettling sometimes -- throngs of Scientologists wandering Clearwater's streets in their blue or khaki trousers and crisp dress shirts.

Sometimes, it makes the neighbors a bit uneasy.

"When you come to downtown, no one likes being a minority," Hibbard says.

But mostly, folks in this picturesque Gulf Coast city have come to accept that Clearwater is to Scientologists what Salt Lake City is to Mormons, what Mecca is to Muslims. Though not everybody is happy about it. the rest